Hungarian Grand Prix
2011-07-31
Hungaroring, Hungary
Sunday, 31st of July of 2011
Weather: Rainy – Air 18ºC, Track 20ºC
Race: 70 laps
Track distance: 4.381km
Vitantonio Liuzzi F111-002 #23 20th
Daniel Ricciardo F111-003 #22 18th
HRT Formula One had another two car finish in Hungary. 22 year old rookie Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo was able to complete his third race of his F1 career. Starting from 22nd on the grid, Ricciardo was able to finish in 18th position in cool and challenging weather conditions throughout the race at the Hungaroring. Team mate Vitantonio Liuzzi finished in 20th position.
Vitantonio Liuzzi: “It was a tough race. We got off to a good start until someone hit me from behind coming out of the chicane, causing me to spin. I lost a lot of time there and then the balance of the car wasn’t ideal. The set up for wet conditions was kind of a lottery since all previous sessions were held on dry conditions. We suffered again a problem with the front wing and the front tyres were suffering a lot as a result of this. We replaced the nose and the tyres but we still were suffering from massive understeer. We switched to intermediates when it started raining and then back to soft tyres at the end, but the balance didn’t improve much. We knew from the start this race would be a hard one and it has been but we fought until the end. Now we need to look forward to the summer break where we must keep working for upgrades for Spa”.
Daniel Ricciardo: “Overall, I’m satisfied with my race and the best finish in three races. During the race, I wasn’t really sure where I was on track because a lot of cars made quite a few pit stops so in all honesty I didn’t really know how I was doing. Towards the end I felt we had quite a good balance in the car and I was able to do some good times. I’m sure there are things I could have done better so we’ll look into that to keep on improving. But again I feel we are progressing well; Silverstone to Nürburgring was a very big step and this time we have taken another good step. I want to be ahead of our main rivals and prove I can go the distance in the race. The most positive thing today was that we made the right decisions with pit stops, so we need to try and stay in this path. Today’s race certainly gives me something to smile about coming into the summer break”.
Colin Kolles (Team Principal): “Hungary is traditionally a long race, this time even more tricky in changeable conditions. It was important to be on the track until the end. Liuzzi had a problem in the early stages which moved him from 21st to the back of the field. The pit stops all went smoothly, unfortunatelly Tonio had more pit stops and a nose change. Overall a difficult race where rain arrived on several occasions but we maintained a good pace throughout the race. On a positive note, Daniel Ricciardo had his best result so far in a race and it was his third solid race in a row. He is a fast learner. We are looking for new updates for the fast tracks in Spa and Monza which require a different aerodynamic configuration”.
Credit: Hispania Racing (www.hispaniaracing.com)
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