INDIA in F1

Author: David Bodapati

  • Pastor in seventh heaven; Podium for Alonso, Kimi

    Lewis Hamilton of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team finishes on way to a successful pit stop in the Spanish GP for a second place which keeps him in the third place in the drivers' championship with 53 points. Vodafone McLaren photo.

    DRIVERS

    1 – Pastor MALDONADO (Williams)

    2 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)

    3 – Kimi RAIKKONEN (Lotus)

    TV UNILATERAL

    Pastor, your first victory, brilliantly judged – describe your emotions?

    Pastor MALDONADO: I think it’s a wonderful day, not just for me but for all the team. We have been pushing so hard since last year to try to improve race by race and here we are. Yesterday we were here after a great qualifying and today we did it again. It was a tough race because the strategy as well, it was tough especially because of the rear tyres – after a couple of laps we were struggling with [them]. I need to say I’m pretty happy because the car was so competitive since the first lap. Fernando did a better start than me but I was just following the pace and it was so great. It’s my first podium and my first victory and you can imagine what I feel.

    Fernando, second today and obviously a lot of progress for you and the team. And once again a blinding start.

    Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, it was a fantastic start again. The team prepared quite nice again the clutch and everything – the procedure to do a good start. It was close on the straight until Turn One with Pastor, and then we had the better side, the inside. We took the momentum there and we led the race for the first part but then William’s anticipated the stop and get in front and at the end it was close. We had a newer tyre than Pastor and we tried a couple of times but it was not possible out of the last corner. Then in the very last laps I felt the car was strange, we lost a lot of grip. Maybe we lost some aerodynamic part or something because we were very slow… (inaudible) …we were lucky at the end. Second place at home feels fantastic and thanks to the people that came here and the people at home and hopefully a step forward in terms of championship possibilities.

    Kimi, third today. You were a lot of people’s favourite going into this grand prix. Do you think you and the team made all the right choices this afternoon?

    Kimi RAIKKONEN: We have to look. I’m a bit disappointed. I expected us to be a bit stronger in the race, especially at the beginning. At the end we were very good, but it was too late. We were not fast enough and quick enough to race and that’s why we couldn’t fight for a win. But we showed in the end that we have to speed but we just have to look at what we did. Maybe we took the wrong choice in the first pit stop. In the end, like I said we were not fast enough in the beginning and that cost us the race, so I was not so disappointed during the race because I saw that I couldn’t follow them at the beginning. But at the end when you catch them up almost 20 seconds then you get a bit of a disappointed feeling afterwards, when you just needed a few laps to be even able to fight for the first place. That’s racing and at least I scored some good points and we’re going in the right direction.

    Back to you Pastor and this is the first Williams win since 2004. They managed to get you to jump Fernando at the second round of pit stops but he gave you some real pressure at the end didn’t he?

    PM: Yeah, it was so close. We were looking to manage the tyre degradation so I wasn’t pushing that hard, just to keep the tyres alive for the end of the race and Fernando got too close. There were some moments that he was so close, especially at the end of the straight. But I was managing the gap and controlling everything. I think our pace today was pretty strong and the car looks fantastic. Even the team. We did a small mistake at the last pit stop but it doesn’t affect our performance.

    Fernando, describe your feelings at the second stop when Pastor jumped you because you were caught up behind a backmarker in that critical lap weren’t you?

    FA: Yeah, we were a little bit unlucky maybe. We had a Marussia but I think he got a penalty at the end. Obviously, it’s not a solution now but hopefully people start to understand that they need to respect the rules and today again they didn’t and they paid the penalty. It’s more of a penalty the penalty we paid – maybe the race win – but yeah a little bit disappointed. But they [Williams] did a great job and they had the pace, because in the last stint, if we were faster than the Williams we had the opportunity to overtake but they were quicker than us so thy deserve the victory.

    Kimi, it’s the second podium for you in a row. Do you feel a win is around the corner?

    KR: Yeah, twice already. Unfortunately you’re not always going to get there. If you get the chance, you should take it because it’s not every race that you will be able to fight for that position or even try it. Hopefully we can keep doing what we’re doing now and at a certain point I’m sure that things will go exactly right and we can. But so far it’s been a good step and the car has been strong everywhere. The next race is a bit different – Monaco – it’s hard to say how it goes there. The team has done a good job and we have still work to do, things to improve. But so far it’s going in a good way and I’m happy with it. OK, we’re not 100% happy with it because we are not winning but that’s a very normal thing and I’m happy for the team.

    As Kimi says, we go to Monaco next Pastor. That’s one of your favourite tracks. What chance a back-to-back victory for you?

    PM: I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us to be strong again. For sure I will be doing my best on the driving. The team is looking after the car so we need to continue like that. Keep pushing with the car, to develop it as soon as possible and consistency will be the important thing in this championship.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    When did you think you could win, because obviously there have been changing emotions, obviously you were second on the grid and then first on the grid and then obviously the start etc., When did you think this was possible?

    PM: After the qualifying. Y’know, it was so great to start from the head, from the front and for sure the team did a great job to give me a car and I did my job on the qualifying. And then starting from the pole it’s much easier, everything.

    And then obviously overtaken at the start…

    PM: Yes, our start wasn’t that great, Fernando had one better than us but after the first lap the pace was very competitive, the car looks very good and we were looking at the strategy, that’s it.

    And what about the tyres at the end? Because obviously Fernando closed on you and then dropped back.

    PM: When Fernando got close I was looking after the tyres, I didn’t push that much, just because the big tyre degradation. We did an extremely good strategy today, everything under control, even some moments when Fernando got too close but we had a little bit better traction than him, using KERS and everything. So it was managing the race, looking for the gaps and the pace.

    You must have thought that with KERS, him within a second, at any moment it was going to happen – but it never did.

    PM: For sure it was difficult from this morning because the gaps are so close between the top teams at the moment. When I saw that I was second in the first corner, ‘OK’, I said, ‘the race is going to be long. We need to keep pushing, we need to prepare to change our strategy just to attack Ferrari and we did it. Everything was perfect, except the last pitstop. We had a big moment there but it doesn’t affect our final result.

    Fernando, you got so close, right up there, and then it just went away I guess, and then by the end it looked as though you really were struggling on the tyres.

    FA: Yeah, it was close with ten laps to go, ten laps to the end. We were attacking Pastor when we were closing to within one second but then the last seven or eight laps we lost the grip, around Turn Seven I felt. I informed the team some corners after, in Turn Nine, to check if everything is OK because maybe we lost some aerodynamic part of the front wing or under the floor or something because we had no more grip at all. So, from that point the last seven laps, it was monitoring the distance and the gap with Kimi. We knew it was a very long last seven laps. At the end it was close. I think one lap more and Kimi overtake us. So we were lucky at the end and happy – happy with the weekend in general, not only with the race, because we had a very strong weekend, on Fridays with good practice, the car felt more or less competitive yesterday. I think we extract everything from the car again, maximise the potential of what we have in our hands and today the start was great, the race pace was good, at one point we were lapping one Red Bull in front of us with the blue flags, so… it’s very strange. We were 57 seconds behind Vettel in Bahrain, and we were lapping Webber here. No one understands probably. Not us either.

