HRT places a lot of hopes on Canada

The Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, which hosts the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, is a track that has suited Pedro de la Rosa well in the past, and the Spanish driver hopes this will continue this year: «I really like the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve because I’ve always done well there.»

Narain Karthikeyan is also looking forward to this race as he performed well last year in a race heavily disrupted by rain: «Canada is a unique race on the calendar, a mix between a city circuit with no run-offs like Monaco and sections specific to a real circuit. I really like this layout and I was 14th at the finish of last year’s crazy race before taking a penalty.»

In fact, the entire HRT team is eagerly awaiting this new appointment, as explained by Luis Perez-Sala, the team director: “One of the most iconic Grand Prix takes place in Montreal. As a driver, I really appreciated it because it’s a different circuit, with lots of braking and acceleration and several places to overtake. For the team, it’s also a special place because our best result in history was achieved here last year.”

After a strong performance in Monaco, Perez-Sala hopes to see the HRT F112 perform equally well in Monaco because it has evolved in the right direction according to him: “In Monaco, things went well for us, and this circuit should also suit us because our car behaves well under braking and we have improved traction, which are two important things in Canada.”

He believes that the absence of KERS could be detrimental but hopes that the new rear wing designed specifically for Montreal will compensate for it: Our weak point remains fast corners and there aren’t that many here. Our biggest handicap could be not having KERS, but we have brought a special rear wing for this circuit, which we hope will make us more competitive.

Narain Karthikeyan also expects a lot from this new rear wing and he also hopes to be able to make the most of it if the weather intervenes: «The weather often plays a role in Montreal, so this could be an opportunity for us. We need to continue from where we left off in Monaco, in terms of the gaps with the leaders and our immediate rivals.»

After his retirement in Monaco, Pedro de la Rosa has high expectations for the Canadian race and this new rear wing as well: “We are bringing a brand new rear wing, specially designed for Canada, and we hope to build on the progress seen in Monaco. After retiring in Monaco, I’m even more eager to achieve a good result in Canada.”

The Spanish veteran knows, however, that it won’t be an easy weekend because tire wear will be crucial, so he will need to set up his car as best as possible to be competitive: The races are very open, with many overtaking opportunities, such as at the first corner or in the last chicane. The track evolves a lot throughout the weekend, making it a unique circuit in terms of tire behavior, and the most difficult part is understanding the track well. You can be competitive with good top speed, good brakes, and grip, and it’s important to set up the car similarly to Monaco to enable it to go fast in certain corners.