MAX CHILTON was barely four months old when Michael Schumacher made his Formula One debut, yet a few weeks ago the Reigate ace was sharing a track with the German legend and a host of other world champions in Abu Dhabi. It was an experience he will never forget.
The 21-year-old took part in the first practice session for Marussia Racing at the Yas Marina and he hopes it will prove the start of a long and successful F1 career.
Chilton is keen to be a regular in the F1 paddock next season, but those first few laps last month are something he will always savour.
"It was a big shock," he said. "I'd done two days with Force India in 2011 in their rookie test and done two days with Marussia earlier this year. I've done plenty of miles in an F1 car, so I was comfortable with that. But in Abu Dhabi I was stepping up, with all eyes on me. I was sharing a track with six world champions. There was pressure – but as soon as I put my helmet on it all went.
"Those first few laps I was just doing aerodynamic runs. I didn't really push. I was just taking it all in and couldn't wipe the smile off of my face. At one point the engineer came on the radio and said 'Alonso is four seconds behind you and Schumacher is on track'. I was only a couple of months old when he (Schumacher) started out and have followed his career right through. Here I was sharing a track with him. But it all settled down and I was able to do a couple of good runs at the end."
Chilton finished the session just a second down on teammate Timo Glock, but that could have been even closer if he hadn't been held up by traffic late on.
It has been a bit of a whirlwind 2012 for Chilton. He started it as a promising GP2 driver and has ended on the cusp of driving at the pinnacle of motorsport.
"At the first winter test (GP2) I knew the car was fully prepared and was a quick one," he said. "At the first race in Malaysia I took my first ever podium and scored points in the next six or seven races. It was a good start to the season.
"My second podium of the year was in Monaco. I'd come fourth in the first race, but was second in the second. At one point I was a good ten seconds behind Jolyon Palmer. I'd got stuck behind someone with a puncture and you know how difficult it is to overtake in Monaco. I'd brought the gap down to one second by the end. It was a really good charge.
"I had a couple of non scores midway through the season. I was unlucky and got taken out in a couple of races. But in the second half of the season I was the highest points scorer. I got two poles and two wins. I think I've made a big step forward this year and am happy to be able to say that. I want to move on to bigger and better things and needed that behind me."
It was at Singapore in September that Chilton was announced as Marussia's official reserve driver and he flew around the globe with the team taking in the delights of Japan, Korea, Texas and Brazil along the way.
He feels the experience will hold him in good stead moving forward.
"It was a really good learning curve," he said. "After finishing the year in GP2 I went to a good number of races and was like a fly on the wall, taking everything in and seeing how everything works. I was in the engineers' meetings and also got to see what the drivers were saying about the car. That extra knowledge will be key in case I step up."
Chilton also got to experience the contrasts between the new and the old of F1 at the final two races of the season.
"Austin, for the first time, was brilliant. We didn't think there would be much overtaking, but Jenson (Button) proved otherwise with a lot of overtaking where no one thought you could. The whole event was very good and the Americans took to it a lot better than people thought.
"From there we went to Brazil. It's a great atmosphere, in a kind of a bowl, and the crowds absolutely love it because of Senna."
All being well, Chilton will get to experience those tracks for real behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2013.