    It really was that sudden when you lost the grip? It was almost like a switch.

    FA: Yeah, yeah, it was in turn seven, over the kerb maybe, something fall out of the car or something, we need to check. But it was difficult. As Pastor said, in the last corner, turn 16, it’s difficult to follow anyone after the chicane, so we knew that when you lose the position at the pitstop, you have to have a big pace advantage if you want to overtake someone. With the difference and with the pace that Williams had today, we knew it was difficult.

    I suppose everybody in Italy wants to know, has Ferrari turned the corner? Are you now back in front again?

    FA: We’ll see. I think when we are first and second in one qualifying and first and second in one race, we have to say that we have the best car. Until that moment we are fighting. I think this year is very difficult to have a pace advantage or to be happy with the car you have in your hands, because everything is so close. Consistency and continuous development will be important in this championship because two-tenths can be six or seven positions in one qualifying this year. But what we can say is we have probably the most difficult start of the championship in these three years in Ferrari, with a car that was not competitive at all, and we finish the first quarter of the championship, so this is the fifth race out of 20, and we are leading the championship, or the same points as Vettel, so we have to be very, very proud and very happy with the points we achieved and with the position. Maybe we have not to be so proud about how competitive we are but we are working on that.

    Kimi, tell us about the start, because that pretty much established your race.

    KR: Yeah, I had a pretty good start, nothing to complain about. I thought I would get the chance to overtake outside both of the first two but I didn’t have enough speed in a straight line – I actually hit the limiter I think in fifth gear which kind of stopped my acceleration a bit but after that I didn’t have the speed to hang on and hound them. I was pulling away from the guys behind me but I couldn’t stay. The first stint was pretty OK but the second, I chose the soft tyre and I didn’t have the speed to keep up with them. I’m a bit disappointed but I just tried to fight and then we changed the tyres and it seemed to turn out to be pretty good but we were just too far away. We need, like, ten more laps and then I think we could have been fighting for the win.

    Absolute charge at the end, your tyres were OK?

    KR: Yes, it was OK. I had two new sets of Prime but unfortunately I didn’t have more sets of Prime anyhow to put in the first pitstop. The car was very good but just a bit too late for me. We fall off too much in the last stint to be able to fight for the win. But one more lap we could probably could have got Fernando – but it’s easy to say after.

    And what did you tell the Finnish viewers just now?

    KR: It’s Mothers’ Day in Finland.

    So Happy Mothers’ Day?

    KR: Yeah. I had nothing else to say to Finnish viewers.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Life) Kimi, second place in Bahrain, third place in Spain; is this the maximum for you or can you win?

    KR: The fact is the reason why I’m disappointed is because in the end if we have done everything right, we could have put ourselves into first place. The car has been fast enough but we’ve been doing small things not correctly and I’ve done some mistakes on my side but if everything was 100 percent OK we could have won. There’s no issue with the speed of the car, but it’s so close between all the teams and drivers that if you have a small problem or a small issue during the weekend then it’s going to cost you a lot. If you’re three tenths behind then you’re suddenly not in the last qualifying. As you give yourself the chance to be fighting at the front, I think our car can do it but everything has to fall in the right place to be able to win.

    Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Life) Pastor, you are now a national hero. Are you ready?

    PM: For sure everyone is so happy in my country. I’m very lucky to have a country behind me, pushing so hard, to see me here in Formula One and especially to be here, between these guys. I’m pretty happy for Venezuela, I’m happy for Williams as well. They did a wonderful job to give me a great car for this race. We are getting better and better, race after race.

    Q: (Adrian Huber – Agencia EFE) Fernando, after the first five races, and all the problems you’re supposed to have in your team, no one has scored more points than you have now. How much more confident are you today than you were on Thursday, or on the inside were you expecting this?

    FA: No, I am a definitely surprised by the quantity of points that we have; I’m a bit surprised by today’s result, or the weekend’s results. We were confident of improving the car, we were hoping for some signs of improvement here in Barcelona. As I said, in Bahrain, we were nearly out of Q3 and then in the race, P9, one minute behind the leaders, so we arrived in Barcelona with some hope, some optimism about the upgrades but I think the result, the overall weekend pace has been a little bit better than expected, because we were quick in qualifying and quick in the race but this, in my opinion or how I feel after the weekend, I still don’t know where we are. I think we need to wait for more races, for the championship to stabilise a little bit because I think we maybe over-performed a little bit compared with the potential we have and maybe some other teams under-performed or they had some problems to get their tyres working or something, because, as I said, some of the results that we saw this weekend feel very strange.

    Q: (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta) Fernando, if we take a look at the race, maybe it was a bad decision to stop so late after Pastor after you’d had the problem with the Marussia because it’s so important in Formula One to stay in front from the aerodynamic point of view.

    FA: Yeah, obviously you never know. After the race it’s always easier to review the strategy. The choice was always to stop on the same lap or one lap later than Pastor, always try to cover the position. When Williams decided to stop in the second pit stop, we had one Marussia in front of us for a lap and a half. When we saw that in the second sector, we were already exiting behind Pastor so at that point, we decided to keep going for a few more laps and try to get the opportunity at the end of the race, with a shorter stint. I think we didn’t lose the win because of the Marussia because if you had the pace in the last stint, you had to overtake Pastor and we didn’t because they were faster than us, but for sure, we went out of the plan because of the backmarker.

    Q: (Jaime Rodriguez – El Mundo) Pastor, could you explain the start of the race, because you had a good fight with Fernando, and I want to know if you’ve received congratulations from your president in Venezuela?

    PM: You know it wasn’t the best start ever from us. I think the clutch slipped quite a lot. Fernando had a better jump than us. It was so close, I tried to defend the position but he was already on the better part of the track, so I decided to back off and follow him. At that moment, I thought that the race was long and we changed our strategy, to attack Ferrari. I think from the second stop we did pretty good and I think we surprised them because we did it so early.

    And the call? No, not yet because I was on the podium before, so no time to even see my family, my people. Maybe he will call. I don’t know.

    Q: (Heikki Kulta – Turun Sanomat) Fernando and Kimi, did you believe that Pastor could be your main rival today, and if not, how big a surprise is it?

    FA: Yeah, I think so. We saw in general that during the weekend that Williams was good. Lewis was maybe the favourite for this race after the pace we saw from Ferrari on Friday and the pole position by half a second yesterday. With Lewis’s penalty, Pastor was the strongest at the front so no surprises.

    KR: Williams have been quite fast for two races in certain points and I think, as we’ve said before, it’s very difficult to say who is really the quickest overall because at one race one team is there and then suddenly they are tenth in the next race, so it’s bit of an odd situation where we are this year, but it gives a lot of chances for all the teams who have the speed and when the tyres are working for them they are much better than the others. The tyres seem to be the key thing. If you get them working well you seem to be fast. Sometimes you just drop out of the window a little bit and you have a hard time.

    Q: (Marco degli Innocenti – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Pastor you are the fifth winner in five races, so the top of the field seems to be very close. Do you put Williams and yourself among the possible winners of the championship?

