Hispania Racing were disappointed not to finish their home race after a mistake for Bruno Senna in the early stages and an incident for Karun Chandhok mid-race which heavily damaged his front suspension.
Senna ran wide into a gravel trap on the opening lap after getting a good start off the grid in Barcelona. “I made a great start,” said the Brazilian, “and was able to pass a good number of drivers and make up a few places. I was in 17th it was a good opportunity to show what I am able to do in F1. At Turn 4 the car just caught me out and unfortunately my race ended there. I am very disappointed not to finish our home race and had to retire in front of our fans on a track that I like very much. Let's look at the Monaco Grand Prix where I feel at home”.
Karun Chandhok collided with Jaime Alguersuari while the Spaniard was lapping him. This damaged the nose of Chandhok’s car and he needed to pit. Unfortunately for the Indian driver, the damage was too heavy to continue and he had to park the car. Alguersuari received a drive-through penalty as he was deemed responsible for the collision.
“I am very disappointed with the outcome of the race,” said Chandhok. “It’s a real shame what happened with Jaime. I stayed out of his way, kept the car completely straight and he just turned left into me. I was really pleased with my race until then. ‎I had a good first lap and was trying to be sensible with the option tyre and get them to last.
“My pace relative to the other new cars was good and I was pulling away from Di Grassi quite comfortably. In the end, although we changed the front wing, the damage to the front right suspension was too much and I had to stop. It is a disappointing end to a good day for the team.”
Team principal Colin Kolles commented on the team’s weekend in Spain: “I am disappointed that we didn't finish our home race. It's a real pity because both drivers had good starts. Bruno Senna had to stop on the opening lap despite a very strong start which moved him up to 17th from 21st on the grid. Karun Chandhok was similarly strong and had a very good pace but retired mid-race after contact with Alguersuari. At least, the performance was much better than in Qualifying yesterday. Now, we look ahead to next weekend and are determined to have a good result in Monaco.”
