Romain Grosjean: “Sepang Is Probably My Favorite Track”

Romain Grosjean is looking forward to this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, as it takes place around the Frenchman’s favorite circuit on the calendar. After making his first appearance around the track in 2008 during his time in the GP2 Asia category, the circuit instantly became a firm favorite due largely to its wide and fast flowing nature.

Last season saw Romain Grosjean retire from his first Malaysian Grand Prix, after the Frenchman collided with Michael Schumacher on the opening lap and then spun out of the race when the heavens fully opened on Lap 3. This season the Frenchman will understandably be hoping for a much more competitive outing around the Sepang International Circuit, especially after his team-mates success last time out.

“Sepang is probably my favorite track of the whole season.” Enthused Romain Grosjean, “I first raced there in 2008 as part of the GP2 Asia Series and I really loved the circuit. It’s nice and wide, with fast flowing corners and a lot of undulation which makes it great fun to drive. The last corner is a tricky one, but I enjoy everything about racing there. Well, maybe not the heat and humidity, but at the end of the day it’s just another challenge for the drivers! I’m really looking forward to it.”

Romain Grosjean endured a tough race weekend last time out in Australia, in stark contrast to team-mate Kimi Raikkonen who stormed to race victory with ease. The Frenchman could only manage 8th during qualifying, and struggled with what he believed was a damaged car to finish 10th during the 58-lap race. On a plus side Romain Grosjean’s race was clean and devoid any incidents, however it’s unquestionable that after Kimi Raikkonen’s victory the 26-year-old will be striving for success in the remaining races of the season.

“It’s a shame as everything looked positive after qualifying in the morning [at Australia], but in the race something felt wrong with my car.” Explained Romain Grosjean, “I sat down with my engineers to analyze where the problem came from and we hopefully will be able to perform better in the future. The car felt so good at times over the weekend, but then at other times it wasn’t where I wanted it to be. It meant that the race felt long and pretty difficult for me. It was very frustrating and I’m disappointed for the team and for myself as I wanted to start the season with a strong result.”

Last season Romain Grosjean seemed to take one step forwards and then two back in what became a frustrating and topsy-turvy year for the Frenchman. This season Grosjean is adamant he has changed his ways, and will be striving to prove his worthiness in a team which is now fighting at the top of the sport’s echelon.

Picture Copyright © Lotus F1 Team

Timo Glock: “Singapore Is My Favorite Circuit”

Like the majority of the F1 paddock, Timo Glock is very much looking forward to next weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, especially after the German’s superlative track record around the daunting Marina Bay street circuit. Glock finished the 2009 race in 2nd position, behind eventual winner Lewis Hamilton.

After several competitive races for the Marussia outfit, both Timo Glock and Charles Pic are confident ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix. Although the outfit has remained towards the rear of the pack throughout the duration of the season, the two drivers have remained upbeat as they continue hunting for the teams first ever World Championship points. The Singapore Grand Prix will be Pic’s first floodlit race, as the Anglo-Russian outfit continue to improve at the back of the pack.

“Singapore is a very special circuit, as the only night race on the calendar.” Enthused Timo Glock, “I have great memories from this race as I finished on the points in the first year and on the podium in 2009. Every year it’s great to come back and without doubt it is my favorite race on the calendar. Over the last races we had some real potential in our package, so I’m looking forward to showing more of that and hopefully we can have a good result there. The next part of the season will be a tough challenge for the team, so I hope we can continue to make good progress to reward all the hard work throughout the team.”

Since Timo Glock’s illustrious 2nd place during the 2009 Singapore Grand Prix, the German driver has suffered torrid luck around the Marina Bay street circuit, failing to finish in the last two races. With Marussia continuously improving, Timo Glock will unquestionably be striving to finish the Singapore Grand Prix this season. With further developments set to be introduced next weekend, there is high amounts of confidence within the Marussia outfit.

Picture Copyright © Marussia F1 Team

Narain Karthikeyan: “Street Circuits Aren’t My Favorite”

After a highly disappointing Spanish Grand Prix, Narain Karthikeyan is hoping for better luck as the F1 fraternity prepares for the 70th running of the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix. The Indian driver failed to qualify within the 107% rule in Spain, however he was eventually allowed to race. Karthikeyan retired on lap 22, bringing an end to a dismal race weekend.

However, with the Spanish Grand Prix in the past, Narain Karthikeyan is hoping for a change of luck this weekend, even though the HRT driver dislikes street circuits. With his team-mate Pedro de la Rosa expecting to be closer to the leaders this weekend, there is optimism within the HRT paddock that a promising result could be on the cards.

“Street circuits aren’t my favorite but Monaco obviously has a special place on the calendar.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, “It’s one of the toughest races because you’re so close to the guardrails that you know you can’t make one single mistake. Coming away from a disappointing weekend in Barcelona, I am hoping for better luck this time and to get a proper chance to work with the updates we brought in Spain and have a trouble-free weekend.”

Following on from the updates that were introduced on the car throughout the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, HRT’s team principal Luis Perez-Sala has confirmed that several more ‘minor’ updates will be added to the car this weekend. 