    PM: For sure we are a little bit backwards compared with the leaders, with Fernando and Vettel, but we need to keep working. We are not the best team at the moment. The car looked pretty good today, but I think we need to keep pushing some particulars at Williams, especially in the car, but everything is possible. The gaps are so close at the moment, I’m driving well, I have a good feeling with the team, with the car, so everything is possible. For sure we are looking to do our best, looking forward to winning some races, to getting a couple more podiums and I’m really happy because the team hasn’t won many races for many years so this is a great moment for us. I hope to continue like that.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) Pastor, you were in the same team last season. When you finished the season you were in front of only three teams: Marussia, Hispania and Caterham, and now you are in front of all of them; what has happened to explain such a change in performance from one season to another?

    PM: We made big changes in the factory, we have new staff in some of the departments and completely changed the approach to building the car. I need to say that this year’s car has great performance, great potential to become even stronger than it is and for sure, this is  great for motivation, to motivate the team, the factory, to keep pushing like that. I think this is the way. We are motivated and we need to keep pushing.

    Q: (Adrian Huber – Agencia EFE) Pastor, it looks like this could be a very long Sunday in Venezuela. Do you have any information as to what’s going on now or can you imagine what might happen there?

    PM: I can imagine that there will be a party everywhere but I don’t know at the moment. I need to see some of the fans, my family there. I think everybody who saw the race and for sure all the people are happy at the moment and this is great for Venezuela after nearly thirty years without any driver in Formula One, so I think it’s a great moment for our country.

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) Fernando, you have already said that at the moment everything is possible and not many things are explainable which is very strange for Formula One. I don’t think we ever had this situation before. Do you, as a driver, enjoy this uncertainty or would you like to have some more answers  on open questions?

    FA: I don’t know. I don’t know how to answer. We probably like the unknown situation that we have now, so you arrive in Monaco next Wednesday and you don’t know if you will be a winner or if you will be out of the points. That’s what we feel at the moment, not only for us. But in a way, after eleven years in Formula One and seeing Ferrari dominate most of them, now that I’m at Ferrari, I would like to have more stability and a dominant car.

    Ends

  • Narain to start ahead of stripped Hamilton

    Barcelona, 13 May 2012: With the stewards penalty for Hamilton, Narain Karthikeyan will start ahead of the former World Champion on 23rd in the grid at the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Catalunya in the Sunday’s race which begins at 5.30 pm India time.

    Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, who qualified on pole, for the third time this season was asked to stop after he finished the qualifying session to save one litre petrol which is mandatory to allow the scrutiny team to do their duty. Apparantly Hamilton had only 1.3 litres which would have been impossible to leave 1 litre if had ended up in the pits. However, with stewards calling the shots, Hamilton will now start at the back of the grid and Williams’ Pastor Maldonado, who is showing amazing capabilities this year, will lead the Spanish Grid today. Maldonado was unlucky a couple of times this season when he came close to points in vain.

    On Saturday, Hamilton claimed McLaren’s 150th pole position in the dying seconds of Q3, displacing provisional front-of-grid driver Pastor Maldonado, but was almost immediately told by his team to pull over and stop his car. Both Hamilton and his team were subsequently called before the stewards to explain why he had not been able to return his car to the pits under its own power as prescribed in article 6.6.2 of the FIA’s Technical Regulations.

    According to an FIA statement: “The stewards heard from the team representative Mr Sam Michael [Sporting Director], who stated that the car stopped on the circuit for reasons of force majeure. A team member had put an insufficient quantity of fuel into the car thereby resulting in the car having to be stopped on the circuit in order to be able to provide the required amount [of fuel] for sampling purposes.”

    This argument was, however, rejected by the stewards, who stated that “the amount of fuel put into the car is under the complete control of the competitor”. They then ruled that the team had breached article 6.6.2 and excluded Hamilton from the qualifying result.

    Hamilton will, however, be allowed to race, though he will start from the back of the grid. The penalty means that Pastor Maldonado will take pole position for tomorrow’s Spanish Grand Prix. It also marks Williams’ first pole position since the Brazilian GP of 2010, claimed by Nico Hulkenberg.

    It is not sure if Hamilton gained undue advantage because of less fuel but the team’s error of judgement would certainly harm the chances of the former world champion, who is currently in the top three of drivers’ standings.

    ends

    Lewis Hamilton qualifies to get the 150th pole for McLaren on Saturday. A Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team photo.

  • Hamilton thrilled to get 150th pole for McLaren

    Lewis Hamilton qualifies to get the 150th pole for McLaren on Saturday. A Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team photo.

    DRIVERS

    1 – Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren)

    2 – Pastor MALDONADO (Williams)

    3 – Fernando ALONSO (Ferrari)

    TV UNILATERAL

    Lewis, McLaren’s 150th Formula One pole position today. You really had to manage to the process though, particularly with the tyres. You were in the groove from the start, but what happened at the end when you stopped out on the track?

    Lewis HAMILTON: Well, firstly it was a fantastic qualifying session for me. Really, I’m very happy with the way… I think it’s one of the best ones I’ve ever had. Amazing job by the guys in the garage. Huge thanks to the guys in the factory for bringing us the upgrades, which have worked fantastically. I stopped on the track. I was told to stop. I don’t really have any idea why. But the car was feeling great today. It’s a great day for the team, I think. I don’t know what happened with Jenson, but he’s got great strength and pace throughout the race, so I have no doubt that he will make his way up through the grid.

    Pastor, a sensational session for you and Williams. Where did you find the speed from?

    Pastor MALDONADO: I think we’ve been working so hard from the beginning of the year trying to understand these tyres and to develop our car around the tyres and I think we actually did a really good step forward for this race. We need to continue to like that, keep pushing. I think at the moment there is a great atmosphere in the factory, a great atmosphere here in the team, the car looks pretty consistent and fantastic, especially in the race pace, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s a great feeling to be here, it’s my first time in the top three, so I’m really happy and hopefully we will continue like that and I would like to say thanks to the whole team.

    Fernando, a lot of updates also on the Ferrari. Are you heading in the right direction now?

    Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, I think so. Obviously for us it was impossible to even dream about being in the top three in the four races, we just had eyes on Q3 with no new set [of tyres] left or anything like that, so definitely it’s a step forward. The grid is so compact now that if you improve two or three tenths it makes a huge difference in terms of positions: five or six positions. So we did a step forward. I still doubt how much we did, because I think maybe P3 is a little bit over-performing what we can do at the moment. But I’m extremely happy with the lap; it was perfect. I don’t think there is much more to come. I think I could put 100 more sets of tyres on and I could only repeat the lap time probably. It is the way it is. I’m extremely happy for today and hopefully we maximise or capitalise on this good starting position tomorrow with a good result.

    Back to you Lewis. Obviously a lot of tyre tactics going on in qualifying today. What about the race tomorrow? What’s your read on how things are going to shape up and what kind of shape do you feel you’re in to become the fifth different race winner in five races?

    LH: Well, we’ve looked after our prime tyres, which is generally the better tyre for the race, or so it seems at the moment – the longer lasting tyre. Also the option tyres are all in good condition so… I think it’s going to be a massively tough race tomorrow. Of course, I’ve got these two great drivers next to me. I’m really happy to see this guy [Pastor Maldonado] up here and to see Williams up here and also Fernando. It’s really great to see my old team-mate up here as well and I’m going to have a great battle with these guys and I really hope we’re going to put on a great show for all the fans.

