Friday: Chandhok Honored with Team Lotus
Karun Chandhok, who replaced Heikki Kovalainen at the wheel of the Lotus T128 this morning, was the first to complete a timed lap of the Indian Buddh circuit. In general, the Team Lotus drivers are satisfied with an overall calm day, although Heikki Kovalainen would have liked to have had more track time today.
Jarno Trulli – 18th and 17th:
« It was a very calm Friday and we made good progress during two sessions, both in learning the circuit and in finding the best setup. The track is not too difficult to learn, but it is interesting: there are a few different lines you can take and I think it will encourage overtaking, so Sunday promises to be fun.
The track cleared up quickly today and I hope it will continue like that. It’s still very dusty outside the racing line and that could cause some to make mistakes, so let’s wait and see how it evolves over the weekend.
From the tire perspective, I think we had some interesting results today. The soft tires seem to hold up well over long stints, but the hard tire had almost no grip and it seemed quite difficult to bring it up to temperature. We will have to see if it’s the same tomorrow as the track could still evolve.
Heikki Kovalainen – Non-participation and 18th:
I am reasonably satisfied with the way things went this afternoon, but I think I suffered a bit from not having driven this morning. However, we have to make do with what we have, so we worked hard this afternoon to get used to the track and find the balance that gives me enough confidence to push.
There is certainly still much more to get out of the car and, as the track continues to evolve, I think we will see that the soft tires will help us more, probably more on Sunday than tomorrow, but we’ll see.
Karun Chandhok – 19th and Did Not Participate
« It was great to finally be able to drive an F1 car here at the Buddh International Circuit, and it was a real honor to be the first car to set a timed lap in front of the fans. I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity, as well as everyone at Jaypee Group and the people who helped create this first Indian Grand Prix for doing such a great job.
At the wheel, I was quite happy with how things went today. We completed most of the morning program and, without the yellow flags at the end of the session, I’m sure I could have shaved another second off my last timed lap.
The track itself is very enjoyable to drive, especially the second sector, which is very fast. As the track continues to evolve and times keep dropping, I think we’re going to see some action here all weekend.
