Sebastian Vettel destroys the opposition on his way to Indian GP pole
Sebastian Vettel has utterly destroyed the opposition on his way to his 43rd pole position for tomorrow’s 60-lap Indian Grand Prix, after yet another dominant display from Red Bull. The German sensation will start tomorrow’s race alongside fellow countryman Nico Rosberg, with Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber on the second row of the grid.
After a slight delay to the morning practice session due to the heavy smog lingering over the Buddh International Circuit, the all-important qualifying hour got underway on time despite the smog still making visibility less than perfect. Esteban Gutierrez eventually became the first driver to take to the track as the opening segment of qualifying got underway, in what was a slow start to proceedings. The Mexican rookie produced the first timed lap with a 01:27.529, before many other drivers gradually began leaving the pit-lane.
The times at the top slowly began to improve as expected, with the likes of Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez rising to the top with the latter setting a 01:26.533 in his McLaren. As rookie Valtteri Bottas out-broke himself at the final corner and ran wide, Nico Rosberg managed to return to the top with a 01:26.252 before Esteban Gutierrez became one of the first drivers to opt for Pirelli’s soft tyre compound. This enabled the Sauber driver to instantly return to the top with an impressive 01:26.057, as many other drivers soon followed him onto the softer rubber.
As the opening segment of qualifying progressed, Fernando Alonso rose to the top for the Scuderia with a 01:25.934. Despite their strong display of pace throughout the earlier practice sessions, the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber could only manage 2nd and 3rd respectively behind the Spaniard. Paul di Resta managed to rise to the top for Force India with a 01:25.908, as the times once again took a tumble during the latter stages with the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber all momentarily rising to the top.
Eventually Jenson Button surprised many with a 01:25.574 to rise to the top for McLaren, as the classification chopped and changed drastically within the drop zone. As the checkered flag was unfurled, Felipe Massa managed to avoid elimination by improving in his Ferrari. This in turn saw the Brazilian driver demote the Lotus of Romain Grosjean into the drop zone, as the Frenchman was joined by the Williams of Pastor Maldonado and the two Caterhams and Marussias in elimination. Jules Bianchi managed to out-qualify the Caterham duo of Giedo van der Garde and Charles Pic, in what remains a tense battle at the back of the Constructors’ Championship.
The second segment of qualifying began with the sole remaining Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen becoming the first driver to take to the track, as he proceeded to produce the first timed lap with a 01:26.279. Fernando Alonso soon thwarted the Finn’s authority at the top with a 01:25.546, before Nico Rosberg shot to the top as the times once again began to tumble. Mark Webber momentarily produced the fastest lap of the segment, albeit after running extensively wide on several occasions in a race weekend featuring many drivers exceeding the track limits without picking up a penalty.
However, the Australian’s reign was short-lived as his Red Bull team-mate soon asserted his authority over proceedings once again. Sebastian Vettel managed to produce a 01:24.568, which remained unbeaten as the second segment drew to a climactic conclusion. As more drivers continued to improve throughout the dying minutes of the session, Lewis Hamilton began to edge nearer to the drop zone in his Mercedes. However, the 2008 World Champion soon propelled himself further up the order and into safety as Daniel Ricciardo, Paul di Resta, Adrian Sutil, Jean-Eric Vergne, Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Gutierrez were all eliminated from proceedings.
After two frenetic segments of qualifying around the Buddh International Circuit, the all-important top ten shootout got underway with Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso wasting no time in immediately taking to the track. Fernando Alonso managed to produce the first timed lap of a 01:25.826, with Mark Webber 2nd as Sebastian Vettel left the pit-lane with a brand-new set of soft tyres bolted to his RB9. This assisted in the German producing an absolutely sensational lap time, the fastest ever witnessed around the Buddh International Circuit in Formula 1 machinery, as the German produced a 01:24.119. Gradually the remainder of the field took to the circuit in a bid to battle over the positions behind the dominant German.
