Saturday: HRT and Ricciardo get closer to Virgin
The HRT drivers are satisfied with their day, which saw them reduce the gap that separated them from their Virgin counterparts yesterday. They could have overtaken them if it weren't for grip issues at the end of Q1.
Daniel Ricciardo – 21st and 23rd
« It was quite a difficult session because we had two sets of tires and we could only do one fast lap with them, so there was no room for error. I think it went well even though I expected to improve a bit more with my second set of tires, but I was probably over-driving a little. I touched the wall at one point, but it proves I did everything I could. I’m happy to see the gap narrowing with our close competitors, but it’s a bit disappointing not to be ahead of them after being so close. Nevertheless, it’s a nice progression compared to yesterday.
The main thing tonight will be to eat, drink, and sleep well in order to be in shape for tomorrow’s demanding day. I am expecting a long race and I’m quite excited because it will be a real test for me.
Vitantonio Liuzzi – 24th and 24th
We knew that it wouldn’t be a track for us, but overall, it wasn’t too bad. What we did was work on the car’s balance and traction to better understand the car. However, we still need to find out why we lost a lot of time in the third sector where we were losing a lot of grip on the rear end with the new tires.
But we should be proud because we could have beaten our direct rivals if everything had gone well.
For me, qualifying was not the most important thing after my penalty at Monza, so I am focused on tomorrow’s race, which will be very tough, but I am confident that we can beat our direct competitors based on what we saw today.
Colin Kolles, Team Principal
« During the third practice session this morning, we continued to work on race setups and the gap with our close rivals significantly reduced. Daniel and Vitantonio got the most out of their first set of qualifying tires, and we were ahead of the Virgins. However, with the second stint, they couldn’t stay ahead, even though Daniel finished just one-tenth behind D’Ambrosio.
Tomorrow’s race will be long and difficult for the drivers and the car: we have to prepare for it. I hope both cars will reach the finish line for the eighth time this season.
