HRT Hindered By Traffic During Indian Grand Prix Qualifying

HRT were unable to extract the most out of their cars during qualifying for the Indian Grand Prix, after both Pedro de la Rosa and local hero Narain Karthikeyan were hindered by traffic throughout the closing stages of Q1. However, both drivers are extremely satisfied and will start tomorrow’s race from 22nd and 23rd respectively.

After improving greatly during the third and final practice session prior to qualifying, HRT were confident of a competitive performance with improvements in the balance and handling of their F112 machine. Although Pedro de la Rosa was able to set a decent first timed lap during qualifying, Narain Karthikeyan made a slight error on his opening lap and was hindered thereafter by traffic. Pedro de la Rosa was also at a disadvantage due to traffic, but was able to out-qualify his team-mate.

“Although we didn’t find the lap we were hoping for, we did complete a very good qualifying session.” Enthused Pedro de la Rosa, “With the first set of tyres the car performed very well and I was able to complete three clean laps. However, with the second set and with more rubber on the track when times could be improved significantly, I encountered a lot of traffic and I was unable to complete a clean lap. The car was better today than yesterday and we could’ve been even quicker but with the traffic it was impossible.”

Tomorrow’s 60-lap Indian Grand Prix will be Narain Karthikeyan’s second in front of his home fans, and despite being out-qualified by team-mate de la Rosa will not be starting the race plum last. Due to Charles Pic’s lack of knowledge around the Buddh International Circuit, Karthikeyan will start 23rd alongside the Frenchman on the back row of the grid.

“Overall I’m happy with the performance we showed in the qualifying session.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, “On my second run I made a mistake on lap 10 which cost me a couple of tenths but the large amount of cars on the track was the main problem as we didn’t find a gap to go as quick as we would have liked. Despite this I’m happy because we finished ahead of one of the Marussias, my time was almost identical to Pedro’s and we’ve got good pace so we can be satisfied.”

HRT have enjoyed a recent improvement in form, despite still remaining towards the back of the pack. With Narain Karthikeyan’s future as a HRT driver under speculation for next season, the Indian driver will be aiming for a positive race as he strives to retain his seat alongside Pedro de la Rosa. The Spaniard, on the other hand, is expected to remain at HRT next season and has unquestionably been the number one driver at the team this season.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Narain Karthikeyan Plagued With Hydraulic Issue During Practice

Narain Karthikeyan’s progress during the second practice session was hampered slightly due to a hydraulic issue on his HRT F112, as the local driver set to preparing for this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix. Just after the Indian driver switched to the soft tyres during FP2, his mechanics noticed an issue on his car and called an end to his session.

Despite this minor setback, both HRT drivers remain confident that the weekend is going to plan, although both admit there is still room for improvement with the balance of the car. Whilst Narain Karthikeyan prepared for what will be his second home race, team-mate Pedro de la Rosa set to learning the Buddh International Circuit as the Spaniard had never before raced around the still relatively new track.

“I loved the circuit. It’s really nice and also very challenging.” Enthused Pedro de la Rosa, who was not on the grid this time last year for the inaugural event. “You have to use the kerbs a lot and the car really suffers, so we have to drive carefully. Overall I had good sensations with the balance of the car, especially in the afternoon when I was able to do more laps. But we’ve still got a lot of room for improvement and if we’re able to improve the balance of the car we’ll be able to run better. Especially in changes of direction because we lose too much time on quick corners and we can correct that.”

Although the team is confident the hydraulic issues which plagued Karthikeyan will not return throughout the remainder of the weekend, Narain Karthikeyan was understandably disappointed with the loss of valuable track time. Nevertheless, the local driver is confident of a competitive qualifying session tomorrow afternoon.

“The first session went pretty well and in the afternoon we decided to change the balance of the car to improve certain aspects.” Explained Narain Karthikeyan, “We’d just set the soft tyres when, unfortunately, we suffered a hydraulic failure which impeded us from improving our times. But the problem should be fixed for tomorrow so I hope to have a good qualifying session.”

Regardless of HRT’s minor setback throughout the opening two practice sessions, Pedro de la Rosa managed to finish ahead of the Marussia duo of Timo Glock and Charles Pic, therefore providing the team which improved confidence ahead of the all-important qualifying hour. Such is the case with many teams towards the rear of the pack, their 2013 plans have yet to be confirmed and could well be influenced by the next few races.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

HRT Looking Forward To “Special” Indian Grand Prix Weekend

HRT are greatly looking forward to next weekend’s Indian Grand Prix around the Buddh International Circuit, which promises to be a particularly special occasion for the Spanish outfit with Narain Karthikeyan once again set to be the only local driver on the grid. Pedro de la Rosa has never raced at the circuit, and is eager to get racing,

This year’s Indian Grand Prix is only the second running of the event, with the still relatively new Buddh International Circuit awaiting the 24 drivers. Pedro de la Rosa is expected to spend as much time as possible learning the Indian circuit during the three practice sessions at the beginning of the weekend, with the Spaniard having only ever raced the circuit on the simulator.

“Just like Korea this will be a new circuit for me and all I know of it is from the work I did on the simulator last year.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, “From what I know it’s an interesting circuit with a lot of medium and fast corners where we will have two DRS zones. It will be interesting to see how the asphalt has evolved from one year to another because last year it was brand new and quite dirty. I must admit that, overall, it’s a circuit that I like the look of. We hope to have solved the reliability issues which we suffered in Korea and complete another good race here.”

