Caterham Planning Several New Upgrades For Abu Dhabi

Caterham are planning several new upgrades for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which the outfit are hoping will see them gain around three to four tenths of a second in lap time. This comes as the team aims to end the 2012 season on a high, after further extending the gap to rivals Marussia and HRT throughout the year.

These new upgrades will be the first extensive upgrade for the team in recent races, and will incorporate a number of new features including a revised exhaust layout within the new rear bodywork, new front brake duct assemblies and detailed updates to the floor, diffuser and front wing. This comes as Caterham aim to overtake Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship, a feat which could earn the Leafield-based outfit a much more lucrative income ahead of the 2013 season.

Once again at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Caterham’s reserve driver Giedo van der Garde will get behind the wheel of the Caterham CT01 for the opening practice session on Friday. This will be the Dutchman’s fourth weekend in succession where he has appeared during practice one, and will this weekend be replacing Vitaly Petrov. Giedo van der Garde has previous knowledge of the Yas Marina circuit, and is eager to put his knowledge to good use as he prepares to test the new upgrades.

“Abu Dhabi’s the first track I’ll be driving on in FP1 at this stage of the season that I’ve raced on before.” Explained Giedo van der Garde, “With the obvious limits we work under in FP1 that’s a big advantage as it means I’m not having to learn my way around on my first couple of laps, and as we’re usually doing somewhere between 20 to 25 laps in first practice it means I can help the team even more right from the first run.

“After the Abu Dhabi race I’ll be staying on for the young driver test, and that’ll be another really good step forward in my development – two full days in the car on a track I’ve already driven on, and with a group of people who I’ve worked closely with for the last couple of months will give me a great chance to help the team get as much as they can from the test, and give me the opportunity to keep developing without some of the constraints of a race weekend FP1.”

Giedo van der Garde will be joined Alexander Rossi during the two-day Young Driver Test after this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will feature the likes of McLaren and Red Bull. If the upgrades work well on the car, expect a competitive end to the season towards the back of the pack, as Caterham strive to leapfrog Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship.

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Heikki Kovalainen Suffered From KERS Failure During Indian Grand Prix

Heikki Kovalainen lost out due to a KERS failure during the latter stages of the Indian Grand Prix, which forced the Finn to cede his track position to team-mate Vitaly Petrov. Despite this unfortunate turn of events, Kovalainen was still able to finish the race ahead of the Marussias and HRTs in 18th position.

After starting the race from 20th on the grid, Heikki Kovalainen was able to enjoy a positive start after picking several places through the opening few corners. As the opening stint played out, Caterham decided switch from a two-stop to a one-stop strategy, with tyre degradation less of an issue around the Buddh International Circuit. However, roughly two thirds of the way through the race, Kovalainen suffered the KERS failure which plagued him until the end of the race.

“My start was good.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, “We had planned to do two stops but with the way the car was performing we went long on the first stint and switched to a one stop, boxing just after halfway. I had a good stop but about two thirds of the way through the race I had a KERS problem which meant I had to let Vitaly [Petrov] pass. From there it was really just a matter of getting my car to the end of the race. Losing KERS obviously didn’t help but it was still pretty easy to pull away from the cars behind and without that problem I’m sure I’d have finished higher.”

Despite the KERS issue on the car, both Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov remain confident for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend, with the team set to introduce several new upgrades to the CT01. With the Leafield-based outfit still striving to catch Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship, any new upgrade packages will be warmly welcomed in the closing stages of the season, regarding they benefit the overall pace of the car.

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No Issues Caused Kovalainen’s Q1 Spin

Heikki Kovalainen has confirmed that there were no issues on his Caterham which caused his unfortunate spin towards the end of Q1, which saw the Leafield-based outfit eventually qualify 19th and 20th on the grid for tomorrow’s race. Kovalainen remains confident of a competitive race, despite his minor spin.

Throughout the opening 20 minute segment of qualifying, Heikki Kovalainen enjoyed a decent balance on his Renault-powered Caterham CT01 in comparison to Korea last time out. However, as Q1 drew to a conclusion, an abundance of cars on the track hindered the Finn’s ability to set a quick time, which eventually saw him spin off the track at turn 11 and embed his car in the gravel trap.

