Marussia wants to continue its momentum in China

After a tumultuous off-season and having driven only very few kilometers with its MR01, the Marussia team has achieved a flawless start to the season, allowing it, on the eve of the Chinese Grand Prix, to be ranked tenth in the world standings, thanks to Timo Glock’s fourteenth place in Australia. The Anglo-Russian team has not rested on its laurels during these two and a half weeks of break: « It’s nice to have had a break that gave us time to study the significant amount of data we collected in such a short time with the new car. It gives us the opportunity to try new things for China, and hopefully, to continue making progress » rejoices Timo Glock.

« Our goal now is to continue on our momentum, so we have worked tirelessly on our development program » adds John Booth. « The starting point of this was the significant amount of data we were able to collect in Melbourne and, while the race team had the chance to take a bit of a break during the pause, it was quite the opposite for the technical team in Banbury. »

If the team brings some refinements to its MR01 for the Chinese Grand Prix, while working on more significant developments for the start of the European season, Timo Glock is looking forward to returning to Shanghai: It’s difficult to make predictions for the race because I know it can be quite cold there and sometimes very wet, so you never really know what’s going to happen and it depends a lot on the weather there. […] I like this race, so I’m looking forward to being there and seeing where we will stand next weekend.

For his part, Charles Pic will approach Shanghai, a circuit he only knows thanks to the simulator: « I am very happy with how I found my rhythm on the first two circuits, even though I had never raced on them before. The weather makes acclimatization a bit more difficult, but in dry conditions, it doesn’t take long to find the right rhythm. […] I prepared in the simulator as much as possible during the break. I also spent time at the factory with the team and my relationship with the engineers is developing well » says the Frenchman, who hopes the team can show a bit more of the potential of the MR01.

If Charles Pic is truly looking forward to racing in Shanghai, for real, for the first time, Timo Glock believes that the Chinese track is very special: It has a very long straight and a very difficult first corner, very fast at the entrance and tightens afterwards. It’s very long and demanding on the front left tire.