Pedro de la Rosa was unfortunate to retire from the Korean Grand Prix last time out, suffering from an issue with the throttle pedal throughout the early stages of the race. This forced the team to retire the F1 veteran due to safety fears, with Narain Karthikeyan eventually finishing 20th after the 55-lap race.

Karthikeyan was the only local driver on the grid during last season’s Indian Grand Prix.

Narain Karthikeyan is preparing to contest in his second home race, after finishing last season’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix 17th for HRT. Once again, Karthikeyan will be the only local driver on the grid next weekend, and is understandably eager to get behind the wheel once track action begins with the opening practice session of the weekend next Friday.

“Obviously this is the most anticipated race on the calendar for me and there is already a great buzz around the event.” Said Narain Karthikeyan, “The layout of the Buddh International Circuit is a great mix which makes it challenging for the tyres as there are very few conventional straight-forward corners but since the surface isn’t abrasive at all, wear shouldn’t be an issue. I’ve got great memories from last year’s Grand Prix as I had a great weekend; the car was good and we were quick. I hope this year things go even better and I can dedicate it to the fans who are showing me so much support. I can’t wait to get out on track!”

After enduring a tough start to the season, HRT have gradually improved at the back of the pack as the season has progressed. As the season enters its final four races, the Madrid-based outfit will be striving to continue reeling in the likes of Marussia and Caterham as the battle at the back of pack rages on.

Picture(s) Copyright © HRT F1 Team & Getty Images

Sebastian Vettel Takes Pole As Red Bull Lock-Out Front Row At Suzuka

Sebastian Vettel has taken his 34th career pole at Suzuka, after a dominant qualifying session for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix. The reigning World Champion will be joined by Mark Webber on the front row of the grid, after Red Bull dominated qualifying. Jenson Button qualified 3rd, but will incur a five-place grid penalty due to a gearbox change.

The Force India of Paul di Resta was the first driver to take to the track as the all-important qualifying session got underway, with many drivers immediately leaving the pits to take to the track. The Scot set the initial pace with a 01:33.661, before the Lotus duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean momentarily shared the top spot. As Sergio Perez skipped through the gravel at turn seven, the Ferrari of Felipe Massa stormed to the top with a 01:32.946.

However, the Ferrari driver’s reign at the top was short-lived, as the reigning World Champion of Sebastian Vettel flew to the top with a brilliant 01:32.608. As the opening session of qualifying progressed, many drivers further down the order opted for the softer Pirelli tyre compound. Kimi Raikkonen returned to the top, before the likes of Sergio Perez, Kamui Kobayashi and Romain Grosjean each shared the top spot. Michael Schumacher was lucky to progress to Q2, after initially struggling to set a competitive lap time within the 107% rule. Bruno Senna failed to progress through to Q2, along with the usual suspects of the two Caterhams, Marussias and HRTs.

Local hero Kamui Kobayashi was the first driver to take to the track as Q2 got underway, and set the initial pace with a 01:32.368. As the majority of the drivers gradually took to the track, the ever-dominant Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel glided to the top of the timing sheets with a scintillating 01:31.501. This time remained unbeaten as the second session drew to a conclusion, as Lewis Hamilton once again struggled to assert his authority over proceedings. Both Felipe Massa, Paul di Resta, Michael Schumacher, Pastor Maldonado, Nico Rosberg, Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne were knocked out after Q2.

The all-important top-ten shootout began with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen taking to the track immediately, and setting the initial pace with a 01:32.208. The Finn’s reign at the top failed to last for long, however, as Sebastian Vettel silenced the opposition with an absolutely mesmerizing 01:30.839. Mark Webber slotted neatly into 2nd position behind his team-mate, locking-out the front row for the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Sebastian Vettel’s time at the top went unbeaten as the top ten shootout drew to a close, as Kimi Raikkonen suffered an embarrassing end to his session by beaching his Lotus in the gravel on the exit of turn 14. However, the Finn was able to continue as local hero Kamui Kobayashi went 4th fastest behind the Red Bull duo and the McLaren of Jenson Button. Lewis Hamilton endured a frustratingly uncompetitive qualifying session, ultimately ending the session 9th overall.

With the Red Bull duo looking unstoppable out in front, one would expect either Sebastian Vettel or Mark Webber to take victor in tomorrow’s 53-lap race. However, anything can happen in Formula 1, and in this unique season nothing is straightforward. With the likes of Kamui Kobayashi and Romain Grosjean qualifying high up the order, an exciting race is expected around the Suzuka circuit.

Pos  Driver                Team                 Time            Gap   
 1.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m30.839s
 2.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m31.090s  + 0.251
 3.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m31.294s  + 0.451
 4.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari       1m31.700s  + 0.861
 5.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault        1m31.989s  + 1.059
 6.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari       1m32.022s  + 1.183
 7.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m32.114s  + 1.275
 8.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault        1m32.208s  + 1.369
 9.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m32.327s  + 1.488
10.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes no time
Q2 cut-off time: 1m32.272s                                   Gap **
11.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m32.293s  + 0.792
12.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m32.327s  + 0.826
13.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes             1m32.469s  + 0.968
14.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault     1m32.512s  + 1.011
15.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             1m32.625s  + 1.124
16.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m32.954s  + 1.453
17.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m33.368s  + 1.867
Q1 cut-off time: 1m33.370s                                    Gap *
18.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault     1m33.405s  + 1.376
19.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault     1m34.657s  + 2.628
20.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth    1m35.213s  + 3.184
21.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth         1m35.385s  + 3.356
22.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth    1m35.429s  + 3.400
23.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault     1m35.432s  + 3.403
24.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth         1m36.734s  + 4.705

107% time: 1m38.471s

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