HRT Formula One Team heads to the Nürburgring this weekend for the German Grand Prix, midpoint of the 2011 championship, the tenth round of the season and the 28th of the team’s history. On July 22-24, the historic Nürburgring circuit will be the next challenge for the young team competing in its second full season and comes two weeks after it achieved another of its goals of completing a two-car finish (18th-19th) at the British Grand Prix.
Colin Kolles, HRT Team Principal: "We reached our next goal with our two cars making it to the finish again at Silverstone. Mid-season, we have assessed the qualities of the cars. The pace is improving”.
“The Nürburgring is a technical track which is characterised by medium speed levels and a good mix of slow and fast corners. The main challenge will be the weather in the Eifel Mountains which is quite unpredictable just like at Silverstone. Unless the weather disrupts our race, the car should be adapted better to the challenge of our first race in our history on this track. Mechanical set-up is very important here, because of the understeering-nature of this race track and the nature of the corners."
Daniel Ricciardo: “I’m satisfied with my first race finish in Silverstone at the wheel of the HRT Formula One team car. It was nice to finish and get the first race and experience under my belt. Ideally I would have liked to be closer to my rivals but that’s the aim for this race. I have learnt that there is a lot more to the tyres and managing them than I thought. For now this is one of the main things I need to learn quickly about. My family was there and it was great to share the experience with them. It was a great feeling, so I am looking forward to doing it again this weekend”.
“I am now looking at the second challenge of my career and to complete another good race. I know the track reasonably well even if my worst souvenir was in 2008 when I raced in F3 Euro Series for team SG Formula and I stalled on the start of the second race. But in the first race I finished 6th in the points. Recently, I drove there last month in World Series by Renault. I had a great race there with Robert Wickens in dramatically changing weather conditions. I didn’t win the battle, but it was still a great race because I enjoy the track so much: The first sector is very technical and it has a nice flowing middle sector. But the weather changes a lot. It’s a bit like Spa, but I’m hoping for the race we will have some nice weather for once. My goal this time is to finish the race and close the gap to my competitors and to Tonio".
Vitantonio Liuzzi: "I’m looking forward to the German Grand Prix. It is my favourite circuit and I love racing on it. Not only because it is always a pleasure to race in front of so many fans and spectators but Nürburgring is a challenging track where I have raced many times in my career with other Formulas and teams. I like the fact that it is still an old fashioned track with a lot of history and its mix of speed and technical aspects. Rain is always a threat here, but I would like a bit of rain to be able to capitalise on our chances”.
“I have a good record on this track as well as good memories and podium experience. Our goal is to try to finish the race again ahead of the Virgin team. We need to push harder and to progress”.