Nov 10, 2011
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Korea, then India and now Abu Dhabi – the three newest venues on the Formula 1 calendar have followed one another at two week intervals this season. It’s fair to say, that of the three, this is the circuit with the highest bling factor, especially once the sun sets and the lights come on, not just on the track itself, but all around the facility, proving a dazzling spectacle. Yas Marina is definitely a work in progress, with new buildings and attractions appearing with each passing year, while the circle of hotels used by the majority of teams, is now surrounded by luxuriant flowers and lawns, rather than the sand of the last two years.
Sébastien Buemi was called to appear in the official FIA Press Conference in the imposing Yas Marina media centre and the Swiss was first asked about the team’s increased pace in recent races and our fight in the Constructors’ Championship. “Now we have got the same amount of points as Sauber so it is already good for us,” he began. “We are 10 points behind Force India. It was a shame about what happened in India, but still I think we can continue to fight and the car is really quick now. We have a good qualifying pace. We were both in Q3 in India and then, also in the race, we are normally quite quick as well so hopefully we can finish in the points and be in front of Sauber by the end of the weekend. Then for the last race we will see what we can do. In general, I think we improved the car very well from mid-season to the end. I think we’re now improving the car race after race and this is why we can actually catch up the other guys. We were maybe a little bit too slow developing the car in the middle of the year, but now I think we’re doing a good job. It’s only the second year that the team is building and designing the car itself, so it takes a bit of time to get into the rhythm.”
It’s that time of year when drivers who have not yet signed a firm contract are invariably asked about their future. “I don’t think too much about it right now,” was Sébastien’s immediate response. “Let’s say I try to get the maximum out of myself and the car in the remaining two races and then we will have enough time to speak about next year. I believe we have got to be concentrated. We have a good chance to achieve a very good result for the team so I think it is really important to dedicate ourselves completely to this before thinking about anything else.”
Sébastien was also complimentary about the venue for this the penultimate round of the world championship. “I think it’s good to try some new circuits, some new countries to visit. It’s definitely a positive to come to these races and what we experience here is completely different. It’s the best infrastructure in the world and it’s definitely quite nice to be racing here, starting the race when it’s still daylight and then we finish in the dark.”
Credit: Scuderia Toro Rosso (www.scuderiatororosso.com)
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