    PRESS CONFERENCE

    Lewis, congratulations. That was a great lap at the end. You must be so satisfied with it?

    LH: I really am. I think every time you go out, every time you qualify you’re searching for that perfect lap. You’re searching to put the car in just the right sweet spot, where you’re gaining all the time you could possibly gain and you’re not losing anywhere and I really felt that throughout Q1, Q2 and Q3… after Q1 I was like ‘damn, that should have been my Q3 lap’ but I was really grateful that I was able to continue that throughout the session and yeah, fantastic feeling really – overwhelmed.

    Lewis, you’ve started third on the grid here for the last three years and you haven’t yet won this grand prix, you’ve been twice second. Do you really want to tick this box, win this grand prix, one of the ones you haven’t yet won?

    LH: Well I’m very much aware that I have an incredibly tough race tomorrow with these guys who are massively quick – also on their long runs – and just how tricky it is in general. But it would mean a huge amount for me to win here in Spain. It’s always been a great place for me, it’s beautiful weather all the time and the people are just incredible and the support that I’ve had continues to grow year by year. And it’s become such a pleasure for me to come here. So, to win at one of the circuits where they have one of the biggest fan bases for Formula One in general, would be fantastic.

    Can you explain why there should be such changing fortune, even between team-mates? For example, your team-mate didn’t get through to Q3, his [Maldonado’s] team-mate didn’t get through into Q2 even and his [Alonso’s] team-mate starts 17th. It seems extraordinary the changing fortunes even for team-mates.

    LH: I think it’s surprising all of us. We are all very surprised. Obviously we are very happy that we’re up here! It just fantastic to see how close it is. You lose a tenth or two, that means you have to use your next set of tyres which then has a knock-on effect for the next session if you do or don’t get through. And so it’s massively competitive and it’s great for… I’m sure the fans are loving it – maybe not enjoying Q3 so much, but we definitely did.

    Pastor, where did it come from? How much did you get sorted out in Mugello? Do you think it’s a knock-on effect after Mugello?

    PM: I think all the guys in the factory did a wonderful job because the upgrades we have for this race, everything is working on the car. I was pretty happy yesterday in the free practice and the balance is there. Even though our strongest point has always been in the race, so I’m looking forward for tomorrow. Actually we improved – our worst thing was the qualifying pace so pretty happy for that, pretty happy for the team, for my country, for myself. It’s a great job today.

    Is this a favourite circuit, one of your best? I know Bruno [Senna] said it was one of his favourite circuits…

    PM: I think all of us, we know very well this circuit, we enjoy this circuit because of the combination of corners we find here, even the teams know very well. I think we have been working so hard in the winter tests here and so we find a good balance in the car and a good compromise for quali and race.

    Did you feel yesterday ‘hey, we can really do something here’? Did you already feel that yesterday?

    PM: Yes. I think yesterday we were thinking about top ten, it was possible. This morning I was quite surprised about our performance because the car was so quick with lower fuel. This morning it was possible.

    Fernando, I don’t think anyone was ever going to discount you here. I don’t know what it was, maybe the crowd, or Ferrari etc, etc, How much satisfaction, third on the grid?

    FA: Really happy. No doubt that this is a special weekend for me. And as I said on Thursday, there is always some extra motivation, some over-performing a little bit of what you have on hand, and yeah, thanks to the updates we had here, definitely we did a step forward, in the right direction because we hardly get into Q3 in the first four races and now we arrive with a little bit more comfortable way and then in Q3 the lap was good. I said before in the other conference with another hundred new tyres I would repeat the same time – I don’t think there is any time left. But the points are given tomorrow, not today. We did as much as we could today and we are happy to start in a much better position that what we did in the previous grands prix. But we need the points tomorrow. Especially… the grid positions are mixed a little bit as you said, with some of the people that are in front of us in the championship, they start at the back tomorrow – so we need to take benefit of this good position today and score more points than them.

    We remember in particular your start last year. Are we going to see a repeat of that?

    FA: I’ll tell you tomorrow. Definitely, a little bit like Pastor and Williams, our race pace is much better than qualifying pace – that is normally our weakest point and we suffer on Saturday some bad positions and then compromise a little bit our race pace. So tomorrow we have a privileged position to start, so the first corner will be important if we can gain some positions, but it’s important also not to lose. The race tomorrow is very long with the tyre degradation and, as I said, we must score points tomorrow, good points, with this position we have. So, aggressive start yes, crazy start not.

    QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

    Q: (Adrian Huber – Agencia EFE) Fernando, will you be happy tomorrow repeating this position or will you be looking for something more?

    FA: You never know in Formula One. I think a podium position, we tend to agree in the team, if someone tells us two or three days ago, before coming to Barcelona, or after the Mugello test, that in Barcelona you will be on the podium, I think we all agree, we all be happy with that position. Today, obviously with this position, that dream or that target is closer. But I think the race is very long tomorrow and we saw even in Bahrain, Kimi started ninth, (11th), he was P10 or P11 in lap one and he nearly won the race in the end, so the positions are not crucial anymore as previous years. I think it will be an extremely tough race tomorrow to take care of the tyres again. Degradation, DRS, KERS to overtake. Pitstop strategy, we will see probably a lot of pitstops for everybody. The more pitstops you have, the more risk you have to have a problem in the pits. There are a lot of factors tomorrow that we need to take account. It will be a difficult race. A podium, I think, will be a good result for us and happy.

    Q: (Leonid Novozhilov – F1 Life) Lewis, are you happy? What are you feeling now? What do you think about tomorrow, this position?

    LH: I really feel fantastic. I’m very, very happy. Normally you can always be happy with a pole position of course, but for some reason even more so this time than maybe any other qualifying that I’ve had, except for the first pole position I have had in Formula One. Just because, as I was just saying, you’re always looking for that perfect lap, and I really, really felt that I got everything just, just sweet there and got absolutely everything out of my car. I didn’t miss apexes or anything like that. It’s an incredibly feeling when you have that. It’s really just a very unique experience. But tomorrow’s going to be a tough race. As you were just saying, Fernando had a great start here last year and it’s such a long drive down to turn one – but he was also saying people are coming to win from quite far back, or to compete for wins from quite far back, so tomorrow’s just going to be about looking after your tyres, getting the right pitstops at the right times and really being patient, I think, at the most important times during the race.

    Q: (Fulvio Solms – Corriere Dello Sport) To all three drivers; they have chosen new rules and tyres to have an unpredictable Formula One. Do you think this championship is just unpredictable, or technically less logical as well?

    FA: I don’t think they choose the tyres for the championship to be unpredictable. We have the tyres that we have.

    LH: I’m not sure that they were expecting it to be as it is, but I definitely think that it is a bit unpredictable at the moment, massively close. There have been several different winners in the races and you can make such a big difference, if you don’t finish one race but then you win the next race, it can still keep you in contention so it feels for me – out of all the championships that I’ve been in – it feels to me to be one of the most exciting ones. Regardless if I haven’t won yet, it just feels like one of the best, I imagine, for people to watch.

    PM: I think that the tyres are the same for everybody so all the teams and all the drivers are working hard to adapt ourselves, even the cars to these tyres and to get the best performance we can.

