Suzuka, a new step in the development of the HRT team

Luis Pérez-Sala, the director of the HRT team, is well acquainted with the Suzuka circuit as he raced there twice, in 1988 and 1989 behind the wheel of a Minardi, and he knows it will be a challenge for his entire team: « Suzuka is a circuit with a lot of tradition where I raced during my years as a Formula 1 driver. It is a very technical circuit that presents a challenge both mechanically and for the drivers, and it is also a very attractive circuit as it combines fast corners and straights. »

Pedro de la Rosa particularly appreciates the Japanese track, even if it’s not always easy to tackle: « Suzuka is a magnificent and spectacular circuit; I must say it’s my favorite track. It’s very fast, you barely touch the brakes, and we will be able to further evaluate the difference between the new and old floor. The circuit has elevation changes, fast and fluid corners, and the lap is very long. It’s a circuit for aerodynamics and engine power where the best single-seaters stand out. »

The Iberian driver has fond memories because it was thanks to a victory in Suzuka that he was able to start in F1: I have good memories thanks to my first victory in Formula 3, and Formula 3000 came here, and it’s one of the circuits that has brought me the most luck throughout my career because the doors to Formula 1 opened for me following my victory here. I hope to achieve a great performance again this weekend.

Narain Karthikeyan, for his part, hopes to bounce back at Suzuka after his retirement in Singapore. He is also eager to continue developing the new features introduced in Singapore: « I am looking forward to Japan after not being able to finish in Singapore. I think we can take another step forward with the car compared to Singapore, and we should be able to evaluate more deeply how the new floor performs. We have been quite fast in the last races but have been unlucky. But we must keep working to maintain this momentum until the end of the season. »

The Indian driver also has fond memories of Suzuka, even though he expects a challenging race because it’s a physically demanding track: Suzuka is a very smooth circuit and presents a real challenge. From a physical standpoint, it’s also difficult because it’s very fast. It’s a circuit I love and from which I have very good memories.

Luis Pérez-Sala hopes that the Japanese Grand Prix will allow the HRT team to continue its development and that this will be another step towards better performances and therefore a reduction of the gap with the best: « We should be able to continue testing and evaluating the new features brought to Singapore because we will have more data. We are confident that we can continue on our good momentum, and it’s one more race to continue our progression. »