Caterham Aiming For Competitive Results Around The Streets Of Monaco
Caterham are hoping for competitive results from their two drivers around the twisty confines of the Monte-Carlo street circuit this weekend, where the high rate of attrition could enable the smaller teams to fight for decent results come Sunday. Caterham are currently 11th and last in the Constructors’ Championship, behind rivals Marussia.
After a slightly frustrating start to the season for the Leafield-based outfit, which saw them initially fall behind arch-rivals Marussia, Caterham has recently returned to their former competitiveness in relation to the Anglo-Russian outfit. Despite Jules Bianchi’s stellar start to the season for Marussia, the Banbury-based outfit has recently fallen back behind Caterham in the race for 10th in the Constructors’ Championship. With Caterham currently enjoying a return to their competitiveness, both Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde are optimistic ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.
“Monaco is a great race and a track I’ve won on before in Formula Renault 3.5 and in GP2.” Enthused Charles Pic, who will be regarding the Monaco Grand Prix as a home race. “You can hope that it can be a good chance for you to finish in a good position, but with such a tight circuit and so many chances for something to happen it’s something we can’t control so we have to be focused on optimizing the car, extracting 100 per cent for qualifying and then focusing on the race. We’ll have to make sure we go the right way on tyre choice and strategy, and then we’ll see. We’ve definitely been improving over the last couple of races, so the aim is to carry that through to Monaco.”
Giedo van der Garde is also of the opinion that a competitive result is on the cards this weekend in Monaco, where a high attrition rate has always allowed smaller teams to rise through the order with little effort. This weekend will be the Dutchman’s first around the streets of Monte-Carlo in Formula 1 machinery, and he will undoubtedly be calling upon all of his knowledge from the lower categories throughout the weekend.
“Monaco’s also a place where the smaller teams, like us, can do something special.” Explained Giedo van der Garde, “It’s a shorter lap than many of the other tracks we race on, and everyone has to run as much downforce as possible, so outright speed isn’t the key. You need good traction to really attack the exits of the corners, and the package we introduced in Spain had exactly that, so what we want to do is build on the progress we made in Spain, show a bit more of our potential, and with a bit of luck we can come close to the top 10.”
For Caterham to rise ahead of Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship this weekend, the outfit will require a 12th place finish or higher after Jules Bianchi’s 13th place finish at the start of the season at Malaysia for the Banbury-based outfit. Last season Heikki Kovalainen managed to finish a strong 13th around the streets of Monte-Carlo, a result both Charles Pic and Giedo van der Garde will be aiming to emulate this weekend.
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Simona de Silvestro Relieved With Strong Opening Race Weekend
Swiss IZOD IndyCar Series driver Simona de Silvestro has expressed relief after a strong start to her 2013 campaign, which saw the 24-year-old qualify an impressive 3rd and eventually finish 6th. For 2013, de Silvestro has switched from HVM Racing to KV Racing Technology to partner 2004 Champion Tony Kanaan.
After a highly uncompetitive year last season for Simona de Silvestro, which included a personal best of 13th at Detroit and nine retirements, the Swiss driver was in desperate need of a competitive start to her 2013 campaign with a team capable of victories in the Series. Competing alongside former Champion Tony Kanaan, Simona de Silvestro failed to disappoint with a result she has heralded as a relief after initial pre-season doubts.
“I think I had a little bit of doubts during the off-season if I was able to run up front after the season I had last year.” Explained Simona de Silvestro, after finishing 6th at St. Petersburg. “It was just a big relief that we started off the weekend really strong, qualified up front and pretty much raced up front the whole race. So it was really good. I think it was a big confidence boost for me and the team. I think now we can clean up a few things to be even better.”
Last season Simona de Silvestro competed in a one-car outfit at the Lotus-powered HVM Racing team, however for 2013 she will be working alongside a team-mate for the first time in her IZOD IndyCar Series career. Although Tony Kanaan is a hugely successful driver in the Series, with 14 victories in 166 starts, the two are working extremely well together and expect a strong season at the Chevrolet-powered outfit.
“We do actually.” Confirmed Simona de Silvestro, when asked about how well she works with Tony Kanaan. “I actually enjoy working with T.K. He has a lot of experience. I feel like we have a good friendly competition going on in the team. I think we really push each other every session. I think the team gets better that way. I think that’s going to make us pretty strong the whole season.”
