HRT looking to continue improving in Valencia

After showing a promising display of improvements at the Canadian Grand Prix, HRT are looking to continue moving forwards at next weekend’s European Grand Prix. The race around the Valencia Street Circuit will be the teams second and final home race of the season, and with the track characteristics similar to Montreal and Monte-Carlo, the team expect the car to do well.

Although HRT showed visible improvements throughout the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, their race was plagued with brake issues which subsequently forced both Narain Karthikeyan and Pedro de la Rosa to retire from the race. Regardless of this minor setback, both drivers and team principal Luis Perez-Sala are confident these issues can be rectified in time for the next Grand Prix.

"At the Valencia Street Circuit we will encounter high air and track temperatures so the brakes will be put through their paces once again, but we’re confident we can make the necessary modifications to overcome the problems we experienced in Canada.” Ensured Pedro de la Rosa. “I think we can do quite well here, although it’s not as favorable to our car as Canada, because there are a lot of braking areas and slow corners which are good for us. We’re looking forward to putting in a good performance in front of our fans and we want to continue with our progress from the last few races, where we’ve been at a good standard, but here we want to confirm this improvement in the race.”

After suffering a disastrously slow start to the 2012 season, HRT have continued to progress at each individual race. With the European Grand Prix their second home race of the season, the Madrid-based outfit is hopeful that the Spanish fans will provide them with that extra push.

"In Canada we were quick and performed well but were unable to finish the race.” Explained Luis Perez-Sala, “In Valencia we want to confirm this progress and achieve a good result, plus doing so in front of the Spanish public is even more special. I think that the characteristics of this circuit adapt well to our car and I hope we have good reliability and finish the race with a positive result.”

This will be the last European Grand Prix held at the Valencia Street Circuit, as the track is set to alternate the hosting of the Spanish Grand Prix with Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya from next season onwards.

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