Caterham planning several new upgrades for Abu Dhabi

Caterham are planning several new upgrades for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which the outfit are hoping will see them gain around three to four tenths of a second in lap time. This comes as the team aims to end the 2012 season on a high, after further extending the gap to rivals Marussia and HRT throughout the year.

These new upgrades will be the first extensive upgrade for the team in recent races, and will incorporate a number of new features including a revised exhaust layout within the new rear bodywork, new front brake duct assemblies and detailed updates to the floor, diffuser and front wing. This comes as Caterham aim to overtake Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship, a feat which could earn the Leafield-based outfit a much more lucrative income ahead of the 2013 season.

Once again at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Caterham’s reserve driver Giedo van der Garde will get behind the wheel of the Caterham CT01 for the opening practice session on Friday. This will be the Dutchman’s fourth weekend in succession where he has appeared during practice one, and will this weekend be replacing Vitaly Petrov. Giedo van der Garde has previous knowledge of the Yas Marina circuit, and is eager to put his knowledge to good use as he prepares to test the new upgrades.

“Abu Dhabi’s the first track I’ll be driving on in FP1 at this stage of the season that I’ve raced on before.” Explained Giedo van der Garde, “With the obvious limits we work under in FP1 that’s a big advantage as it means I’m not having to learn my way around on my first couple of laps, and as we’re usually doing somewhere between 20 to 25 laps in first practice it means I can help the team even more right from the first run.

“After the Abu Dhabi race I’ll be staying on for the young driver test, and that’ll be another really good step forward in my development – two full days in the car on a track I’ve already driven on, and with a group of people who I’ve worked closely with for the last couple of months will give me a great chance to help the team get as much as they can from the test, and give me the opportunity to keep developing without some of the constraints of a race weekend FP1.”

Giedo van der Garde will be joined Alexander Rossi during the two-day Young Driver Test after this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will feature the likes of McLaren and Red Bull. If the upgrades work well on the car, expect a competitive end to the season towards the back of the pack, as Caterham strive to leapfrog Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship.

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