“It’s been a pretty good weekend so far.” Explained a positive Heikki Kovalainen, “The balance has been better than we had in Korea and on my first run in qualifying the car felt ok. There was more to come but I had a bit of traffic that held me up and then on my second run I caught up with a bunch of cars going into turn 10 and lost a bit of grip, enough to put me off. I wasn’t going in too hard and there weren’t any issues with the car, I just lost the front end and even with the spin I didn’t lose any positions so I think we can still have a good race tomorrow.”

Heikki Kovalainen will line-up 20th for tomorrow’s Indian Grand Prix, after being out-qualified once again by Russian team-mate Vitaly Petrov. The Caterham duo were able to qualify ahead of Championship rivals Marussia, however the Anglo-Russian outfit are still ahead of the Leafield-based team in the Constructors’ Championship.

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Van Der Garde Enjoys Another Productive Morning With Caterham

Giedo van der Garde enjoyed another productive morning practice session behind the wheel of the Caterham CT01 at the Buddh International Circuit, as the Dutchman completed his fourth outing with the Leafield-based outfit. He eventually finished the first session 19th overall, ahead of fellow GP2 competitor Esteban Gutierrez in the Sauber.

Giedo van der Garde replaced Heikki Kovalainen behind the wheel for the opening practice session of the weekend, joining fellow reserve drivers up and down the grid in receiving valuable track time in Formula 1 machinery. With the 27-year-old Dutchman strongly linked to several teams for 2013, the Friday practice sessions offer him a tremendous opportunity to showcase his skill in an F1 car.

After finishing the session 19th, just behind team-mate Vitaly Petrov and ahead of fellow GP2 rival Esteban Gutierrez, Giedo van der Garde dedicated his running throughout the 90 minute session to his Grandfather, who sadly passed away last week. The Dutchman was able to quickly learn the still relatively new Buddh International Circuit, and completed the session’s program without any issues.

“It was another good session for me today and one I want to dedicate to my Grandpa who sadly passed away last week.” Explained Giedo van der Garde, “I know he’s always been very proud of me and he told me to enjoy myself whenever I’m driving, so I made sure I did today. The circuit is pretty technical but I was up to speed quickly and didn’t have any problems getting through the plan we were running today. One thing that was really obvious was just how much the track evolves – even on my first run I could feel the grip levels improving with every lap, so by Sunday it will probably feel very different, but for me in FP1 it was fine.”

After a very successful season in GP2 with Caterham, Giedo van der Garde has since returned to his reserve driver duties within the Formula 1 outfit and has partaken at every Friday practice session since the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. Next weekend at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Giedo van der Garde will once again return behind the wheel for the opening practice session Friday.

“I’ll be back in the car again next week in Abu Dhabi at a track I know well, and then I have two full days at the Yas Marina Circuit in the young driver test.” Confirmed Giedo van der Garde, “It’s good to keep adding to the mileage I’ve already done this year and I’m really pleased with how much progress I’m making with the car and the team in general.”

With neither Heikki Kovalainen or Vitaly Petrov currently confirmed for next season at Caterham, speculation continues to gather momentum that Giedo van der Garde could well be in the mix to receive a ‘promotion’ within the team to a full-time drive. However, with other drivers such as Bruno Senna and Charles Pic in the equation as well, the Dutchman will have to continue impressing on the Friday mornings in the hope of receiving that full-time drive he is after.

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Heikki Kovalainen Remaining Focused On Catching Marussia

Heikki Kovalainen is remaining focused on catching Marussia for 10th place in the Constructors’ Championship, instead of worrying about his future within the Caterham outfit next season. With the Finn’s future unconfirmed for next season, questions are continuing to be raised as to where he might end up come 2013.

Although Heikki Kovalainen has driven for the Leafield-based outfit since their debut season back in 2010, when they were known as Lotus, the Finn has yet to be confirmed for what would be his fourth season with the team. Since his time at the team, he has been partnered by Jarno Trulli and now Vitaly Petrov, however rising stars from the likes of GP2 and the World Series by Renault are threatening his continuation as a Caterham driver.

When asked about his future in Formula 1, Heikki Kovalainen remained coy on the subject, deciding instead to emphasize his focus in taking each race as it comes and catching Marussia for 10th place in the Constructors’ Championship. With neither Marussia or Caterham having scored any points so far this season, their position in the Constructors’ Championship is determined by their highest finish of the season.