Last year Tony Kanaan was partnered alongside good friend and fellow countryman Rubens Barrichello, along with Venezuelan driver E.J. Viso. However, the trio failed to deliver the expected successes with neither driver stepping onto the top step of the podium throughout the year. Already both Kanaan and de Silvestro have shown that they are capable of fighting towards the front of the order this season, with a victory or two highly possible.
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Button Believes Hamilton’s Move A Bad Decision
Jenson Button has explained how he believes current team-mate Lewis Hamilton’s move to Mercedes for next season is a bad decision, amid one of the most talked about driver changes in the history of the sport. With Lewis Hamilton leaving McLaren for Mercedes, Sergio Perez has been signed as the Briton’s replacement alongside Button.
Despite recent turbulence within the McLaren outfit, which has included several disappointing results and another Lewis Hamilton rant on Twitter, speculation has begun to gather momentum that the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and the team, which brought him into the world of Formula 1, has begun to deteriorate. However, Jenson Button has been quick to deny these allegations, stating that the atmosphere within the Woking-based outfit is fantastic.
“The atmosphere in the team is fantastic.” Confirmed Jenson Button to British newspaper The Guardian, “As far as I can see with Lewis, he is focused and wants to win races. Nothing has changed, it is just the view of a few people with a wide audience and they need to get their facts straight.”
In recent races since Lewis Hamilton’s announcement confirming his move to Mercedes next season, the 2008 World Champion has endured some utterly disastrous results. Although Hamilton finished in the points at both the Japanese and Korean Grands Prix, the Briton has failed to challenge for race victories or even podiums. Hamilton finished 5th at the Japanese Grand Prix, after further setup woes similar to that witnessed at the Belgian Grand Prix, whereas at Korea last weekend Hamilton could only manage 10th after a rear anti-roll bar failure.
With Mercedes currently also struggling greatly, having been unable to score a point at either of the previous two races, many have questioned Lewis Hamilton’s decision to move to the German marque. After remaining silent on the topic over the recent race weekends, Jenson Button has finally expressed his opinion on his team-mate’s move, which will subsequently end what has been an intriguing three-year partnership at McLaren.
“He has chosen to go his own way at the end of the year.” Continued Jenson Button, “It is his decision, although I personally don’t think it is the right decision. The team will give Lewis everything they can because Lewis can give the team chances of winning races, as I can. The team care about the drivers, but also they care about winning. There will not be any change in this team at all in the way we go racing with two drivers.”
After the Korean Grand Prix, both McLaren drivers confirmed that their realistic Championship hopes were now over after a race weekend which only yielded one World Championship point for the whole team. Regardless of this fact, both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton will unquestionably be striving for further race victories in the final four races of the season.
Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team
Nico Rosberg Confident Korea Will Suit Mercedes
Nico Rosberg is confident that the Korea International Circuit will suit Mercedes, after several tough results at recent races. The German retired on the opening lap last weekend at Suzuka, and could only manage 5th and 7th at the Singapore and Italian Grands Prix respectively.
Since winning the Chinese Grand Prix back in April and finishing 2nd at the Monaco Grand Prix in May, Nico Rosberg has endured a frustrating season struggling to finish within the points on a regular basis. After a competitive streak from China to Europe, Rosberg has since struggled to both qualify and finish a race in a competitive position. However, the 27-year-old German is confident that this weekend could produce some competitive results for both himself and team-mate Michael Schumacher.
“Already in the race in Japan things were looking better.” Explained Nico Rosberg, “Michael put in a consistent pace there. For sure here this track should suit us more. All the conditions, all the circumstances, the long straights and everything. I’m definitely looking forward to it and I’m confident that we can do better again.”
Despite spinning out of the inaugural Korean Grand Prix back in 2010, Nico Rosberg finished within the points last season. Due to the competitiveness of the Mercedes W03, Rosberg will certainly have his ambitions set on a decent qualifying and race result this weekend. Although Mercedes failed to score any points last weekend in Japan, the German marque remain 5th in the Constructors’ Championship with 136 points scored.
