10/10/2012
NEWS STORY
It's another short hop in the space of a week as the Marussia F1 Team embarks on its fifth back to back race of the 2012 season - this time from Japan to Korea. Suzuka was a strong weekend for the team as the car continued to yield all the signs of a positive development trajectory, even at this late stage of the season. The team has performed well at the Korea International Circuit over the last two seasons and the objective here is to continue snapping at the heels of its immediate competitors and returning to its normal commendable record of reliability and two-car finishes.
Timo Glock: "Every year this is a bit of a strange race weekend because the track is not used very often outside of Formula 1. This makes it difficult on a Friday in particular as the track is always quite dirty and takes a while to come up to grip level. The weather can also be unpredictable, so the track condition can be a bit changeable also. It's quite a technical track with a lot of corners where you have to take quite a strange line. I had a good race here last year though, and also in 2010 until my race was cut short when I was taken out whilst on track for what would have been 12th place. I like the circuit so I'm looking forward to the weekend and I hope we can get back to our usual two-car finish again."
Charles Pic: "Japan ended in a disappointing way for me. With only a week between the two races, I have put that behind me and reset my mind to the Korean weekend. I've had a few days in Tokyo to do some training and prepare for another new circuit and I'm feeling good for the race ahead. From what I have seen of the track in simulation, it looks very interesting - especially sectors 1 and 3. Another anti-clockwise circuit also, which always adds an extra dimension in terms of the physical challenge. Most important now is keeping our focus and delivering our usual two-car finishes, so, as always, I will be playing my part in the team's objectives as well as I can."
John Booth, Team Principal: "Timo had a very good race in Japan last week and has a good record here in Korea also, so let's hope that bodes well for our chances this weekend. In 2010 he was looking good for P12, mastering the treacherous conditions to put us in a vital position for the Championship. It would have been the team's highest finishing position that season, and indeed all the way up to Singapore this year, but unfortunately he was taken out. This just goes to show how important Championship position is for the newer teams, and how hard it is to get there. Continuing - and indeed building on - our current positive performance level is our absolute focus now to give us a greater degree of comfort as we count down the last five races. Also important is getting back to our normal record of two-car finishes. Charles was doing a very solid job in the race last weekend, so it was a shame that he had to retire. His track position ahead of Vitaly shows how much he has developed in line with the performance of the car and we are fortunate to have two highly competitive drivers to continue to help us achieve our team objectives."