Fri: Sauber, Marussia, Caterham, HRT

Editor 21 Sep 2012 6:35 PM

Sauber joined Marussia, Caterham and HRT at the bottom of the timesheets in Friday’s practice for the Singapore GP…

Sauber joined Marussia, Caterham and HRT at the bottom of the timesheets in Friday’s practice for the Singapore GP…

Sauber:
Sergio Perez: “For me it was a difficult day because I was never really happy with the balance of the car. It felt inconsistent and a bit unpredictable. We now have to analyse the data carefully and find a way to improve the car.”

Kamui Kobayashi: “The first session when we were evaluating parts was quite positive but in general our performance was rather weak today. I had way too much oversteer. It is great to go racing in Singapore again but it is important that we improve the balance and set-up because you really need confidence in the car here.”

Marussia:
Timo Glock: “A sweaty start, not to put too fine a point on it. That’s normal for Singapore though and the hot conditions are very tough for everyone. It’s just great to be back again and huge fun to drive here. I love every lap. We got through the programme quite well today. In FP2 we did quite an important test which we still have to analyse and have a think about where we go with it, because we seem to have made good progress with the car. Other than that we did some long runs with the tyres and I think that will be the key point over the weekend – to just keep the tyres alive as long as possible. It’s not easy to get the lap together in qualifying but I’ll do my best and also I think there is still a little more to come from the car. We’ll see what we can do.”

Charles Pic: “Again, I’m very pleased to have adjusted well to what is a new circuit for me and also today has been my first time running in night-race conditions, so a lot to take in. This morning I made that my focus but I was quickly up to speed and able to work on the technical programme very soon. The heat and humidity are not easy for anyone in the team – it’s tough. Generally I am quite happy with where we are on only day one – especially in respect of our competitors – and there is certainly room for further improvement through the weekend. I have to say this track is one of the ones I have been most looking forward to in my debut season and so far I love it! The atmosphere already is quite electric because of the unique setting, so I can’t wait to see it build for the race.”

Caterham:
Heikki Kovalainen: Still to be released

Vitaly Petrov: Still to be released

HRT:
Pedro de la Rosa: “In the first session we focused mainly on learning the circuit. It’s just as I expected, although tougher physically, especially in the first session. The second session was a bit easier, and as I already knew the circuit, we decided to set up the new floor. Now we must analyze the data to fully understand how it worked and how the different tests we carried out went, especially with different heights on the rear. From there we’ll be able to evaluate the magnitude of the improvement and how much we can extract from it.’

Narain Karthikeyan: “The objective was to adapt to the track because street circuits are always tricky and the important thing was to do laps and gain confidence. The track is very demanding physically, not just because of the heat, but because it’s very stop and go. We must be happy with how the session went overall because we did a good job but tomorrow we must take another step forward with the car to progress. And I’m also happy with the trust and support Tata Tea shows in me, with them present on my helmet and drink bottle from this race on.”