Caterham wants to continue progressing in Barcelona

If the Caterham F1 team started the 2012 season with the ambition of catching up to the pack, the first four races showed that while they were slowly but surely nearing this goal, they still remained at a considerable distance from the cars ahead and from Q2, which Heikki Kovalainen was the only one to reach, partly thanks to the misfortune of Michael Schumacher, stuck in the pits due to a DRS problem. Tony Fernandes, director/owner of the Malaysian team, is nonetheless confident about his team’s chances of getting closer to their target at the start of the European season: « We return to Europe after what has been four encouraging races for the team. We may not have closed the gap to the midfield yet, but we are clearly closer than we were at the same time last year, especially in the race where we have shown the progress we have made. »

The Malaysian businessman is satisfied with the performance of his two drivers, even if he regrets their lack of luck in the race: « I am very happy with the work Vitaly [Petrov] has done for the team. He is obviously a fighter and pushes his teammate well, especially on Sundays, and that’s positive for the whole team. While he attacks extremely hard in qualifying, particularly to reach Q2 in Bahrain, Heikki [Kovalainen] hasn’t been as lucky at the start of the race. Hopefully, this will change in Barcelona and we will be able to bring both our cars under the checkered flag. »

For Vitaly Petrov, it will be a question of Caterham continuing its momentum, particularly in races where the CT01 is more in its element: After good testing in Mugello, we are all eager to get back to competition in Spain. Barcelona is a track I know well and one of those where I enjoy driving. I stood on the podium here in 2009 in GP2, and although I know that’s out of reach for us at the moment, we will all be focused on fighting with the cars ahead and repeating the performances we’ve had so far this season, especially on Sunday.

In Barcelona, for Heikki Kovalainen, the main challenge will be to do everything perfectly on a circuit that drivers and teams know almost by heart: « If you make a mistake that costs you half a second, it can impact your position on the grid, and it’s a race where you need to focus on the details to give yourself the best chances of success. It’s a track with many high-speed corners, some of which require you to be really precise to gain time, and you have to be rather committed approaching the first corner because there is an opportunity for overtaking during braking. »

Mark Smith, technical director of Caterham, supports his driver’s point of view: « The Circuit de Catalunya is a track that all teams know extremely well. We have already tested there twice this season as the layout serves as a good test for most circuits we will see this season: it is fast, with high-speed corners, a long straight, and several slow corners where good traction is key. It is also one of the most technically demanding circuits for the driver and offers a bit of everything. Turns 3 and 9 are high-speed corners, and finding the right balance for both is not easy. The final sector also represents a good challenge: the car needs to make significant direction changes, so good mechanical grip is necessary to maximize lap time. Barcelona is also a relatively exposed circuit, and the wind can have a significant effect on the car’s balance, especially when it changes direction. However, if the wind can pose a problem, another major factor in Barcelona is how the track evolves over the course of the weekend and even each day due to temperature changes, which can indeed be extreme. Although we know these factors well, with the time we spend on the circuit, we must constantly monitor the weather to ensure the car’s setup remains optimal. »

For Kovalainen, qualifying will be particularly important given the characteristics of the track: « For the fans, it’s often a fairly calm race because it’s a circuit where overtaking is difficult, but that makes qualifying even more crucial and means you must execute your plan flawlessly on Saturday. »

But the Finn will have less time than usual to prepare as he will give up his seat, Friday morning, to the young American driver Alexander Rossi, as Mark Smith reminds us: « We are eager to give him the opportunity to work with us during an entire race weekend. He did a good job in Abu Dhabi when we had him run during the young driver tests in 2011, and I’m sure he will perform well for us on Friday in Spain. »

The Californian is also eager to get back behind the wheel of a Formula One and make his Grand Prix debut: « I want to thank the team for this opportunity to drive in Free Practice 1. I have a clear goal for this session: to ensure I follow the program set by the engineers, not make the slightest mistake, and learn as much as I can throughout the weekend. […] I know the team will do everything to help me maximize my performance on Friday. »