“Nothing’s been signed for next [season] for myself yet.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, “Personally, my target and my focus is at each race weekend for our team it’s quite important that we try to regain that 10th position back from Marussia. It’s not going to be easy but I think we have to do whatever it takes to be in a position to do that if a freak race happens again. So, the main focus is on that and regarding the future with the team and with Tony, we haven’t decided yet. I think Tony knows what he gets with me but then he’s evaluating other options I think to see what he wants to do. And I’m waiting. In the meantime, of course, my management is also working. There’s nothing really to report but the main thing I think for myself and really for our team has to be to keep pushing to get that 10th position back, it’s quite crucial.”

With Vitaly Petrov’s future at Caterham also in doubt for next season, the driving line-up at the team could be set to change drastically ahead of the new season. Both reserve drivers Giedo van der Garde and Alexander Rossi have driven for the team during Friday practice at least once throughout the year, and could well be an option for Caterham. Either way, both Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov are striving for a competitive result in the closing four races of the season, as they try to remain a Caterham driver for 2013.

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Giedo van der Garde To Get Fourth Outing At India

Caterham’s reserve driver, Giedo van der Garde, is set to receive his fourth practice outing for the team at this weekend’s Indian Grand Prix, once again during the opening practice session of the weekend on Friday morning. The Dutchman will replace Heikki Kovalainen, who will naturally return to driving duties later in the afternoon.

After enjoying a rather successful year in GP2 throughout the 2012 season, Giedo van der Garde has since returned to his reserve driver duties at Caterham alongside regular drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov. Like many reserve drivers on the grid, van der Garde has recently begun partaking in the opening practice session of the weekend alongside the likes of Dani Clos for HRT and Valtteri Bottas for Williams.

The 27-year-old Dutchman has partaken in the last two Friday practice sessions for Caterham, with this weekend set to be his third consecutive outing with the team. Like with the Korea International Circuit last time out, the Buddh International Circuit is another new venue for the Dutchman who is quickly become accustomed to driving F1 machinery on a regular basis.

“With each session I’m doing I’m getting more comfortable with the car and the team and the feedback I’m getting from the engineers is good, so India’s another chance to build on that.” Explained Giedo van der Garde, ahead of his third consecutive outing with the team. “It’s another new track for me but one that looks cool on my simulator, and the other drivers have told me it’s better than quite a few of the stop / start type of tracks so I’m looking forward to getting back out on track.”

Giedo van der Garde has been linked to several teams on the grid for next season, including Caterham and HRT. After a superlative display of racing during GP2 this season, which saw the Dutchman win at both Spain and Singapore, he has made it clear he is more than capable of “graduating” up to the dizzy heights of Formula 1.

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Mixed Emotions At Caterham After Qualifying At Korea

The Caterham duo of Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov have mixed emotions after qualifying for the Korean Grand Prix, in which the Russian driver out-qualified his more experienced Finnish team-mate. Throughout the day, Kovalainen suffered with setup issues, whereas Petrov on the other hand enjoyed a positive qualifying session.

For the fifth time this season, Vitaly Petrov has out-qualified team-mate Heikki Kovalainen for tomorrow’s Korean Grand Prix. The 28-year-old Russian driver will start the race from 19th on the grid, whereas the struggling Heikki Kovalainen will start alongside Petrov in 20th position. Unlike Vitaly Petrov, the 30-year-old Finn struggled greatly throughout the final practice session and qualifying with setup issues, which ultimately led to Kovalainen qualifying behind Petrov.

“I’ve struggled all weekend to find a setup I’m happy with and that continued today in qualifying.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, after once again being eliminated after Q1. “We went for three runs, one on the softs and two one lap runs on the super-softs to help try and find a balance but it just wasn’t there today. On my last lap in Q1 I still had understeer in the last four corners – perhaps without that I’d have been able to find a bit more time, but it just wasn’t there.”

Whilst Heikki Kovalainen struggled to find the perfect setup behind the wheel of his Renault-powered Caterham CT01, Vitaly Petrov enjoyed a highly competitive qualifying session. For only the fifth time this season, the Russian driver was able to out-qualify Heikki Kovalainen, a feat last achieved at the Singapore Grand Prix.

“I’m really happy with the performance today.” Enthused Vitaly Petrov, “My last lap was really good, probably as quick as we could go around here. We timed it right so traffic wasn’t an issue and to finish over a second clear of the cars behind is good for the whole team. We haven’t stopped pushing and the aim now is to have a clean start tomorrow and try and carry over this sort of performance into Sunday’s race.”