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Pedro de la Rosa: “We’ve Taken A Step Forward”
Pedro de la Rosa believes HRT have taken another step forward after a relatively successful Japanese Grand Prix, which saw the Spaniard finish 18th. Team-mate Narain Karthikeyan was unfortunately unable to finish the race, after the team decided to retire the Indian due to safety issues regarding the bottom of the car.
After starting the race from 20th and 24th respectively, both Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan were able to avoid the first lap incidents which forced Championship leader Fernando Alonso to retire. This enabled the duo to rise to 16th and 19th respectively after the opening lap, however a problem for the Spaniard during his first pitstop saw him drop back through the order. However, de la Rosa is still positive with the improvements made by the team, as they continue to progress towards the back of the pack.
“Today’s race was quite good and we could say we’ve taken a step forward, although we still have plenty to do.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, “The first stint was good but we had a problem in the first pitstop which made me lose quite a lot of time. My times with the hard tyres towards the end were very good and we were right in there. The car was handling well and we got close to Pic and Petrov, which for us, at a track like this, is fantastic.”
Narain Karthikeyan was unable to finish the Japanese Grand Prix, after the team decided to retire his machine after his second pitstop due to an issue with the bottom of the car. This was the Indian driver’s second retirement in succession, after hitting the wall last time out at Singapore. Regardless of this stat, the 35-year-old Indian remains confident both he and HRT can continue improve next time out at the Korean Grand Prix.
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Heikki Kovalainen Blames Safety Car For Poor Result At Singapore
Heikki Kovalainen firmly believes that the safety car ruined his ability to secure a decent result at the Singapore Grand Prix, a race which saw the Caterham duo of Kovalainen and Petrov finished 16th and 19th respectively. With the Marussia of Glock finishing 12th, Caterham have now dropped to 11th in the Constructors’ Championship.
After the two safety car periods, Heikki Kovalainen had elected to remain out on track whereas the majority of the field pitted under safety car conditions. This tactic saw Kovalainen rise steadily up the field, however once the race was resumed after the second safety car intervention, the 30-year-old Finn was forced to pit for new tyres, which therefore saw him drop back through the order.
“For me that was a good race until the safety cars.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, after what was a tough 61-lap race. “We decided to stay out but when we restarted for the second time I’d probably been out too long and the tyres were starting to give up. I had to stop again and there wasn’t enough time to recover from there so that was the end of the race. If it hadn’t been for the safety car I’m sure we’d have finished much higher.”
Due to the topsy-turvy nature of the Singapore Grand Prix, both the Caterham and Marussia duo were able to fight with the likes of Kamui Kobayashi and Nico Hulkenberg in the closing stages of the race. With Vitaly Petrov and Heikki Kovalainen suffering an unlucky end to the race, Timo Glock was able to secure Marussia’s most competitive result in 12th. This result for the Banbury-based outfit knocked Caterham down to 11th in the Constructors’ Championship, which might not sound like much, yet could cost the Leafield-based outfit millions if the Championship order remains unchanged.
Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team
Martin Whitmarsh Confident Lewis Will Stay
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is confident that the teams star driver, Lewis Hamilton, will remain with the team after this season. With the Woking-based outfit suffering several disastrous results in recent weeks, rumors have begun to surface of the 2008 World Champion potentially leaving McLaren once his contract ends this season.
However, Martin Whitmarsh believes that Lewis Hamilton will eventually decide to remain a McLaren driver regardless of poor results of recent races. Since the Briton’s illustrious victory at the Canadian Grand Prix last month, the team have endured frustratingly uncompetitive results in comparison to rival teams such as Red Bull and Ferrari.
Whereas Red Bull and Ferrari have scored 52 and 55 points respectively in the last two races, McLaren have only managed an embarrassing 9 points. This has seen the Woking-based outfit fall to 4th in the Constructors’ Championship with Lotus now residing in 3rd place behind Red Bull and Ferrari. However, Martin Whitmarsh does not believe a few more uncompetitive races could put the Briton in a stronger negotiating position.
“No, I think we’re going to the next two races to try and win, as we do with every race.” Explained Martin Whitmarsh, “I think Lewis is more intelligent than that and I hope the same applies to the media. I don’t think we should put any timeframe on it [contractual negotiations]. I think it’s something that’s got to be determined for both parties preferably before the end of the season. I don’t think there’s any need to do so against any tight timeframe for that resolution.”