However, no-one could thwart the reigning Champion as Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton managed to at least split the Red Bull duo as Mark Webber was demoted to 4th with the Mercedes’ duo in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Felipe Massa once again managed to out-qualify Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari, with the Spaniard struggling for one-lap pace way down in 8th position. Sebastian Vettel has led every racing lap around the Buddh International Circuit, a stat the German will be eager to uphold during tomorrow’s race as powers his way to what will unquestionably be his fourth successive Drivers’ Crown.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m24.119s 2. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m24.871s +0.752s 3. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m24.941s +0.822s 4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m25.047s +0.928s 5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m25.201s +1.082s 6. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m25.248s +1.129s 7. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m25.334s +1.215s 8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m25.826s +1.707s 9. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m26.153s +2.034s 10. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m26.487s +2.368s Q2 cut-off time: 1m25.458s Gap ** 11. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.519s +0.951s 12. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m25.711s +1.143s 13. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m25.740s +1.172s 14. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m25.798s +1.230s 15. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m26.134s +1.566s 16. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m26.336s +1.768s Q1 cut-off time: 1m26.178s Gap * 17. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m26.577s +1.003s 18. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m26.842s +1.268s 19. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m26.970s +1.396s 20. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m27.105s +1.531s 21. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m27.487s +1.913s 22. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m28.138s +2.564s 107% time: 1m31.564s
Picture Copyright © Pirelli
Williams Spend Final Day Of Second Test Carrying Out Pit-Stop Practice
Williams elected to spend the final day of the second pre-season test at Barcelona carrying out imperative pit-stop practice ahead of the new season, with the entire race team joining the outfit at the Circuit de Catalunya. Both Valtteri Bottas and Pastor Maldonado drove during the day, yet failed to set a timed lap.
After launching their new Renault-powered FW35 machine at the beginning of the week in the pit-lane of the Circuit de Catalunya, Williams ended the four-day test where they started in the pit-lane carrying out numerous practice pit-stops with both Bottas and Maldonado. The Grove-based outfit were joined in their fastidious practice stops by Mark Webber and Red Bull, who did likewise during the day.
Throughout the morning period rookie Valtteri Bottas began proceedings for Williams, completing 23 laps all of which were centralized around pit-stop practice. The Finn didn’t once set a timed lap, and neither did team-mate Pastor Maldonado who continued the team’s work in the pits during the wet afternoon period. Both drivers feel confident after their first week testing the new car, with the reliability of the FW35 already an improvement in comparison to the FW34.
“The full race team joined us in Barcelona today for pitstop practice.” Explained the team’s Technical Director, Mike Coughlan. “The weather was wet as we expected which means we didn’t lose any dry running time with the FW35 in doing this. Overall, we’ve had a very encouraging week as the core reliability of the car has proved to be excellent. We are now looking forward to the next test in Barcelona where we can concentrate on the performance.”
After a return to winning ways last season at the hands of Pastor Maldonado, the British team will be hoping to remain a competitive force this coming season. Valtteri Bottas topped the lap count of the week, with the Finnish rookie completing 355 laps in the new car. The Grove-based outfit will be looking to continue improving throughout the third and final test next week once the F1 fraternity reconvenes at the Circuit de Catalunya.
Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team
Sebastian Vettel Criticises Bruno Senna After First Lap Incident
Newly-crowned World Champion Sebastian Vettel has criticized Bruno Senna, after the pair came together on the opening lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Senna tried to overtake Vettel into Turn 4, but the German closed the door and the inevitable ensued. This saw Senna retire and Vettel plummet to the back of the order.
Despite picking up severe damage to the left-hand side of his car, Sebastian Vettel was undeterred by his collision with Senna and immediately began clawing his way back through the order as the rain began to intensify at the circuit. Although Sebastian Vettel was eventually able to clinch his third successive Drivers’ Championship, the German criticized the Brazilian driver after the race.
The incident that so nearly cost Sebastian Vettel the Drivers Championship!
