Sunday: Betrayed by his mechanics, Karthikeyan gives HRT a scare
While HRT lacked pace in Abu Dhabi, Pedro de la Rosa saw his hopes dashed on the warm-up lap, as a tire warmer remained attached to his car, forcing him to start from the pit lane. Narain Karthikeyan, on the other hand, had a close call with Nico Rosberg when he had to lift off due to a hydraulic pressure problem that caused his steering to stiffen.
Pedro de la Rosa – 17th:
« I am happy to have finished the race and because I gave it my all. But today we weren’t able to stay at the same level as our rivals. We encountered a problem at the start when a tire warmer cable got stuck and I had to leave the pit lane with very cold tires. But during the race, the car behaved well, the tires held up perfectly on a one-stop strategy, and we controlled the brakes and engine temperature. However, we need a few more tenths to be up there with the front runners, and I hope we can make that step in the upcoming races. The team will not spare any effort and its work. »
Narain Karthikeyan – Abandon [Direction]:
« Today, we weren’t quite in the rhythm, so I focused on being consistent with my lap times and trying to get the most out of the car. But on the ninth lap, we had a hydraulic pressure issue and the steering of the car became as hard as stone, so I had to ease off the throttle. Unfortunately, Rosberg was coming from behind and couldn’t avoid me. It was extremely unlucky, but we have to put this behind us and focus on the United States Grand Prix in two weeks. »
