13 Nov 2011
Timo finished today’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 19th position at the Yas Marina Circuit. Jérôme didn’t have the same luck and was forced to retire on lap 18.
Timo got off to a fantastic start, climbing up to 16th position during the first lap and maintaining good pace. Jérôme also managed to gain positions but unfortunately his race was cut short when he suffered a problem with the front brakes and he was forced to retire.
Timo followed a two-stop strategy, pitting on laps 22 and 44, before bring car number 24 home.
Jérôme D’Ambrosio, Race Driver #25
“What a shame! I had a good start and was fighting hard against the HRTs, but I had a problem with the brakes and that was my race over. But we will work hard and continue to be motivated to finish the season in Brazil on a high.”
John Booth, Team Principal
“A good start to the race saw Timo running as high as 16th in the opening laps. Unfortunately, Jérôme was left behind both of the HRTs, however he was pushing them hard during the early laps. Then on lap 17, Jérôme reported some difficulty with the brakes and also that there was some debris coming out of the left front wheel. We immediately pitted him, instigating a pit stop with inspection of the front braking system. It was clear though that it was not possible to continue and we retired him. Meanwhile on track, Timo was having a good opening stint, pulling a comfortable gap out over Liuzzi and Ricciardo, who had stopped very early. A small issue at his first stop lost him a bit of time, however he still came out in front of Ricciardo. For the second stint Timo managed his tyres to ensure that he could get as far as possible. It was a little like India in that by staying on the Soft tyre, he would be quicker than the HRTs, which again had stopped early for the Medium tyre. However, we came up against Trulli - again on the Medium tyre - so we had to stop earlier than we would have liked. At this point with the HRTs clearly behind, we opted to save gearbox and engine, turning everything down for the last five laps. Given our record of reliability it is disappointing that we haven’t achieved a two-car finish in the last two races, however this will be our strong focus for Brazil.”
Credit: Marussia Virgin Racing (www.marussiavirginracing.com)
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