Chinese GP: Race notes - Marussia

15/04/2012
NEWS STORY

Things continue to go the way of the Marussia F1 Team as Timo Glock and Charles Pic delivered another impressive performance in today's Formula 1™ UBS Chinese Grand Prix. They took the chequered flag in Shanghai in 19th and 20th places respectively, delivering the team's third two-car finish in as many races and confirming its 10th place position in the 2012 Constructors' Championship.

Most significantly, the team underlined its rapidly evolving form over the past three race weekends by lapping at the same pace as its immediate competitors for most of the second half of the race, with Timo and Charles finishing close behind the Caterham of Vitaly Petrov, and well ahead of the HRT cars and Heikki Kovalainen.

The team executed a mature and polished performance on the track and in the pits, with two seamless stops for each driver and the pitwall electing to bring Charles through the pitlane for a drive-through in order to manage the traffic in the closing stages of the race. With so many 'marbles' on the track, continuous manoeuvring out of the way of the advancing race leaders would have been dangerous and costly to Charles' lap time. Timo stopped on race laps 18 and 36 and Charles pitted on laps 19 and 37, with his drive-through taking place on lap 48.

The Marussia F1 Team now head straight to Bahrain for the second back-to-back of the season next weekend, where they will be looking to make a further impression on the competition before the next round of developments are implemented in time for the start of the European season.

Timo Glock: "It wasn't a straightforward race for me. The start was good and I could get in front of a couple of other cars, but they got by again with the DRS and KERS. Then I was racing with my team-mate and I was able to pull out a bit of a gap from him. For some reason though, my front left tyre just dropped away too early each time. Charles seemed to have the better car over the race and he was able to close the gap. I had to come in early, but I had some good in and out laps and could use the tyre well. In the second stint I just managed the gap to him and helped the tyre over the distance, but it dropped again and I had a lot of understeer. From the second stop I had good pace and could open the gap again until the blue flags started to come out. Suddenly the engine dropped as I was low on fuel, so I had to cruise in 6th and 7th gears and my focus then was getting the car home. Some things to look at and learn from the race because they held us back quite a bit. On the positive side, this means there is a lot more to come from the car. Well done to the team. A good job again, especially in the pits today."

Charles Pic: "It was a good race for me I think. We have reduced the gap to the Caterham cars yet again, so this is very good. I was also lapping round the same pace as Timo today, so again this is another step forward for me. We have to keep this up now and continue pushing because the potential is there in the car for sure. I think we can do some good work with the strategy because, now we have reduced the gap, maybe we can try some other things to get ahead on the track. It has been another good weekend for me so thanks to the team and my crew, who have all done a great job. I hope to see another improvement in Bahrain next weekend where I will be racing on a circuit that I know for the first time this season."

John Booth, Team Principal: "We are naturally very pleased with how the weekend has gone for us again here in Shanghai. To bring both cars home in their third consecutive race is very encouraging, as is the pace of the cars, which is improving with every race. We are also delighted to still hold 10th place in the Constructors' Championship after the third Grand Prix, which provides a further boost to the team, the drivers and our Partners. There's so much to be pleased about at the moment but we have to remain focused because there is a lot of work to do, some real potential in the package and a few areas where we can continue to improve as a team. All credit to everyone trackside and back at the factory though. It has been very rewarding watching the race performances in particular unfold and we can feel proud of how far we've come in such a short space of time. The races ahead look very exciting too as Timo now has a car he can work with and we wait with eager anticipation to see how Charles will perform at circuits he is better acquainted with."

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Published: 15/04/2012
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