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Felipe Nasr admits he was slightly overwhelmed when he crossed the line in fifth at the end of his F1 debut in Australia.
The Sauber rookie turned in a superb drive in tough circumstances in Melbourne, managing his tyres superbly and holding off Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo at two different stages of the race. Nasr was visibly emotional when told his result was the best debut by a Brazilian driver in F1 – company including world champions Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet.
When asked if he was holding back tears when he crossed the line, Nasr replied: “Of course. It was a unique feeling for myself, I couldn’t ask for better. It was a dream come true and I want more, I will keep searching for more.”
“Surprisingly I was calm from beginning to the end, even when I was sat on the grid. I think the team made me prepared for it. That’s what I was happy for – I was not seeking information; it all came as I expected which only shows the team gave me good preparation.”
Nasr navigated successfully through a tight Turn 1 which saw Pastor Maldonado pitched into the wall and he said he was impressed by the Sauber car for the rest of the race.