    Q: (Marco degli Innocenti – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Pastor when you reached Williams, there were a lot of people, among journalists too, who expressed doubts about you and they said that you have got the seat because of your rich sponsors and so on. Now, are you convinced that you have proved that you are one of the top drivers, thanks to your qualities?

    PM: I’m think that I’m lucky, I’m lucky to have not only a sponsor behind me but also a country behind me, pushing me so hard. Here I am, doing my job, doing my best, trying to improve every time. I have a mission, which is to be back with Williams to the top, so here we are. We still need to keep pushing, to keep improving and I think that is possible.

    Q: (Silvia Arias – Parabrisas) Pastor, congratulations, I want to know about the start tomorrow. What do you think? Is it going to be easier to attack Lewis at the first corner, or defend from Fernando?

    PM: I think it’s going to be a very tough race, because not only us three but even the other drivers have a very close pace. Our strongest point was always race pace so hopefully our car will be very consistent and pretty good in the race. I hope to continue like that, I hope to stay in the position, the podium is very important for us, the points, so it’s very important to keep calm and to do good race.

    Q: (Laurentzi Garmendia – Berria) Lewis, we have such a close championship in terms of times in qualifying, but I think your gap was over half a second to Pastor. Does it surprise you? It looks like a dominant car.

    LH: Yes, I’m definitely surprised to have such a big gap. I wasn’t surprised that it was a good lap because it felt that I switched the tyres on the right way and I feel that I extracted everything but yeah, considering that all the sessions are so close, all the teams are so close, I definitely wasn’t expecting to have such a big gap. That’s quite a big gap for us but we definitely can’t take it for granted. I think we’ll go to other races and it will be slower and in some races we will be faster but we really, really hope that with the continuous upgrades that we get we can try to maintain the pace that we have, especially through qualifying but most importantly to try and improve through the race.

    Q: (Mike Doodson – Honorary) Fernando and Lewis: I think we all agree that it’s a good thing when Williams is doing well in Formula One and both of you have had moments this year when you’ve been racing with Pastor or the other Williams driver. I wonder if either of you or both of you could tell me where the car has strong points that you’ve noticed while racing with it on the circuit.

    LH: I can’t remember exactly what your strong points are but for me it’s fantastic to see Williams up here, really, really very happy for them. I know Sir Frank quite well since I’ve been here and I’m a huge admirer of him and his team and to see them up here again, I think Formula One’s just not been the same without Williams being at the front, competing. So it’s good, it’s great for them and for the whole team. I’ve always thought they had quite a good car, it always looked quite beautiful but I think this year it’s performing as well as looking good, so we’ll definitely be on our toes to try and make sure we’re ahead of them.

    FA: Yeah, I don’t know. Obviously I fight a little bit more with them than Lewis probably in these four races. The car looks strong in race pace as Pastor said and basically taking care of the tyres. I remember in China they did like 32 laps with the same set of tyres that no one could adapt to. Apart from the car, they are doing a very good job, setting up the car with the engineers – I know some of them, very talented and a fantastic job from the drivers as well. Pastor has this year proved, not only today, but many times this year that he’s doing a fantastic job, also with Bruno but less lucky sometimes. In Australia, on the last lap, Pastor crashed behind me but I was already fighting in the top five so it’s not new that he’s fighting in these top positions so well done to all of them.

    Q: (Jaime Rogriguez – El Mundo) Fernando, after the last free practice this morning, did you imagine that after qualifying could be fighting for pole? When did you feel the real change in the car?

    FA: No, obviously this morning’s practice we didn’t think we could be in the top five or top six. I think P8 to P12 was more or less our position after practice, same as after yesterday’s practice as well, that we were fastest in the morning and P14 in the afternoon, so we were something in between those positions in practice as well. Yeah, I’m happy and a little bit surprised to be in front of one McLaren, both Red Bulls, both Lotuses, so definitely this is not what we were expecting but qualifying went like this, it went our way this time and as I said, today means nothing if we don’t finish the job tomorrow.

    Q: (Carlos Miguel – La Gaceta ) Fernando, are you worried that you might not to be able to finish the race in the same position you are in now, or are you worried the rhythm of the Renault – because they were very strong on Friday – and maybe some of the guys behind. I ask about Kimi because I think he could be a contender for the race.

    FA: Yeah, yeah, definitely, the Lotus will be a threat tomorrow, starting fourth and fifth. They’ve been quick all weekend so tomorrow no surprises if they are fighting for the podium or even for a race win. Sebastian is P8 so he will be fighting for a top position later in the race. With Jenson and Mark having the possibility to chose which tyres to start on, I’m sure that they will prepare something good to recover position because they have the pace. They had the pace yesterday in FP2 and I’m sure that tomorrow they will be quick. The race will be tough to maintain positions because we believe that there are quicker cars behind us but let’s see what we can do. On the other hand, this is not an easy track to overtake on,

    Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto, Motor und Sport) The forecast for tomorrow is significantly cooler, can that change the picture that some cars which hadn’t been up to speed today might fall into the operating window of the tyres tomorrow?

    LH: I think it could be the opposite. If people are struggling today to switch their tyres on then potentially they would struggle even more if it was cooler but that is a real tricky situation to be in, that sometimes three tyres come in and one, your left front doesn’t work and then you just have understeer and you don’t get the time. If it is the case and it’s cooler tomorrow it will be tough for everyone, even the guys who did switch their tyres on today.

    FA: Maybe rain.

    Q: (Livio Oricchio – O Estado de Sao Paulo) To all drivers: you approach the times that you registered in winter testing today, with the same tyres but 20 degrees hotter asphalt. Can you make an analysis about this?

    LH: Did we do these times in the winter?

    FA: Yes, 21.6s for Grosjean in winter I think. We did 22.2s, we did 22.5s today, something like that. I think the cars improved a lot between February and now but the temperature… we know that the hotter it is the slower you are. It happens in the winter as well. If you do your best time at 9 ‘o clock in the morning, then you cannot repeat those times in the afternoon. In a way that shows how much the cars improved for everybody from February to here. It’s good.

    PM: I agree. I think today was a bit more windy, which is a penalty for everybody.

    Ends

  • Narain awaits stewards decision to race on Sunday

    By F1 Correspondent

    Barcelona, 12 May 2012:Indian Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan was disappointed with another set-back to the car spoiling his chances of setting a qualifying time below the mandatory 107 per cent as he clocked 1 min 31.122 seconds way

    Pedro De La Rosa of HRT team does better than teammate Narain Karthikeyan for the home race at Circuit de Catalunya on Sataurday. HRT F1 team photo.

    below the required 1: 28.363 in the qualifier where Lewis Hamilton put McLaren on Pole pipping a surprise Pastor Maldonado of Williams at the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday.

    Ferrari’s updates helped former world champion Fernando Alonso get into the second row for the first time this year in his home race with a deserving thrid place and the extra set of tyres left will make him confident for the race tommorow. Hamilton who used two quick laps will not have that tyre advantage. Current world champion Sebastian Vettel will start on 8th place.

