HRT F1 ready to build on the two-car finish from Valencia

Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team is prepared for its debut at the legendary British Grand Prix. Silverstone has a long history, as it held the very first round of the Formula One World Championship back in 1950. Nowadays, it is a very fast and flowing circuit with an average speed of 220 km/h and where top speeds up to 300 km/h are possible at the “Hangar straight”. Its 18 corners (8 to the left and 10 to the right) are mainly fast and medium speed and the combination of the “Maggotts-Backetts-Chapel” turns are a fascinating part of the track for the drivers. The new “Arena” section that has been newly built between turn 11 (Abbey) and turn 16 (Luffield), increases the track length to a total of 5.900 km.

Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team wants to tie in another good performance and get both Karun Chandhok’s and Bruno Senna’s cars to the finish line again. The Spanish team wants to build on the two-car finish from Valencia and its target is to fight for positions again with other teams at the British Grand Prix.

Team Principal Dr Colin Kolles: “We are looking forward to race in Silverstone as the circuit has a long history and there is a special racing atmosphere. It is a quite challenging circuit where overtaking is difficult. So, it is very important to do a good qualifying. One of the biggest challenges is to find the right setup for the car because changing crosswinds could threaten the car’s balance a lot. In addition, the weather is also unpredictable in England and you never know how it is going to be like. But we are trying to show a good performance again and we want to go on fighting with the other teams.”

Karun Chandhok: “I am always looking forward to race in Silverstone because this is my home race since I live in Brackley which is just five minutes away. I used to work at the race school of the circuit and it is nice coming back there with Formula 1. So, I know the track and in Formula 3 and GP2, I could already achieve some podium finishes. But this year, the layout is different after the reconstruction. I went there with my bike to learn the new circuit. The first sector of the lap is pretty amazing: from ‘Copse corner’ until ‘Stowe’ you hardly touch the brakes. The new sector also has a couple of high speed corners and you need a car with good aerodynamics and downforce. We have to do the best we could and show our best performance.”

Bruno Senna: “Racing on a historic circuit like Silverstone is always very special. I have good memories in Silverstone as I won here in GP2 in 2008 and also could finish on podium in Formula 3. And now coming back to the circuit in a Formula 1 car feels just great. The track is very challenging for each driver and has a lot of fast corners. You need a car with downforce and aerodynamics is also an important factor. The new “Arena” sector is quite interesting and some new fast corners have been created until you come back to the old track again. I am looking forward to the British Grand Prix and after Valencia, where we could finish the race again with two cars, we want to perform as best as we could.”