“The start was quite good. I was quite happy.” Explained Sebastian Vettel, “Then I think I was bit too early on KERS and didn’t get KERS until Turn One but nevertheless, I was side by side with Mark [Webber] and he squeezed me to the inside, so your angle for Turn One becomes worse and worse. Then down to Turn Four, I was benefitting from the slipstream in front, relatively safe to Paul [di Resta] who was behind, as far as I remember, and then I got the hit in Turn Four for no reason. I don’t know what happened. I think someone probably… I think it was Bruno, I was told it was Bruno… he was probably fighting someone into Turn Four.
“It was drizzling since the start of the formation lap and it was quite slippery in Turn Four, we knew that. Maybe he forgot. The same thing I mentioned about the fact that in Turn One I had to back out of the situation because your angle just becomes narrower. If he was on the inside, which I suppose – I haven’t seen the footage – BOOM and I was the car that he used to stop himself. They didn’t help us.”
Sebastian Vettel was extremely lucky to continue circulating out on track, after Bruno Senna’s Williams tore a hole in the side of the German’s Red Bull. Despite the mangled bodywork on the side of the car, Vettel continued racing and eventually crossed the line to finish 6th, which enabled him to clinch his third successive Drivers’ Championship by just three points. However, the car was considerably slower due to the damage sustained during the first lap melee.
“In the dry conditions we were not quick enough.” Continued Sebastian Vettel, “I was stuck behind Kamui [Kobayashi] but we were nowhere on the straights, and also our tyres were suffering and we were not quick enough to fight, to go through the field because the car was damaged. I looked at the floor and it didn’t look nice. I’m quite happy because I could continue. Many times you have an accident like that in that corner and that it’s, that’s the end of the race so I was very happy for that.”
Bruno Senna’s race was ruined after his collision with Sebastian Vettel, after the Brazilian driver then collected the Sauber of Sergio Perez, who was also forced into retirement. With Senna striving to retain his seat at Williams for 2013, this was not the way he or the team would have liked to end the season. Despite Vettel’s criticism to Senna, opinions throughout the paddock are mixed as to who was in the wrong. Either way, it was a racing incident which could well have changed the course of the Drivers’ Championship.
Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images
Karthikeyan Remains Adamant He Did Nothing Wrong To Vettel
Narain Karthikeyan has remained adamant he did nothing wrong when he was lapped by Sebastian Vettel during the United States Grand Prix, only moments before the German driver lost the lead to Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of the race. At the time, Vettel vented his frustration towards the Indian driver over the team radio.
With Lewis Hamilton swarming over the back of Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull, the duo closed up upon the slow moving HRT of Narain Karthikeyan. Unfortunately for Sebastian Vettel, the opening sector of the Circuit of the Americas is exceedingly difficult to overtake on. This therefore saw Vettel loose an enormous amount of time behind Karthikeyan, and allowed Hamilton to close the gap and eventually overtake the Championship leader with DRS-assistance down the back-straight.
However, Narain Karthikeyan has remained adamant that he did nothing wrong during the race, and that he did not impede Sebastian Vettel purposefully. Prior to the race, Karthikeyan spoke with race director Charlie Whiting on the matter of traffic, and Whiting confirmed to the Indian driver that lapped traffic would not be required to move over during Turns 3 to 7.
“I spoke to Charlie before the race because I knew a situation like this could come up,” explained Narain Karthikeyan to Autosport. “It’s impossible to get out of the way in that part of the track unless we drive off the circuit. Charlie said that it was absolutely fine not to move over from Turns 3 to 7 so I did not do anything wrong. Once I was through there, I let him past and he overtook me at the exit of Turn 7 into 8. You cannot go anywhere else and it’s impossible to get out of the way before. You tell me where we can drive off the track? If he complains, it’s too bad.”
After a difficult race weekend at Austin, both HRT drivers were able to make it to the end of the race, albeit in 21st and 22nd position. Rumors circulating the paddock indicate that a Chinese buyer could be interested in purchasing the team, after current owners Thesan Capital put the team up for sale last week. This would greatly assist the team’s development driver Ma Qing Hua, who could well receive a full-time drive should the team become Chinese-owned.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
Sebastian Vettel Caught Out By Felipe Massa In Q3
Sebastian Vettel was highly frustrated after qualifying for the Korean Grand Prix, after the reigning World Champion failed to secure pole position largely due to being caught out by the slow moving Ferrari of Felipe Massa. Instead of pitting, like Vettel initially thought, the Brazilian driver continued on the track forcing Vettel to back-off.
