Hispania Racing has confirmed Daniel Ricciardo will join Narain Karthikeyan for racing action at the 2011 Indian Grand Prix. When Ricciardo was granted his drive with HRT it was announced it would be the young Aussie who would make way for the 34-year-old Indian driver. However, for reasons that have yet to be made clear it is the more experienced Tonio Liuzzi who will miss the next race.
Colin Kolles, HRT Team Principal, explains, “Having Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian driver in F1 history, and Tata with us makes it feel like a home race. Narain is a talented driver and we are proud to be going down this path with him. For this single event, Narain will be driving alongside Daniel Ricciardo.
“I have asked Tonio Liuzzi to step aside for the Indian GP in order to allow driving programs with Ricciardo and Karthikeyan to be completed. I have to thank Tonio for his professional approach and attitude.”
HRT’s full press release, which includes comments from Karthikeyan and Ricciardo is available in full after the break.
HRT Formula One Team—Indian Grand Prix Preview
28th-30th October
Buddh International Circuit, 60 laps, 5.137km
Madrid, 22nd of October 2011
The Indian Grand Prix will be a step into the unknown for all the teams as the Formula 1 World Championship visits the Asian country for the first time ever. The 17th race of the season will be a special occasion for HRT F1 Team’s Narain Karthikeyan who will be racing in front of his home fans. The first ever Indian F1 driver will have the honour of taking part in his country’s inaugural Grand Prix and will enjoy every second of this huge occasion for his home nation. Daniel Ricciardo will pair with the 34-year-old Indian driver for this single event.
The Buddh International Circuit is a fast track with a width of up to 20 metres in certain areas which should mean that overtaking opportunities won’t be scarce. The circuit is up and down with 8% downhill slopes and 10% inclines adding to the challenge of the track. There are three high speed straights and a number of slow speed turns meaning that getting the set-up right won’t be an easy task. For this race Pirelli has nominated their PZero hard (prime) and soft (option) tyres.
Narain Karthikeyan: “Driving in front of the home crowd cheering on is going to be a surreal experience. A once in a lifetime experience and I feel extremely fortunate. There is a huge buzz around the Grand Prix already and I’m sure that it’ll be a resounding success that will motivate more youngsters towards the sport and give us the future F1 drivers. Making it into F1 at the time I did was a seriously uphill task and the thought of being able to compete in the inaugural Indian GP was non-existent. But it is finally here and I’ll be on the grid. It is going to be one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar. There are points at which, if you’re in an F1 car, you will see nothing but the sky. The layout itself is going to put tremendous energy through the tyres and the strategy will play a key role in the final result. For sure I’ll race hard and try to get a good result for myself and the team. I would like to ex press my gratitude towards Tata Group and the rest of sponsors for their continued support and belief throughout my careerâ€.
Daniel Ricciardo: “I haven’t seen the circuit yet but I’ve tried it out on Red Bull’s simulator. I’ve heard it looks quite good from Mark and Sebastian and if they say that then usually their judgment is pretty good. It’s always nice to go to a new place and circuit. I think every driver is excited to see what it is like. I like Indian food but it’s a little bit heavy, perhaps not the best for the diet, I will be quite careful leading up to the weekend but maybe on Sunday night I will enjoy a good curry. I did a show run in India a couple of weeks ago and there were loads of people, I’ve heard it’s already sold out so there should be quite a good turnout for the race. We had a good performance in Korea and I hope we can keep on improving in Indiaâ€.
Colin Kolles, Team Principal: “Finally the time has come and we are heading to India for the first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix in its history. Going to new countries and race tracks gives all teams and sponsors a new platform and opens new opportunities that can be highly beneficial to the sport. Despite not being the most popular sport in India, the excitement around the Grand Prix and the effort that everybody is doing, makes us think that it will be an extremely popular event. And for HRT, it is even more special. Having Narain Karthikeyan, the first Indian driver in F1 history, and Tata with us makes it feel like a home race. Narain is a talented driver and we are proud to be going down this path with him. For this single event, Narain will be driving alongside Daniel Ricciardo. I have asked Tonio Liuzzi to step aside for the Indian GP in order to allow driving programs with Ricciardo and Karthikeyan to be completed. I have to thank Tonio for h is professional approach and attitude. After the positive performance the team had in Korea, I hope that we will keep on that line in India. Although Narain has already driven around the track and given us a positive feedback, we really don’t know what to expect but we are looking forward to itâ€.