Caterham have yet to score their first points in Formula 1, and currently sit 11th in the Constructors’ Championship behind arch-rivals Marussia. With the added advantage of KERS on their cars in comparison to both Marussia and HRT, Caterham will be looking to break away from the four cars behind them on the grid during tomorrow’s 55-lap Korean Grand Prix.

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Giedo van der Garde To Get Third Practice Outing At Korea

Caterham have confirmed that reserve driver Giedo van der Garde will receive his second practice outing in a row during the opening practice session at the Korean Grand Prix this weekend, following on from his outing at Suzuka. The Dutchman competed in GP2 for Caterham earlier in the year, and drove for the team during practice back in China.

Like several drivers up and down the paddock, the opening practice session will be Giedo van der Garde’s first taste of the Korean International Circuit. However, the 27-year-old Dutchman remains confident he’ll quickly learn the tricky circuit as he aims to once again complete the teams program on the opening day of the weekend. Giedo van der Garde will replace Vitaly Petrov for the opening session, after replacing Heikki Kovalainen last time out in Japan.

“I’m looking forward to my second FP1 in a row in Korea after driving the first Friday in Suzuka.” Explained Giedo van der Garde, “The Korean track is another new circuit for me so I’ve spent quite a lot of time at home on my own simulator to get used to the layout but you never really know what it’s like until you actually get on track.

“It looks like it’s a pretty technical circuit and one that will take a few laps to find all the right braking points and apexes, especially as a couple of the corners are blind, but it’ll be fine. The plan for Korea is the same as Suzuka – run through the program, minimize the mistakes and get the job done for the team.”

Giedo van der Garde finished 6th overall in the GP2 Drivers’ Championship, scoring 160 points with two wins in Spain and Singapore. With Formula 1 currently entangled in an exciting “silly season”, van der Garde’s name has been rumored at several teams for next season including Caterham and HRT. After the opening practice session, Vitaly Petrov will return behind the wheel of his machine for the second practice session in the afternoon.

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Vitaly Petrov Plagued By KERS And Radio Issues During The Race

Vitaly Petrov has confirmed he was plagued by KERS and radio issues throughout the 53-lap Japanese Grand Prix, the latter leading to the Russian driver incurring a drive-thru penalty as he was allegedly unable to hear the blue flag calls. However, the Caterham driver was still able to finish 17th in the race, after a tough weekend at Suzuka.

After miraculously avoiding the first lap carnage which ensued ahead of him, Vitaly Petrov was able to settle into a decent rhythm towards the back of the pack. However, as the race progressed the Russian driver lost the ability to use KERS, before then loosing radio communication with the pit wall. This naturally put Petrov at a disadvantage, especially when it came to adhering to the blue flag calls. Due to Petrov’s inability to hear his team informing him of the blue flags as the leaders came through, he was issued with a drive-thru penalty towards the end of the race.

“My first stop was fine but after that we lost KERS and that obviously cost me time.” Explained Vitaly Petrov, after a difficult Japanese Grand Prix. “I also had a problem with the radio and couldn’t hear the blue flag calls and that ended up with the drive-through penalty. From where I started on the grid and with the KERS issue I think I probably got as much as I could out of the car today. It’s been a bit of tough weekend but it’s good to see the team working so hard to keep pushing us forwards and next week in Korea we have another chance to keep fighting.”

Both Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov enjoyed a relatively successful race in comparison to Singapore last time out, and will be hoping they can continue doing so next time out at the Korean Grand Prix. Regardless of Caterham’s improved competitiveness at Japan, they remain behind Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship.

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Mark Webber Fastest After Second Practice At Suzuka

Mark Webber has ended the second practice session fastest at Suzuka, as preparations for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix continue. The Red Bull driver was followed home by Lewis Hamilton in 2nd, with the reigning World Champion of Sebastian Vettel in 3rd.

Just like first practice, the second practice session was run in glorious weather conditions at Suzuka. Once again, Jean-Eric Vergne was the first driver to take to the track, closely followed by the Sauber of Sergio Perez. The Williams of Bruno Senna and the Caterham of Heikki Kovalainen made their first track appearances of the weekend, after relinquishing their respective seats within their teams for their reserve drivers in first practice. The latter spun on the approach to turn 13 in the opening stages of the session, however was able to continue circulating on the track.

