HRT upbeat with reduced performance deficit
HRT F1 Team are happy to have improved their cars considerably compared to Friday practices. FP3 has allowed the drivers to fine tune their cars’ set-up and it showed with an improvement of three seconds from yesterday. For tomorrow’s 61 laps race Daniel and Tonio will start from 23rd and 24th position respectively.
Vitantonio Liuzzi, F111-002, #23, 24th, 6 laps, 1:52.810:
“We knew beforehand that it would be a difficult track for our us since our car doesn’t suit it very well but, overall, it wasn’t too bad. What we did was to work on the balance and the traction to understand the car better. However, we still need to figure out why we lost a lot of pace in the third sector where we lost a lot of grip in the rear end with the new set of tyres. But we should be proud because we could’ve beaten our closest competitors if everything went fine. For me qualifying wasn’t the most important thing after the penalty from Monza so I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s race which will be very tough but I’m confident that we can battle with our nearest rivals after today’s evidence”.
Daniel Ricciardo, F111-003, #22, 23rd, 6 laps, 1:52.404:
“It was quite a tough session because the plan was just to do one lap so we had two sets of tyres and had to do what we could on one lap alone so there was no room for mistakes. I think it went well although with the second set I was expecting to improve a little bit more but I was probably overdriving as well. I touched the wall on the second last corner but it proves I was trying to get everything I could out of it. I’m happy to see the gap much closer to the nearest rivals but it is a bit disappointing not to be in front after getting so close. Nevertheless, it is a good step from yesterday. The main thing tonight is to eat, drink and sleep well in order to be in peak condition for the demands of tomorrow. I think tomorrow will be a long race and I’m pretty excited as it is going to be a real test for me”.
Colin Kolles, Team Principal:
“In the third practice session this morning we’ve continued to work on the race set-up and the gap to our nearest rivals has reduced considerably. Both Daniel and Tonio made the most of their first set of tyres in the qualifying session and were ahead of the Virgins. However, with the second set, they were unable to stay ahead although Daniel was only one tenth off D’Ambrosio. Tomorrow’s race will be long and tough for the drivers and cars alike and we need to be prepared. I hope both cars can finish the race so that we can achieve our eighth double finish of the season”.