    Narain Karthikeyan who lost a chance to get more laps under his belt due to a problem on Friday which saw test driver Dani Clos take to the track, did a good morning session but encountered problems again during the qualification and due to concerns of safety for himself and for others, the team decided that the car would not return to the track despite not setting an appropriate time. Now the stewards are expected to allow him to race on Sunday as he has set a time which is under the 107 per cent in FP3. But it is completely their discretion to decide that the HRT car is safe to be on the grid on Sunday.

    A disappointed Narain Karthikeyan said: “It’s been a very unlucky weekend for me so far. In the morning everything went smoothly but in the afternoon, with the first set of tyres I was pushing really hard and spun on turn 3 and, as a result, I flat-spotted a tyre so I had to come back in to the garage. We were going to go on the second set of tyres but we discovered some problems and due to safety concerns, not only for myself but the others, we decided that the best thing was to not go back out. It seems like my bad luck continues to follow me this weekend and, although I’m disappointed about that, there’s nothing else I can do but keep giving it my best shot”.

    Narain’s teammate Pedro de la Rosa was able to continue progress with his car’s set-up and improve his feel as the day wore on. Karthikeyan set HRT’s best time up to that moment in the morning.

    “The team is still awaiting the FIA stewards’ decision but is confident that there will be no trouble for both drivers to line-up on the grid for tomorrow’s 66-lap race,” said a team release.

     Pedro de la Rosa was happy. “The day went very well, especially this afternoon, so I’m very happy with what we achieved. We completed two very good laps in qualifying, getting under the 1.28 mark which we hadn’t achieved neither yesterday nor this morning. I know that our position seems the same as always but, in terms of performance, we have progressed and that’s what I’ll take away with me. As I always say, we’ve still got a lot of room for improvement but we’re on the right path and that’s what matters. Tomorrow’s race won’t be easy because it’s a tough track and the rear tyres wear out a lot. We have to get off to a good start, give the Marussias a good fight and finish the race in front of all our fans,” he said.

    Team’s Technical Director Toni Cuquerella said: “We had mixed fortunes today. Pedro was able to continue with his programme and we were able to confirm that everything works fine and, as anticipated, the upgrades gave us an improvement. But we can’t stop, we have to continue progressing. For qualifying, the car’s balance improved a little bit more and Pedro completed two very good laps. With Narain the target in the practice session was to do as much mileage as possible and he did a fantastic job, but we weren’t lucky in qualifying as he spun on the first set of tyres and wasn’t able to set a good time, and when he was about to go out with the second set we had to abort as there was a problem with the fitting of the on-board camera which made it dangerous to go back out. He wasn’t able to get in the 107% but I’m confident that, given the performance he showed this morning, there won’t be any trouble for him to sta rt tomorrow’s race”.

    11.00-12.00 FORMULA 1 PRACTICE SESSION 3

    Pedro de la Rosa    F112-02   #22    23rd (13 laps) 1:28.373

    Narain Karthikeyan F112-03   #23    22nd (24 laps) 1:28.207

     14.00-15.00 FORMULA 1 QUALIFYING SESSION

    Pedro de la Rosa F112-02    #22 23rd  (6 laps) 1:27.555

    Narain Karthikeyan F112-03 #23           (4 laps)  1:31.122

     

    ends

  • No practice laps in Spain; Narain Karthikeyan disappointed

    Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona

    Friday, 11th of May 2012

    Weather: Sunny – Air 30ºC, Track 45ºC

    A HRT car during the Friday free practice for the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Catalunya on Friday. A HRT F1 team photo.

    10.00-11.30 FORMULA 1 PRACTICE SESSION 1

    Pedro de la Rosa    F112-02 #22  23rd (19 laps) 1:29.107

    Dani Clos                  F112-03 #23  24th (19 laps) 1:31.618

    14.00-15.30 FORMULA 1 PRACTICE SESSION 2

    Pedro de la Rosa      F112-02 #22 23rd (26 laps) 1:28.235

    Narain Karthikeyan   F112-03 #23 24th (2 laps)

    The time has finally come and the highly anticipated Spanish Grand Prix finally got underway today with the first free practice sessions at the Circuit de Catalunya (4.655 km). The day started with Dani Clos lining up alongside Pedro de la Rosa, making it a historic moment for the team and Spanish motorsport as a whole. The Spanish duo were able to try out the aerodynamic upgrades and compare data until Clos’ car came to a halt as a result of an electrical issue towards the end of the session.

    The team worked hard at midday to solve the problem and get Narain Karthikeyan out on the track on time for the second session. It wasn’t to be but the team continued to fight against the clock and, in the end, the Indian driver was able to get on the track with half an hour to go in the session. But the car said enough was enough immediately and Karthikeyan wasn’t even able to finish two laps.
    On his behalf, de la Rosa completed a total of 26 laps comparing the two aerodynamic options with the two tyre options.
    Dani Clos: “I’m happy to have got into the car for the first time today, albeit for a short first encounter. The feeling I had when I left the pits and saw the Spanish crowd, whilst driving for a Spanish team alongside Pedro, was unbelievable. It was my first time in the new car and I wasn’t 100% comfortable since the car is built for Narain, so I had to adapt. We were able to carry out some aerodynamic work and try out some different things on the car so I’m pleased to have completed my job for the team”.

    Pedro de la Rosa: “Today was the day to try out the aero package we’ve brought to Barcelona, so we completed various short stints to see how the car behaved with the changes. It was interesting because the car has effectively taken a step forwards, but we need an even bigger step, especially at such a tough circuit as this one where there are many quick turns and where you need to improve the balance of the car. There’s still plenty to do and a lot of data to analyze to have a better understanding of how to get the most out of these upgrades”.

    Narain Karthikeyan: “I’m disappointed to have not got any laps under my belt today; it’s certainly not how I was aiming to start my weekend in Barcelona. Tomorrow will be an uphill struggle as we’ve only got one hour in the morning to get the car ready for qualifying in the afternoon, so we’re really going to have to get our heads down and work hard. Hopefully we can make up for the time lost today and turn things around tomorrow”.
    Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “Today was a day of mixed feelings. On one hand it was very nice to see Dani make his debut but on the other hand we suffered a lot of electrical issues on Narain’s car. It’s a new chassis and there’s a lot of work to do with any new car so it’s not that strange for things to not work out first time round. It looks like the upgrades we’ve brought have worked well, which makes us optimistic for the future. Now we have to fix our immediate problems and work so that the weekend turns out the best way possible”.

    ends

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  • Confident Force India gets ready for European leg

    Sahara Force India looks forward to round five of the season, the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. To view the full PDF preview click on the link below. 

    “We may be approaching the fifth race of season, but it’s still difficult to get a true read on the relative competitiveness of all the teams. Each race has thrown up different surprises and it’s difficult to make any predictions before qualifying or the race,” says Vijay Mallya, Team Principal.
    The last race in Bahrain was certainly an eventful one for Sahara Force India, so it was particularly rewarding to see such an outstanding team performance with everyone delivering to the best of their ability. Our two-stop strategy was judged to perfection and helped earn Paul a valuable sixth place finish. It was a close call, though, because there was no more performance life in the tyres when Paul crossed the finish line. I want to thank the entire crew for their brilliant efforts during that weekend.
    Now that the European season is upon us, we should be able to bring through more updates to the car. That will start this weekend when we run with some of the new parts we evaluated in Mugello last week. However, we have to remember that most teams will make a development step for Barcelona so it remains to be seen how this will impact on our relative performance.
    As well as developments for the car we are pushing hard to maximise the strategies and the drivers are delivering excellent performances in the races. That’s so important this year with the margins between the teams so tight. If we can continue to deliver like we did in Bahrain then we should be able to remain in the hunt for points this weekend, add Mallya.

