Hispania Racing Preview

HRT Malaysian Grand Prix Preview

Sepang International Circuit, 56 laps, 5.543km 8th-10th April

The 2011 FIA Formula One World Championship moves to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the second race of the season. Sepang will provide the setting for the second grand prix on the calendar. This track, designed by Hermann Tilke, is one of the most technical circuits in F1, combining long high speed straights with tight twisting complexes. The characteristics of the track and the high temperatures take their toll on the tyres. There is also a high probability of rain in Malaysia meaning the race is one of the toughest on the calendar.

Narain Karthikeyan, Hispania Racing Team, HRT

Photo by: xpb.cc

Colin Kolles, Team Principal:

"The expectations for Malaysia are to get back to normality. We know that the car has potential and we hope that we will be able to get all updates on the cars. The 107% should not be an issue under normal circumstances. The target is to do as many laps as possible in free practice in order to prepare for the qualifying session and for the race."

Narain Karthikeyan:

“The last time I raced in Malaysia, back in 2005, I had huge support from the local fans. A lot of Indians also made the trip to come and watch the race, so my memories of this Grand Prix are fantastic. I also love local food as it is nice and spicy just like back home.”

“Despite driving the car for very few laps in Australia, I could sense that the F111 has the potential to be an improvement over last years’ machine. Sepang is a very demanding track technically, both for the driver and the car. It will be a good proving ground for the F111. Our primary goal for the weekend is to get as many miles under our belt as possible. It is only with more and more miles of running that we will be able to begin to understand the F111 and to start extracting its potential. Qualifying for the race and finishing it will be our primary goals for Malaysia.”

“I have been working very hard on my outdoor training back home in India ever since I announced my comeback into F1. The weather back home is quite close to what we will experience over the race weekend here so I’m confident that fitness-wise, I will be ready for Sepang.”

Vitantonio Liuzzi, Hispania Racing Team, HRT

Photo by: xpb.cc

Vitantonio Liuzzi:

“The Malaysian Grand Prix has the added factor of extreme weather conditions. I remember last year’s qualifying session which was affected by the rain as a really challenging session.”

“I think Sepang will be a really good track for the F111 because it’s a very technical and demanding track. It’s a challenging venue for our first proper race but a place where we will get a lot of information on the car. Our expectations for the weekend are to do well in qualifying and finish the race, confirming the performance and reliability of the car.”

“I am really confident and motivated for this race. I’m sure things will be a lot different from Australia because we are better prepared and conscious of what we need to do.”

Source: HRT