This minor altercation ultimately led to Sebastian Vettel qualifying only 2nd for the race, whereas team-mate Mark Webber stormed to a surprise pole. Although the German driver still has a tremendous opportunity to secure his fourth victory of the season during tomorrow’s race, the disappointment was still visible on the 25-year-old’s face after the qualifying session drew to conclusion with Mark Webber the centre of attention.
During the post-qualifying press conference, Sebastian Vettel was questioned about his remarks regarding Felipe Massa. The Red Bull driver stipulated that he was not blaming the Ferrari driver for allegedly blocking him, only that he caught him out by carrying on circulating on track instead of pitting. Sebastian Vettel still blames himself for not achieving pole, after a lap he has described as not good enough regardless of being caught out by Felipe Massa.
“We were quite quick in the first qualifying session, quite quick in the second one and then had a good start to Q3.” Explained Sebastian Vettel after the qualifying session, “But the last run, I don’t want to blame it on Felipe, I thought he was coming in but then on the last sector he was right in front of me so I had to back-off. Not ideal, just starting a timed lap, and just before that to back off but I think nevertheless the second lap wasn’t good enough. Surely the lap was fine but I should have been a little bit quicker, so yeah, wasn’t able in the end to do the final step, especially in the second sector.”
When questioned further with regards to Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel continued to reiterate that he did not blame Felipe Massa for ruining his final lap. The German driver even admitted it was his own fault for not realizing where Massa was on the circuit, and that his final lap would most likely not have beaten team-mate Mark Webber regardless of Massa’s location on the circuit.
“I don’t want to blame it on Felipe.” Continued Sebastian Vettel, “I don’t like all these discussions; we’ve had a lot of them lately. These things happen, it’s not Felipe’s fault at all. I should have known earlier. If anything it was my mistake. I might have lost a little bit but I’m not a fan of blaming anyone or anything for a certain result or not.”
Sebastian Vettel will unarguably be striving to overtake his team-mate as soon as possible when the lights go out at the start of tomorrow’s 55-lap race, even though he starts with a slight disadvantage on the dirtier side of circuit. The German driver stormed to victory last season at the Korean Grand Prix by starting 2nd on the grid, denying then poleman Lewis Hamilton of victory.
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Broken Brake Disc Hampered Narain Karthikeyan In Qualifying
Narain Karthikeyan’s qualifying session was brought to a premature end halfway through Q1, after the HRT driver suffered a broken brake disc and spun out heading into turn three. The Indian driver was lucky not to collect one of the Force India’s during his spin, which saw him eventually limp back to the pits unable to set a timed lap.
Although the marshals have decided to let Karthikeyan race in tomorrow’s Korean Grand Prix, after being unable to set a time within the 107% rule, the Indian driver was still lamenting a tough day at the office at the Korea International Circuit. The team immediately set to fixing the issue, with the hope that it will not return during the race and throw Karthikeyan into yet another perilous spin during the race.
“We were in quite a good position after the third free practice session as I’d adapted very well to the circuit and the car was performing great.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, who was unable to set a timed lap. “But once again I was unlucky this season and we had a mechanical issue on the first lap of qualifying. Now we must analyze the problem to fix it and avoid it from springing up again. Tomorrow we will try to recover those positive vibes.”
HRT’s miserable qualifying session failed to improve after Karthikeyan’s high-speed spin, with Pedro de la Rosa only able to qualify 23rd +4.673 seconds off the pace to the leaders in the opening qualifying segment. With Charles Pic incurring a ten-place grid penalty, the HRT duo will instead start tomorrow’s race from 22nd and 23rd, albeit with a large speed disadvantage to their nearest rivals.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
Grosjean And Webber “Make Up” After Suzuka Collision
Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber have made up and moved on from their shenanigans at the Japanese Grand Prix, in which the Lotus driver once again caused a collision on the opening lap. As the pack negotiated the opening two corners, Grosjean collided with the rear of Webber, tipping him into a race-ruining spin.