    File picture of Sahara Force India drivers. Sahara Force India photo.
     Paul on Barcelona
    Paul Di Resta gets set for the start of the European season in Barcelona
    Paul, looking back on Bahrain you must be pretty satisfied with the weekend as a whole…
    I think when you have a result like that you feel very proud of everyone in the team. Everybody stepped up and helped deliver the performance. The strategy was a bold one, but it was the right one and gave us one of our best results in the last couple of years.
    Did the test in Mugello help your preparations for Barcelona?
    We didn’t do a massive number of laps but it was a chance to start evaluating some of our car developments. There’s still plenty of work to do in free practice to get on top of the car, but we’ve already done the basic checks.
    Are you looking forward to getting back to racing in Europe?
    I probably know Barcelona better than any other track on the calendar. We did two tests there in the winter and I had four days in the car so I already feel quite well prepared, but it’s the same for everyone. I expect the field to be incredibly close once again.
    Nico on Barcelona
    Nico Hulkenberg reveals his thoughts ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix
    Nico, the start of the European season is upon us. Are you looking forward to racing in Barcelona?
    It’s a track I enjoy and where I’ve been successful in the past. It’s high-speed, there are lots of right hand corners and it’s quite tough physically, especially on your neck. As a city I enjoy being in Barcelona because it’s a great place with a nice atmosphere. Also, the stands are always full on race day because the Spanish fans love Formula One.
    What are the main challenges of the lap?
    The first sector through turns one, two and three is tricky and you need to treat them as one corner. A mistake in one or two will hurt you through three and cost your laptime. It feels great when you get them just right. Also, the final sector is quite technical: it’s slow and twisty, especially the last chicane and it’s easy to drop time at the end of the lap.
    How are you feeling about the 2012 season after four races?
    I feel very comfortable in the team and I’m enjoying the season. A few of the races haven’t worked out for me, but I’m looking forward not backwards and determined to get some great results for the team. I’m working well with my car crew, we are pushing hard and we will try our best to get back in the points this weekend.

  • Karthikeyan to sit out to help Dani Clos debut on Friday

    Barcelona, 8 May 2012: HRT F1 team will be creating history at the Home Race on Friday, for a day, where for the first time a Spanish F1 team will have two Spanish drivers for a home race. Narain Karthikeyan, the regular driver will sit out for the first Friday Free Practice session, to help Dani Clos make his debut in an F1 race. Karthikeyan will be back on Saturday for the qualifiers and the race on Sunday.

    Dani Clos, HRT test driver will make his debut at home for the Friday free pactice. HRT F1 team photo.
    Spanish driver Dani Clos will step into the F112 for the first time on Friday to take part in the first free practice session of the Spanish Grand Prix which will take place at the Circuit de Catalunya. 23 year-old Clos will substitute teammate Narain Karthikeyan for that session and will join Pedro de la Rosa for the first 90 minutes of practice in Montmeló.
    It will be history in the making for HRT Formula 1 Team at the Circuit de Catalunya since this will be the first time that two Spanish drivers hit the track forming a part of a Spanish team at the Spanish Grand Prix. It will be a moment to remember for Spanish motorsport and a great opportunity for Clos to prove his worth in front of his home crowd.
    After having completed 377.67 kilometres at the helm of the F111 in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi last November and having joined the team as an official test driver in February, Dani Clos will take another step on Friday and will fulfill another vital aspect of his testing role by completing his first laps at the wheel of the F112. A car that will be brining a series of aerodynamic upgrades for this important Grand Prix.
    Dani Clos: “I’m delighted to have this opportunity. It’s something I’ve fought for all my life; to make my debut in Formula 1 and, above all, to be able to do it at the Circuit de Catalunya which is something very special for me. Besides, I’m extremely lucky to be able to do it with a Spanish team, alongside another Spanish driver who I admire and at home. I can’t ask for more! It’s the ideal situation and I’m proud to be where I am with the people who have always been with me and still are. I hope to extract a lot of data from this practice session, contribute with positive things to the team and do my job in the best way I can. I feel 100% ready and I can’t wait for the moment I step into the car and hit the track”.
    Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal HRT: “I’m very proud and happy that this moment has arrived and that we’ve given Dani the chance to get in the car on Friday’s first free practice session at such a special and important Grand Prix as is a home Grand Prix. In this first contact he will drive next to Pedro de la Rosa and will have the chance to drive the new F112 for the first time. It’s an important session given the short amount of time on track that we have and more so when you take into account the various aerodynamic upgrades which we have brought. Dani is a great driver and I have no doubt that he will do a good job. Besides, this debut also represents another step forward in our desire for HRT to serve as a platform for young drivers to make it into F1”.
    DANI CLOS – PROFILE AND CAREER SUMMARY
    Dani Clos was born in Barcelona on the 23rd of October 1988. With a renowned trajectory in karting, Clos made his debut in single-seater racing in 2004 in Formula Renault Italia 2.0, going on to win the Championship in 2006. A year later he joined Renault’s F1 programme and took part in the Formula Three Euroseries. In 2008 he entered Williams F1’s young drivers’ programme and finished in 2nd in the 24H Barcelona race. In 2009 he made his debut in the GP2 series, with a 3rd place finish in Portimao being his best result. In his second year in GP2 he achieved his first win in Turkey alongside various podium finishes. Last year, Dani Clos took one win and two podiums in what was his third season as a GP2 driver. Also in 2011, he took part in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi with HRT F1 Team, completing total of 377.67km in one day and leaving a very good impression on the team. In 2012, Dani Clos joins the HRT Formula 1 Team as its official test driver.
    Career Summary:
    2012     F1: test driver, HRT Formula 1 Team
    2011     GP2: Racing Engineering, 9th in the Championship
                  F1: Young Driver Test with HRT F1 Team
    2010    GP2: Racing Engineering, 4th in the Championship (1 win)
    2009    GP2: Racing Engineering, 21st in the Championship
    2008    F3 Euroseries: Prema Powerteam: 14th in the Championship
    2007    F3 Euroseries: Signature Plus: 13th in the Championship
    2006    Fórmula Renault 2.0 Italia: Champion (8 wins)
                 Renault 2.0 Eurocup: 7th position in the Championship
    2005    Renault 2.0 Eurocup: 32nd in the Championship
                 Fórmula 2.0 Italiana: 16th in the Championship

     

