Narain Karthikeyan was delighted with what he described as an “almost perfect lap” which enabled him to outqualify HRT teammate Pedro de la Rosa for the second consecutive race. The Indian paid tribute to the team for making his life easier and helping him to make such improvements.
“I’m happy because in qualifying I completed an almost perfect lap. I’m pushing very hard and I think that right now I’m driving very well. I’m very comfortable within the team, they help me a lot and make me feel at home, and when the atmosphere is that good it’s easy to perform well. I’ve done two good consecutive qualifying sessions and I hope to keep that momentum. Tomorrow’s race will be tough physically and mentally but we will fight to achieve the best possible result”.
De La Rosa was a second slower than Karthikeyan in 24th but was also happy with the final outcome, taking heart from the improved pace of the F112.
“Overall my sensations are positive because the car has improved but we didn’t complete a good qualifying session. We were using a new set of tyres and they were blocking a lot so we were unable to complete a clean lap. Although I already knew that tomorrow I would be starting last because of the penalty, I tried to complete a quick lap, but it wasn’t to be. I take with me the fact that the car has improved quite a bit and that is important ahead of tomorrow because it will be a tough race. It will be tough for everyone but we have to race intelligently to not overwork the brakes and manage the tyres well. As always, we will give it everything to do the best we can”.