After the race, Mark Webber was understandably furious with the Frenchman, slamming him as a “nutcase” after his seventh first lap incident. However, Romain Grosjean completely understood Webber’s anger and is eager to move on after yet another disastrous race. After the incident, Grosjean was issued with a hefty ten-second stop-and-go penalty which demoted him towards the back of the pack.
“Mark came to see me and I completely understand that he was unhappy.” Explained Romain Grosjean, “The only thing I could say was to apologize and that’s what I did. I’m clearly conscious of the risk at the start, I’m working on changing on quite a lot of things but work doesn’t come from one day to the other one. There is a process going on. I said I was very sorry. I’m not stupid and I’m conscious of the risk. And hopefully by now it will be a different and I will not make the mistake of focusing on the wrong targets.”
Mark Webber seemed satisfied with Romain Grosjean’s apology after the race, and is also eager to move on from the incident. After rejoining the track after the spin, Webber was way down the order in 22nd position. However, the 36-year-old was able to claw his way through the field to eventually finish 9th.
“Yeah, absolutely [happy about Grosjean’s apology].” Said Mark Webber, “I went to see Romain, we had a discussion about it and that was that. So, yes.”
Romain Grosjean has unfortunately become renowned for ruining his – and others – races in the opening laps of a Grand Prix, with the incident at Suzuka being his seventh of the season. Throughout the year, Grosjean has collided with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton at numerous races, most notably at Spa-Francorchamps where he was the catalyst in the multi-car incident at the start. This weekend the Frenchman will undoubtedly be striving for a clean weekend, avoiding all forms of contact.
“Not having any contact on the first lap, that’s clearly one of the objectives.” Continued Romain Grosjean, “I’d say there’s work in progress and it takes a bit of time but yeah, it’s a cycle as well: things have been going bad, and the more it goes bad… I’m conscious of the risk at the start.
“There is 550 people working at Enstone to give us the best car and if you ruin everything in the first 100m it’s not good. I’m conscious of all of that and will try to take as many precautions as possible to go through the first lap – and then normally in the race we are ok.”
If Romain Grosjean suffers another disastrous start this weekend in Korea, further question marks will unarguably be raised above his future in the sport. The Frenchman has already been issued a one-race ban for causing the collision at Spa, and could well be issued a much sterner penalty if he continues to cause carnage into turn 1.
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Webber Vents Anger And Disbelief At Grosjean
Mark Webber has become the latest driver to fall foul of Romain Grosjean’s knack of colliding with other competitors at the start of a race, after the Frenchman drove into the side of the Red Bull of Webber at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix. The Aussie was understandably furious, dubbing Grosjean a “nutcase” after the race.
Once Mark Webber had finished the Japanese Grand Prix a distant 9th after initially starting 2nd alongside team-mate Sebastian Vettel, the Red Bull driver was quick to vent his anger and disbelief at such poor driving from the Lotus of Grosjean. Throughout the season, Grosjean has been involved in seven first lap incidents at Malaysia, Spain, Monaco, Britain, Germany, Belgium and now Japan.
“I haven’t obviously seen what happened at the start but the guys confirmed that it was the first-lap nutcase again Grosjean,” explained Mark Webber to Sky Sport F1’s Natalie Pinkham. “The rest of us are trying to fight for some decent results each weekend but he is trying to get to the third corner as fast as he can at every race. It makes it frustrating because a few big guys probably suffered from that and maybe he needs another holiday. He needs to have a look at himself, it was completely his fault. How many mistakes can you make, how many times can you make the same error? First-lap incidents… yeah… it’s quite embarrassing at this level for him.”
Romain Grosjean was the catalyst in the almighty first-lap incident at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Romain Grosjean was issued with a one-race ban after his almighty incident with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. Upon making his return to the sport at the Singapore Grand Prix, the Frenchman has explained how he has been very cautious at the starts, however Mark Webber believes another ban should be issued if these first-lap incidents continue.