  • Narain likes the Catalunya circuit, can HRT support him with a good car

    11th-13th May 2012

    Circuit de Catalunya – 66 laps – 4.655km

    File picture of Karthikeyan at Bahrain GP with an Engineer. HRT F1 team photo.
    Madrid, 4 of May 2012: With the first stage of the season completed in distant lands, it’s time for Formula 1 to head much closer to home with the first European event of the Championship taking place precisely at home for HRT Formula 1 Team in Spain. It goes without saying that the Spanish Grand Prix is a very important date for the team as nothing beats the sensation of racing in front of your home crowd. The team has taken a step at every Grand Prix so far this year and will be even keener to do so in Barcelona to give the fans something to shout about.
    The Circuit de Catalunya is a haven for preseason testing given the nature of the track and mild weather conditions and that is why the teams know the circuit inside out. It’s made up of a mix of slow and fast corners, which added to the bumpy surface, make the race mechanically and physically demanding. Tyre degradation is high, especially on the left side of the car since all high speed corners are right hand turns, and aerodynamics are also decisive in Montmeló.
    Pirelli have elected their soft and hard tyres for this Grand Prix.
    Pedro de la Rosa: “The Spanish Grand Prix is the most important trace for a Spanish driver, but this time it will be even more special for me because I’m racing with a Spanish team in my city of birth. At this circuit aerodynamics are important and it will be an important test for our upgrades. The track is also very tough on the tyres. Not going to Mugello wasn’t an easy decision but it was important to go to the headquarters for the first time and work calmly because it’s the first time my car is in Europe. For the first time the mechanics have had the time to dismantle the car, build it and assemble it. In Barcelona we are going to try and do the best we can, as always, but even more so at this Grand Prix. We’re playing at home in front of the best fans in the world. We’re looking forward to it and it’s something historic for so I’m going to enjoy it as much as possible”.
    Narain Karthikeyan: “Catalunya is a great all-round circuit, highly demanding and aero dependent. It is a track I know well, and it is the first time this season we have the hard and soft tyre allocated, so the gap in lap times will be significant and strategy will play a deciding role. We don’t know the specifics of tyre behaviour since we didn’t test pre-season, but as the compounds are softer this year, the degradation, especially on the soft, will be high because of the high-lateral loading through corners like turn three. The circuit is aero sensitive too, because of the high amount of winds which often change direction so getting the setup right early on will be crucial. There are a few upgrades coming as well which will help us unlock some more performance from the car and give us the ability to compete with our closest rivals. It is the first of our team’s home races so we are motivated to do ou r best.”
    Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “We’re really looking forward to taking part in this Grand Prix, which is the first time we’ll be racing at home this season. Showing our cars and our team in Spain is an added motivation and we’re looking to have a good weekend and finish the race without any trouble to continue in our process of improving little by little. After the first four races we’re heading into this one with much more calm. We arrive more organized and better prepared after having rested a bit this week. We’re bringing some updated to Montmeló which we hope will take us one step forwards in terms of performance and reliability. It’s the first Grand Prix we travel to after having moved into our new headquarters, starting a great new chapter in the history of the team”.
    ends

  • Karun Chandhok helps JRM finish 8th at Spa

    Spa-Francorrchamps (Belgium), 6 May 2012: Round two of the FIA World Endurance Championship at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit saw Indian racing star Karun Chandhok’s JRM Racing deliver another strong performance and an impressive result by finishing fourth in the LMP1 Privateers category, and eighth overall in the FIAWEC at the iconic 6-hours of Spa. The achievement was made even more rewarding as the team had to overcome a series of challenges during the build- up to the event, says a Release.

    Karun Chandhok at Spa Francorchamps helps JRM finish 8th in the FIA World Endurance Championship on Sunday. Photo JRM

    With the onset of rain on Saturday morning and, with six-hours of competition ahead of them, the team was comfortable that good progress could be made during the race. However, the relentless rain had made levels of grip even more unpredictable than normal and, whilst the exit of Eau Rouge posed no problems on the first of the formation laps for Chandhok, he suddenly found himself on the grass on the second. The car then clipped a barrier, with the impact severely damaging the car’s bodywork and rear suspension.

    Fortunately, Chandhok was able to nurse the car back to the pits, where the team set about repairing the damage before the start of the race. After a supreme effort, the HPD was ready to go in time for the green light, although Chandhok had to start from the pit lane and, in keeping with the regulations, was required to wait a full lap before being allowed to exit onto the track. He then set about the task ahead and, lap-by-lap, scythed his way past slower cars and, after the first hour and his first pit stop, was sixth of the Privateer LMP1 runners.

    After a tough race at one of his favourite circuits, Chandhok commented, “I think I gave the boys a bit too much work to do today. It’s been a tough weekend for everybody in the team and the guys have done a fantastic job to get the car ready in time. I couldn’t be a mechanic, that’s for sure. Even though there were some issues to resolve earlier in the week, the car was very good today and you can tell there’s definitely more to come.”

    JRM Racing arrived at Spa earlier this week, intending to use the first two practice sessions on Thursday to set up the car for the unique characteristics of the Belgium track. An issue with the brakes meant the only time available for the team to dial in the settings was during Friday morning’s one-hour practice session. Karun Chandhok drove the 20-minute qualifying stint in the afternoon and was able to put the car a strong eighth on the grid.

    With the rain slowly retreating and the track drying out, the initial set of wet tyres were swapped for slicks, which saw the lap times improve further. But then, after a further 40-minutes, contact was made with another car as he went to overtake it on the entrance to the ‘Bus stop’, the incident damaging a front wing. The next scheduled pit stop saw the affected parts replaced and, after a storming stint that lasted two-hours and 45-minutes, Chandhok came into the pits to swap with David Brabham.

    Following a Safety Car period due to another competitor going off the road at the same point that Chandhok did earlier – but this time in a big way – Brabham them proceeded to deliver one of his customary solid performances, the car getting quicker as the laps clicked past. And, after nearly two hours and with one-hour and 20-minutes of the race left, he came in to hand over to Peter Dumbreck.

    Continuing as his team-mates had left off and, just before the five-hour mark, Dumbreck caught and passed the first of the LMP1 category cars to put JRM fifth of the Privateers. And, even though the power-steering ECU was changed at the final scheduled pit stop with 50-minutes to go, the position was held.

    JRM’s HPD continued to circulate for the remainder of the race without issue – and Dumbreck even gained another place in the closing stages – to provide the team with it’s second strong finish of the season and a final position of fourth in the LMP1 Privateers class.

    Team Manager and Head of Engineering Nigel Stepney commented, “We’ve had two races and twice we’ve started from the pit lane, so it would be nice to start one from the grid! It’s been a tough week for the team and there’s been lot of effort from everyone. This season, every event is a learning exercise and that was certainly the case for this one. We will leave Spa with a lot more data than we had before, which is important, bearing in mind our next race is Le Mans.”

    Team Principal James Rumsey is optimistic of a better showing in Le Mans after a hard weekend for the team. He said, “This really has been a team-building weekend and I’m pleased the car has run so well in the race. The lads have done a mega-job, especially to get the car ready in time after the off on the way to the grid. Of course, it would have been better not to have started from the pit lane and then have to fight our way through the field again. Perhaps it will be third time lucky for Le Mans!”

    The team now prepares for the big one: the 24-hours of Le Mans, which takes place on 16th & 17th June.

    About JRM

    After winning the 2011 FIA GT1 World Championship with Nissan, The British-based JRM Racing will partner with Honda Performance Developments to enter the brand new FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP1 class.  JRM Racing will enter a single LMP1 Honda Performance Development ARX-03a powered by a specially designed and tested 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine. The ARX-03a is currently hailed as the most competitive petrol Le Mans Prototype around.