De la Rosa: We’re having fun

HRT’s Pedro de la Rosa says he and his team are enjoying the challenge of trying to push their car up grid but that the team still “has a long way to go”.

At the Canadian Grand Prix a fortnight ago, the Spanish driver Rosa outqualified both Marussia cars and started fro 20th position, his equal best grid spot of the season so far alongside Monaco, where he adjudged his qualifying lap to one of the best performances of his career.

“We’re having fun,” he said of the recent progress HRT has made. “We’re having fun because in the team we are all pushing very hard and we are making progress, which is essential in this sport, especially when you make more progress than the people around you.

“Each race we are more competitive, and especially in Canada it was such a shame to retire so early, because I was having a lot of fun inside the car,” he added. “We were able to fight against people behind and in front and we were actually looking good on strategy.”

De la Rosa admitted, however, that the advances, while significant for the team, are just a first step and that there is more work to be done.

“We still have a long way to go and we are not where we want to be and there is still a lot to be gained,” he said. “Let’s see how it goes here. Valencia is a similar track to Canada in terms of car setup. Slightly more overall downforce but there are a lot of slow-speed corners and a lot of heavy braking which we seem to be quite good at.”