German Grand Prix: Teams’ and Drivers’ Preview – Part I
With less than 48 hours to go before the cars hit the track at Hockenheim, we take a look at how the drivers see the upcoming event, how the teams have prepared for the challenging race and how the upgrades are going to influence the pace and grip of the cars.
Toro Rosso
Championship Position: 9
Points: 10
Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari is one of the teams that will be fighting in every race to finish in the points table. They have so far accumulated 10 points in the season with the Canadian GP serving as their best finish in P8. Sebastian Buemi has put in some strong performances in this season and his finish in the 12th position in Britain was another good result for the team. Alguersuari hasn’t lived up to the expectations yet and Silverstone came as another heartbreak for him after he had to retire following a problem with his brakes. Team Boss Franz Tost has said that the team will be introducing a new front wing and a diffuser in the upcoming race. Later, there will be some more upgrades and the team is confident of an improved performance starting from Germany. The team’s target is to finish at the 8th spot this season but they are 5 points adrift of BMW Sauber. Tost said that his drivers are new to Formula 1 and need a lot more track time but he has expressed faith in both of them which is why the team will retain both of them for the next season.
Lotus Racing
Championship Position: 10
Points: 0
Lotus, the best of the newbie’s, are hopeful of beating their opponents again at Hockenheim. Kovalainen is already thrilled about the prospect of driving through the stadium section. He is however concerned about the wear of the tyres as the heat levels go up at the circuit and the tyres begin to get blisters. Kovalainen said that a good finish will depend on preserving the tyres. Jarno Trulli has said that he liked the old layout of the circuit better as opposed to the new changes. Trulli, who won the GP3 podium on this circuit as few years ago, is quite excited about the upcoming race and hopes for a good performance. Lotus Sporting Director Dieter Gass said that the circuit will suit his cars since long straits are gone and it is easier to find a balance without the extreme of high speed straits and low speed corners. He further said that the team’s upgrade package didn’t perform well in Britain and they will be looking forward to exploit it fully in Germany. He also said that the team will make adjustments to the ballast in order to find the perfect balance.
Hispania Racing Team
Championship Position: 11
Points: 0
Hispania Racing has had its share of controversies in the last few weeks when Bruno Senna was dropped for the British Grand Prix 2010 in favour of Sakon Yamamoto. Apparently, Senna sent an email criticizing team boss Colin Kolles’ management style and as a result he was ‘rested’. However there is another change in HRT’s line up for Germany. It is now Karun Chandhok’s turn to ‘rest’ as Senna and Yamamoto will hit the track. Yamamoto believes that HRT will be more competitive than it was in Silverstone and he would like to prove his team right for sticking with him for the second race in succession. Bruno Senna believes that the new portion of the circuit which is faster along with the old technical corners will be very challenging. He said that the down-force requirement at Hockenheim is not as tough as it was at Silverstone and he would perform better than his last race. Team Principal Colin Kolles said that the track is very demanding as 60% of it is run on full throttle and a lot depends on aerodynamic efficiency of the car. After a solid performance in Britain, the team is hopeful of performing even better in the German GP.
Virgin Racing Team
Championship Position: 12
Points: 0
Virgin Racing Team is focusing their efforts on getting the upgrades to work for the German Grand Prix. So far they have not been able to get the results they hoped for. Their target is to beat HRT and Lotus but constant retirements are not helping their cause. Another challenge that the team is currently facing is retaining Timo Glock for 2011. Glock has lately performed well and finished on four occasions out of the last 6 races and Renault is already showing interest in the German.
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