Early double DNF for HRT at Canada
A tough day at the office today for HRT Formula 1 Team at the Canadian Grand Prix as both drivers retired in the first third of the race due to some issues with the brakes, just when the team was carrying out its best Grand Prix of the season.
Narain Karthikeyan started from 24th on the supersoft compounds but from the off it was clear that the tyres were degrading more than expected and on lap 22 they said enough is enough and the Indian driver had to call it a day.
Pedro de la Rosa, who began the race from 20th on softs, got off to a good start and was in 19th at one stage with a superior pace to the Marussias and close to the Caterhams, meaning that a positive result seemed to be on the cards. However, with the huge amount of degradation to the brakes and his teammate going off track as a result of the same issue a few laps earlier, the team decided to retire the number 22 car due to safety issues. A crying shame given the good performance that the F112 and its drivers were having at this Grand Prix.
The Championship returns to Europe for the next event, the European Grand Prix, which will take place in Valencia from the 24th to the 26th of June. Once more, back home.
Pedro de la Rosa, F112-02, #22, DNF:
"It was a shame because we were having our best race of the season. From the first few laps they were telling me through the radio to cool the brakes and I did everything I could but, although we held out a few more laps, the degradation was too high and we weren’t going to make it to the end so we made the right decision which was to retire. Although it might sound surprising, I’ve got a good taste in my mouth because we’ve completed the best weekend of the year and I had a lot of fun ahead of the Marussias and close behind the Caterhams. I take away the most important thing and that is that we’ve improved notably and that is very satisfying”.
Narain Karthikeyan, F112-03, #23, DNF:
"This retirement is disappointing because we’ve performed well since the first day and during the race I was keeping up with Pic. But I started to feel the brakes we’re faltering and, although I tried not to go to the limit, it didn’t help at all. Now we must analyze what happened and work to ensure it doesn’t happen again. It’s a shame that the progress we’ve shown here hasn’t translated into a good result, but we must look ahead and focus on Valencia”.
Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal:
"The truth is I can’t deny I’m disappointed because it’s the first race we haven’t finished with either car. It’s a shame because we were going well, but we had a temperature issue with the brakes on both cars which impeded us from finishing. We knew this would be one of our weak points at this circuit, given the strong braking corners and, unfortunately, we confirmed this. On the other hand, I’m happy for the race Pedro and Narain we’re doing. Now we must resolve the problems we’ve detected and think about Valencia. What better place to turn things around than at home”.
