HRT will have their work cut out for them in Melbourne

The HRT team successfully passed the FIA crash tests with its single-seater before the first race of the season. But unlike 2010 and 2011, the Spanish team managed to complete a few laps with its new single-seater before the start of the season.

Narain Karthikeyan was able to drive the F112 at the Circuit de Catalunya during a promotional shoot. And even though he couldn’t get a real sense of the performance of his new car, the Indian driver approaches this new season rather confidently: I’m quite positive heading into the Australian Grand Prix after completing 10 laps with the new F112 last Monday. Of course, it was just a first contact and we couldn’t push to the limit, but the most important thing was to have this initial run. It wasn’t ideal to miss the tests, but we must move forward.

Karthikeyan believes that the team has done a tremendous job in restructuring while designing its car this winter. He will only have one desire in Melbourne, to erase the bad memory of not qualifying in 2011: «The new management has done an incredible job setting everything up and we will do our best to continue improving. We are heading in the right direction. Last year we only managed five laps during the third practice session and failed to qualify, so I’m looking to erase that from my memory.»

His teammate, Pedro de la Rosa, hasn’t had the opportunity to test the F112 and he’s eager to drive it for the first time during the first free practice session on Friday in Melbourne because this time will be precious for the Spanish team: «After a long winter of hard work, we have finally managed to be in Australia and be ready to get the car back on track and continue learning. We need to try to optimize our time on Friday and Saturday morning to put ourselves in the best position for the qualifying session and the race.»

The Spanish driver would have liked to be able to drive more during pre-season testing – he only drove two days in Jerez with the 2011 car – but he knows it’s a sacrifice the team had to make to be able to grow afterwards and do things the right way to get there: « We would have obviously liked to cover more kilometers, but I think it’s an achievement to have done what we have with a completely new car and almost a new team as well. Our goal is to do things well, with seriousness and patience. »

Regarding the Albert Park circuit, Pedro de la Rosa knows how to drive fast and set up his car to perform well on this track: « Albert Park is a circuit I love immensely because there are many overtaking opportunities, heavy braking zones, and various chicanes. It’s a circuit where you need to drive aggressively and know how to handle the curbs. The most important aspects of the car are braking, traction, and top speed, which is why DRS should play an important role. »

Luis Perez-Sala, the director of the HRT team, can’t quite believe that the start of the season is already here, given how busy the team has been in recent months with the arrival of a new shareholder and a restructuring, all alongside the design and preparation for the new season: «It doesn’t seem real, but the first race of the season is already upon us. We have spent three months working tirelessly, but the team and the car are ready for the great challenge ahead.»

Even though the team managed to be ready in time for the first race of the season, Perez-Sala believes that the hardest part is still to come because the team aims to progress and move closer, like Caterham, to the mid-field in the months and years ahead: We have achieved a lot since the last race of 2011 in Brazil and I am proud of the entire team but, without a doubt, the hardest part is still ahead. We know where we are and also where we want to be, and with team spirit and the sacrifices already made, I am convinced that we can succeed.