Ernesto Viso's determination to prove himself worthy of the third Spyker M
F1 seat at the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix has seen him ramp up his training programme since returning to his Barcelona home from last week's
Silverstone test.
Although he didn't get to run at the British GP venue, the Venezuelan saw enough to convince him of the need to prepare thoroughly for his return, which should see him at the wheel of the reliveried M16-
Toyota in early October, as he completes the 300km necessary to qualify for the mandatory superlicence ahead of his Interlagos debut.
Viso has revealed that he is concentrating a lot of his physical preparation on his neck muscles, aware that an F1 car generates more downforce and g-loadings than his regular GP2 mount. In order to be mentally prepared, he has also been reviewing the Interlagos circuit on a video game, having not driven on the Brazilian venue's full layout. He is due to return to Spyker's Silverstone headquarters next week for another session on the team's simulator, having made his first acquaintance with it last Wednesday.
"We are working above all on my neck muscles," Viso confirmed, "The g-forces that an F1 car develops are enormous, so I am having to really improve in that area as I will be attempting to cover 300km in a day, almost double the length of a GP2 feature race!
"At least I should be familiar with the cockpit of the car when I test the Spyker, as the simulator has an identical steering wheel, with all its buttons and functions. I can change the traction control and make changes to the configuration of the car, so it's a bit like a large Playstation! Of course, a simulator cannot replicate the cornering forces, or the bumps in the track, but it will be a big help nonetheless."
