Ma Qing Hua To Drive Once Again In Practice At Singapore

HRT’s development driver Ma Qing Hua will once again get behind the wheel of the F112 at an official F1 event next time out at Singapore, as the Chinese driver continues his valuable learning experiences with the Spanish-outfit. The 24-year-old made F1 history last time out in Monza, becoming the first Chinese-born driver to race in the sport.

After initially partaking in HRT’s Young Driver Test at Silverstone back in July, Ma Qing Hua is now preparing to participate in his second official practice session in F1. Many teams up and down the paddock have utilized the opening practice session of the weekend to run their reserve drivers, such as Valtteri Bottas [Williams] and Jules Bianchi [Force India] making regular appearances for their respective teams. With HRT set to introduce several new upgrades at the Singapore Grand Prix, Ma Qing Hua will be instrumental in testing the new updates.

“I’m very happy to drive the F112 for a second time in a row and I really appreciate the opportunity HRT is giving me.” Explained Ma Qing Hua, “It will be very exciting to drive an F1 [car] around the streets of Singapore. It’s a very demanding track for all of us, but it will be even more of a challenge for me as this is only the second time I will be driving the car at a race weekend. I have prepared myself in the simulator as well as doing some specific exercises to be used to driving at night. This is yet again another step in my career and I look forward to getting more experience at the wheel of a Formula 1 car as well as doing my best to help the team to prepare for the race.”

Ma Qing Hua will once again replace Narain Karthikeyan for the opening session of the weekend, before the Indian driver makes a return behind the cockpit of the F112 for the second practice session later in the afternoon. Narain Karthikeyan has also never raced around the Marina Bay street circuit, and will be eager to utilize the 90-minute second practice session to learn the track.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team