Jean-Eric Vergne set the initial pace for Toro Rosso with a 01:36.287, which was instantly bettered by Sergio Perez who set a 01:35.374. With many drivers immediately deciding to set timed laps in opening minutes of the session, quick times were in abundance as Romain Grosjean shot to the top with a 01:34.514 as Vergne made a slight mistake and ran wide at turns 1 and 2.

The session was momentarily red flagged after only seven minutes, as Paul di Resta lost control of his Force India through turn 14 and embedded his car into the wall. The VJM05 sustained moderate damage to the right-hand side of the car, and saw di Resta make his way disconsolately back to the pits.

Fernando Alonso was the first driver to take to the track as the session was resumed, as the Spaniard set the pace at top the top of the timing sheets with a 01:34.287. Whilst the World Championship leader asserted his authority over proceedings, Kovalainen once again made another mistake and ran wide at turn 1. Kimi Raikkonen’s session was greatly hindered as the session progressed, with the Finn being informed via the team radio that his KERS had suffered an issue on his car. After returning the pits, it was confirmed by Lotus that Raikkonen’s car had suffered a cooling issue with his KERS, thus enabling the KERS pack to overheat.

As local hero Kamui Kobayashi ran extensively wide at turn 7, Jenson Button stormed to the top with a 01:34.150. The Briton ended the opening session fastest overall, and looked eager to continue his competitiveness in the second session. Vitaly Petrov became the first driver to switch to the soft Pirelli tyre compound, as the Mercedes duo remained in the pits as extensive work was carried out on both cars. Nico Rosberg required an engine change after an oil pressure issue in first practice, whereas Michael Schumacher was undergoing a series of setup changes.

Reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel then went fastest overall, setting a 01:34.080. The Red Bull driver proceeded to improve on his time at the top, before Jenson Button and then Romain Grosjean both momentarily shared the top spot. However, Sebastian Vettel wasted no time in returning to the top spot, with a 01:32.836 enabling the German to return to the top.

Sergio Perez ran wide at turn 14 as the session wore on, however the Mexican driver was able to continue circulating on the track. Whilst Perez pushed to the limits, Lewis Hamilton went fastest with a 01:32.707. This time was quickly beaten by the Red Bull of Mark Webber, as the times continued to tumble at the top.

Michael Schumacher’s session was brought to a premature conclusion, as the Mercedes driver made a mistake through turn 14 in an incident reminiscent of Paul di Resta earlier in the session. The German dipped his front-right wheel off the track, and spun into the barriers, enduring light damage to his car. The session was not red flagged, as the Japanese marshals cleared the stricken Mercedes. Felipe Massa ran extensively wide through turn 8, skipping through the gravel as the Brazilian driver pushed to the limits of the Suzuka circuit.

As the second practice session drew to a conclusion, it became apparent that no-one was going to thwart the Red Bull of Mark Webber. The Australian driver remained at the top of the timing sheets throughout the remainder of the session, and was followed home by the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton and team-mate Sebastian Vettel. Vitaly Petrov suffered a rare rear-wing failure as the checkered flag emerged, resulting in a major spin at turns 1 and 2 for the Russian driver.

The teams and drivers will now take their data acquired from the opening two sessions of the weekend, and will crunch the numbers long into the night as they continue to prepare for Sunday’s race. Only one more practice session remains tomorrow, before the all-important qualifying hour later in the day.

Pos  Driver                Team                  Time               Laps
 1.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m32.493             34
 2.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes      1m32.707s  + 0.214   32
 3.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m32.836s  + 0.343   37
 4.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes  1m32.987s  + 0.494   30
 5.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m33.093s  + 0.600   28
 6.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault         1m33.107s  + 0.614   35
 7.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m33.349s  + 0.856   22
 8.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault      1m33.499s  + 1.006   35
 9.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m33.614s  + 1.121   32
10.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes              1m33.750s  + 1.257   13
11.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m33.866s  + 1.373   19
12.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari        1m33.903s  + 1.410   36
13.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari        1m33.9$3s  + 1.490   33
14.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault         1m34.291s  + 1.798   12
15.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault      1m34.300s  + 1.807   33
16.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m34.863s  + 2.370   32
17.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m35.080s  + 2.587   34
18.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault      1m35.711s  + 3.218   41
19.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault      1m35.870s  + 3.377   37
20.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth     1m36.194s  + 3.701   32
21.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth     1m36.636s  + 4.143   28
22.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth          1m37.342s  + 4.849   30
23.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth          1m37.701s  + 5.208   35
24.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes  No time               2

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