“Monaco is a very demanding track mechanically, where drivers need great ability and suffer physically and psychologically because you can’t make any slip-ups. It’s a tough test for the car’s reliability and even more so if it is hot. We have minor upgrades for this race which we hope will help us to close the gap to the front pack. The team is really looking forward to taking on a beautiful race as is Monaco.”

In a race which could feature many safety-car periods, the HRT’s of Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa could well close the gap right up to the Marussia’s of Glock and Pic. However, the first hurdle for the Spanish team will be qualifying, with the tight and twisty nature of the Monte-Carlo street circuit meaning blue flags will be a common recurrence throughout Q1.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Bruno Senna: “Barcelona Is One Of My Favorite Tracks”

After completing the Mugello test alongside team-mates’ Pastor Maldonado and Valtteri Bottas, Bruno Senna is looking forward to this weekends Spanish Grand Prix. Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya is one of the Brazilian’s favorites, all the more reason as to why he is looking forward to racing there.

The Brazilian driver, the nephew of the great Ayrton Senna, has only raced at Barcelona once in his Formula 1 career, back in 2010 during his debut year for HRT. However, back in 2007 during his first year in GP2, Senna won the feature race for Arden International. Bruno’s uncle Ayrton never won around the Circuit de Catalunya, however he did win the Spanish Grand Prix when it was held at Jerez.

“Barcelona is one of my favorite tracks and I get a lot of support there so I am really looking forward to the race.” Explained Bruno Senna, “It is a very tough circuit physically and mentality, with plenty of high speed corners and a technical last sector which separates the drivers. Lots of cars will come to Barcelona with new parts so it will be interesting to see who has progressed.”

With a frenetic three days of testing at Mugello, it’s expected many teams will bring new updates to their car this weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. Williams will be hoping to maintain their competitive form in the mid-field throughout the weekend, alongside the likes of Toro Rosso and Force India.

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team 

Kobayashi: “Bahrain Is One Of My Favorite Circuits”

With the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix still set to take place this weekend, the F1 fraternity has moved swiftly on from China to the Kingdom of Bahrain. One driver who is eager to get into the car this weekend is Kamui Kobayashi, who says the Sakhir track is one of his favorites.

“Bahrain is one of my favorite circuits, and its layout is really good.” Explained the Japanese driver, “I also like the high ambient temperatures there. It feels like summer. There was no race last year, so we have to guess how the track conditions are. Maybe it will be very slippery in the beginning. We obviously have to be prepared to make sure we keep everything very cool.”

Kamui Kobayashi currently lies 10th in the Drivers’ Championship, after successfully scoring points in both the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. However, the Sauber team were rather disheartened with the way the Chinese Grand Prix panned out. After qualifying a highly competitive 3rd of the grid for the race in China, Kobayashi and his team-mate Sergio Perez struggled in the race, with the Japanese driver only managing to finish 10th, loosing seven places from where he qualified.

Regardless of the harsh return to normality after finishing 2nd in Malaysia, Sauber are confident heading into this weekends race. With many unknown factors surrounding the race weekend, including how the Pirelli tyres will work in what is their first race in Bahrain as the official F1 tyre supplier, tyre degradation is set to remain a key factor in the outcome of the race.

Even though the Sakhir International Circuit is one of Kamui Kobayashi’s favorite circuits, the Japanese star has never finished a full race distance in a Formula 1 car. In 2010, Kobayashi retired after only 11 laps with a hydraulics issue. However, in GP2 he has won twice at Bahrain, and will be hoping for similar success this weekend.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Codemasters Extends Partnership With Bernie Ecclestone

Whether you are a petrol-head who can’t get enough of Formula 1, or if you are someone who simply enjoys playing racing games, the Formula 1 games’ developed by Codemasters will understandably be the crown jewel of your gaming catalogue.

It has been confirmed today that Codemasters has extended their partnership with Bernie Ecclestone’s Formula One World Championship Limited, thus meaning the legendary Codemasters F1 games will continue for a further multi-year deal. After the success of their first two installments (F1 2010 and F1 2011), Formula 1 fans can now rejoice with the knowledge that these games will continue for many years to come.

“Codemasters has created some of the best and most successful Formula One games to date.” Said F1 supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, “We and the teams work closely with them and look forward to creating more award winning games together in the future.”

“We got off to a strong start with Formula One but we harbor ambitions to do much more.” Explained Codemasters CEO, Rod Cousens, “Formula One is front of mind at Codemasters and we give it the focus and attention it deserves. We have established close links across the sport and they know that, in Codemasters, they have a great partner. We remain ambitious with our plans and want to take the series forward. We want to take it to new geographies, make it available on new platforms to new audiences. We are taking Formula One to a new online platform this spring and our portfolio will be extended with a Formula One experience that will address a younger video game audience later in 2012. Our teams are hard at it, creating world class Formula One games across multiple genres for players irrespective of location or gaming platform and now, for many years to come.”

Whether you enjoy jumping straight into a quick race as one of your favorite drivers’, or whether the spectacle of creating your own driver and competing in a career mode is your thing, tighten your seat-belts as it seems Codemasters have more to come from their award winning Formula 1 games.