McLaren are heading to this weekend’s German Grand Prix with many new upgrades on their car, which they hope will propel them to their 9th victory in Germany. Lewis Hamilton won last year’s German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, however the team haven’t won a race around the Hockenheimring since 2008 when Lewis Hamilton triumphed on his way to his one and as of yet only World Drivers’ Championship.
“We will have quite a lot of quite noticeable updates on the car in Germany.” Continued Martin Whitmarsh, “The sidepods from the front to the rear are quite different so you’ll notice those and there are other bits and pieces that the sharper-eyed will see. And clearly there are some parts which are hidden to the naked eye. So they are the main area of modifications and they will be reasonably noticeable.”
With Lewis Hamilton stating he’ll wait for the summer break before making any decisions on his future, McLaren are in desperate need of a competitive result. Coupled with the upgrades added to their car for this weekend, the Woking-based outfit will be striving to prove a point throughout the German Grand Prix weekend.
Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team
Jenson Button Hoping For A Problem-Free German GP
McLaren’s Jenson Button is hoping for a problem-free build-up to the German Grand Prix next weekend, as the 2009 World Champion strives to get his Championship challenge back on track. The British star has failed to finish higher than 8th since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April, and has slipped to 8th in the Drivers’ Championship.
Since Jenson Button’s glorious win at the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix, the Briton has struggled to string together consistently competitive results, managing only one other podium finish so far this season. However, it’s not just Jenson Button who is currently suffering an uncompetitive streak, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton suffering two disastrous races after his superlative victory in Canada.
“Coming off the back of a couple of disappointing weekends, it’s important that we capitalize on the opportunities available in Germany and Hungary.” Explained Jenson Button, “Performance-wise, I still think it’s difficult to accurately predict where we stand in the competitive order – Valencia and Silverstone were certainly difficult races for us, but I don’t think they were truly representative of our pace. This year, you really need a problem-free build-up to the race if you’re going to maximize the car’s potential – and that’s exactly what we’ll be hoping for in Germany next weekend.”
Jenson Button’s best finish at the German Grand Prix was 2nd back in 2004, when the Briton drove for BAR. A decent result next weekend is imperative for both Jenson Button and McLaren, as the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and even Lotus threaten to build a gap to the Woking-based outfit.
Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team
Sauber Disappointed After Disheartening Result
Heading into the Chinese Grand Prix, Sauber looked set for another competitive race as Kamui Kobayashi lined up 3rd on the grid, his best qualifying position to date. However, once the lights went out Sauber’s day went downhill as Kobayashi suffered a slow getaway on the grid and Perez suffered with the medium Pirelli tyre.
On the back of Sergio Perez’s superlative drive at the Malaysian Grand Prix, where the Mexican piled immense amounts of pressure of Fernando Alonso and subsequently finished 2nd, China couldn’t have been more of a different story.
As the checkered flag fell, Sauber found themselves with only one World Championship point, with the likes of the Williams’ ahead of them after a frustrating and disheartening race.
“Of course after what we did in qualifying the race result is disappointing.” Commented Kamui Kobayashi, “I’m not really sure what happened at the start, my car just didn’t move, it was a bit strange and I lost positions immediately. Then I was stuck in traffic for most of the time, also we made the second pit stop a bit late and the tyres had gone.”
Sergio Perez, who only managed to qualify for the race in 8th, suffered greatly when he switched to the medium tyre compound after 16 laps. Prior to the Mexican’s pit stop he was locked in a feisty battle with Lewis Hamilton, yet when he finally pitted his performance took an unfortunate nose-dive.
“I must say I am very disappointed.” Said Sergio Perez, “I had a very good start, and for the entire first stint it really looked to be going very well for me. But then when I picked up the medium compound tyres I lost a lot of performance from lap 17 onwards. Actually I feel I would have been better off with a three stop strategy, but you never know.”
After an outstanding result in Malaysia, the Chinese Grand Prix has been a harsh return to normality for the Hinwil based outfit. They will be hoping Bahrain is a different story next weekend.
Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG
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