“Ever since I came back in Singapore my priority has been to be very cautious at the start, and I was watching Sergio on my left to make sure there was no contact with him.” Explained a downcast Romain Grosjean after the race, “There was quite a big speed difference between me and Mark as I came into the first corner which caught me by surprise and we collided. It was a stupid mistake. Mark came to see me after the race and was obviously not happy, but I apologized and we have to move on.”
After the first-lap incident at Japan, the race stewards decided to impose a 10-second stop-and-go penalty upon the Frenchman, which dropped him right to the back of the order. Eventually Grosjean retired from the race in the closing laps, with the team deciding to call it a day after a disastrous race and the fact that that tyres come to the end of their life. The Frenchman will be hoping for an incident-free Korean Grand Prix this weekend, as question marks begin to surface over his future in Formula 1.
Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images
Sebastian Vettel Hails “Perfect” Weekend At Suzuka
Sebastian Vettel has hailed the Japanese Grand Prix weekend as perfect, with the reigning World Champion securing a grand slam of pole position, race victory and the fastest lap. The German led every single lap of the race, and was unchallenged by anyone during the 53-laps.
After enjoying a stupendous qualifying performance to secure pole position for only the fourth time this season, Sebastian Vettel looked practically unstoppable throughout the race as he romped to his 24th career victory and his second in succession. This saw him become the first driver of the year to win back-to-back races, and enabled him to close the gap to World Championship leader Fernando Alonso.
“It’s been a fantastic weekend.” Exclaimed Sebastian Vettel, after his dominant victory. “Yesterday’s qualifying was perfect and today again, the balance of the car was amazing. We didn’t change too much at the stops; it just seemed to work fantastically well. I’m very happy, the guys have been pushing very hard and even though we didn’t have major upgrades here, it still seemed to come together and the balance was there – and that’s what made the difference today.”
Sebastian Vettel’s victory was made all the more sweeter by the retirement of Fernando Alonso on the opening lap. As the reigning Champion stormed into the lead, the Spaniard made minor contact with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen and spun off into the gravel with a puncture. However, Sebastian Vettel felt sorry for the Ferrari driver, stating that it could easily be himself that falls foul of bad luck next time out at Korea.
“It’s a shame for Alonso, it’s not something you hope for and it could happen to us at the next race. We’ve seen this year there are a lot of up and downs and things change quickly – we have to keep our heads down and take it step by step.”
Sebastian Vettel has secured pole position at every Japanese Grand Prix he has contested at Suzuka, and has won all but one of those races from pole. The German driver won last season at Korea, and will be striving to replicate such successes next weekend as he continues to hunt down Championship leader Fernando Alonso.
Picture Copyright © Getty Images
Narain Karthikeyan: “I Completed An Almost Perfect Lap”
Narain Karthikeyan enjoyed yet another competitive qualifying session today around the Marina Bay street circuit, in preparation for tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix. Although the Indian driver will start the race from a lowly 23rd on the grid, it was the second race weekend in succession where he out-qualified his team-mate.
This weekend has seen HRT introduce several new upgrades to their car, including a new floor. With Pedro de la Rosa set to incur a 5-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change, it was a forgone conclusion that the Spaniard would start tomorrow’s race from 24th and last. However, Narain Karthikeyan completed what he regarded as an almost perfect lap around the tricky confines of the Marina Bay street circuit to beat his vastly experienced team-mate.
“I’m happy because in qualifying I completed an almost perfect lap.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, “I’m pushing very hard and I think that right now I’m driving very well. I’m very comfortable within the team, they help me a lot and make me feel at home, and when the atmosphere is that good it’s easy to perform well. I’ve done two good consecutive qualifying sessions and I hope to keep that momentum. Tomorrow’s race will be tough physically and mentally but we will fight to achieve the best possible result.”
With speculation ripe within the F1 paddock this weekend that HRT’s reserve driver Dani Clos could receive a promotion within the team and replace Karthikeyan next season, the Indian driver is certainly proving his worth to the team behind the wheel of the F112. Although tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix will be exceedingly tough on the teams and drivers, Karthikeyan will be striving for a competitive result at the back of the pack.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
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