05/11/2010
NEWS STORY
Hispania Racing was in action today for the first time in Brazil and got off to a good start as the Spanish team was able to keep on closing the gap to the other teams and finish close to its competitors. In the first practice session, both drivers got used to the track. Christian Klien finished 23rd (1.16.839) and Bruno Senna, who was racing in an F1 car at his home track for the first time, ended up 24th (1.17.360). In the second 90-minute session, both Hispania Racing, HRT F1 Team drivers were able to improve and keep on reducing the difference with the rest of drivers. The Brazilian driver clocked a best time of 1.16.070 (22nd) and the Austrian driver stopped the clock on 1.16.082 (23rd), doing a total of 128 laps between them.
Dr. Colin Kolles, Team Principal: "It was an efficient first day in Brazil. We completed 128 laps in total and both drivers got used to the track during the day. In the morning, the second gear on Christian Klien's car broke before the end of the session but the mechanics could fix the problem for the second practice. Other than in Singapore, Christian felt comfortable in the car from the beginning and could adjust the car to his driving style. Bruno Senna showed a solid performance in front of his home crowd. We could close the gap to the other new teams and even end up in front of one of them."
Christian Klien: "The first day started off very well for us and I felt comfortable as soon as I jumped into the car. We could already work on the set-up for the race. Unfortunately, I had to stop before the end of the first session because the second gear was broken. We lost one run with this but in the afternoon, the car was fixed again and I could do some long runs. I am very happy to be back in the car and to complete a full race weekend again after Singapore."
Bruno Senna: "I was very excited and happy today to race at home and on this new track for me. It was a good day and I could do many laps. We worked very hard to find more performance from the car and learnt a lot. In the second session, we managed to find a better compromise. We will see what happens tomorrow, as it looks as if it's going to rain and I am looking forward to be in front of my home crowd again."
To check out our Interlagos practice gallery, click here