Narain Karthikeyan ready for Sepang challenge, says HRT not jokers – Formula 1 news
The Indian driver, Narain Karthikeyan, defended his teams reputation by saying that Hispania Racing Team are a serious team with serious ambitions and it is not fair to call them jokers of Formula 1.
The Indian driver has set his eyes on the Indian Grand Prix, which will be held in October 2011, and said that he has to prove his point in the F1 arena in front of his home crowd.
HRT have started their second season just the same way as their first. Their new car, F111, was launched just few days before the testing sessions were being concluded in Barcelona. HRT also delayed to select Narain’s teammate and booked Vitantonio Liuzzi
just a couple of days before the season was going to start. Both Narain and Liuzzi did not have a single lap on the new car due to a delay in the arrival of their car parts, which were stuck with Barcelona customs.
HRT came in Australian Grand Prix with a new car and two new drivers in the team. Their Free Practice session was not the one to admire as only Luizzi’s car was ready. Liuzzi managed only one lap after which he was again back to the pits.
Both, Narain and Liuzzi did not participate in the Australian Grand Prix because they were well short of the 107 percent qualifying rule. After all this, Narain believes that team will perform well in Malaysia.
“I think we will be in better shape and have a chance to qualify. Most important thing that will affect us is going to be the new front wing for the car – if we get that and it is on the car for Sepang,” said Narain.
Narain commented, “We respect the rules and we want to succeed, so we have to do much better – but it is unfair to describe us as jokers,” after few voices were raised about them being the back-benchers in the F1 arena.
Narain stated that the team will do well as a special occasion, the Indian Grand Prix, waits around the corner and HRT will not disappoint the home spectators.
The Malaysian Grand Prix Free Practice sessions start Friday and Narain feels confident about qualifiers when he commented about the car that it has improved from their 2010 car.
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