Austrian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

Quotes from Caterham: 

Kamui Kobyashi - “The Red Bull Ring is a completely new circuit for me. I’ve seen a lot of on-boards of the track and it’ll be a good challenge. It’s quick, some of it really fast, and there’s a couple of big braking zones so, as usual, getting the setup right is going to be crucial. However, until I’ve actually driven there I don’t want to make any predictions about what it’ll be like for us so let’s see when we get on track. Whatever happens, I’m sure it’ll be a good weekend for the fans, and hopefully for us too. To be totally honest we would benefit a lot from a good weekend. We were unlucky again in Canada, with both cars having to retire because of reliability issues, something we’ve been focusing on from our side all year, and something Renault have improved dramatically from the early part of the season. Even though our pace in the early part of the Canadian GP was not where it should have been, our simulations have shown that, had we finished, we’d have been closer to the pack than it may have looked at the point where I had to retire, so this weekend it’s important we cross the line. We have to finish the races so we can be there if and when it counts, and that’s one of the main goals this weekend.”

Marcus Ericsson - "I’ve never raced in Austria before so it’ll be really interesting to go to a brand new track for me, even though I’m well aware of the history of the circuit. A bit like Monaco, Ronnie Peterson won there so it’ll be another race I go to in his footsteps and after Monaco, where I met his daughter Nina, that means even more to me so, honestly, I can’t wait! It’ll also be good to be able to get back in the car after only a few laps of the race in Canada. We’d had a hard weekend until that point anyway, so an early DNF was even more hard to take, but I came straight back to the factory with the boys after the race and everyone just went straight back to work to prepare for the next race. So, Austria and what looks like will be a quick track. It looks relatively simple, but, like everywhere we race, getting the balance right all weekend is a real challenge, especially for the downhill right at turn three and then through four and into the quick lefts at five and six. You’ll need a good flow through there, and for the whole lap, so you can build up a rhythm and really push and that’s what I want to do for the whole weekend. It would be good to leave Austria in a positive note - it’s been a while since we had one and with the big efforts everyone’s putting in across the team the whole time, I think it’s something we could do with.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

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Canadian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

Next quotes come from the Caterham F1 Team drivers, including a quote from reserve/test driver, Alexander Rossi!

Kamui Kobayashi - "Race seven is Montreal in Canada, one of the most popular races of the year and one where the weather can play a very big part in the race. At the moment the forecasts look dry For Friday, Saturday and Sunday but if that changes it could definitely be in our favour and we need to make sure we're ready to take anything that comes our way. I was in the factory last week to start preparations for Canada and even though Monaco didn't end for me as we'd planned, despite us doing everything we could, everyone is still fighting harder than ever. Crazy races like we had last week don't come too often, but when they do we need to be ready and after talking to a lot of the team last week I know that they are all focused on making progress, not looking back at what might have been. On track Canada is a good place to go racing. The local fans are very passionate and knowledgeable - seeing the whole track full on a Thursday with people really excited about F1 being back is great as it shows just what it means to them to have us race in their home town, and that's good for everyone in the sport. I've had a couple of points finishes in Canada in 2011 and 2012 and it would obviously be cool to have the same again this year - as I say, that will probably take a crazy race but if that happens I'll be prepared ready, as will the whole team."

Marcus Ericsson - "This will be my first race in Canada and after everything I've heard about Montreal and the track I can't wait to get started. Even though there were obviously mixed feelings in the team after Monaco, I have to say I was pretty happy with how it went for me. After starting from the pit lane I finished my first ever F1 Monaco GP in 11th, equalling the team's highest ever position and, even with what happened ahead, that could be really important later this season. That sort of finish, in a race where a lot of cars didn't make it to the flag, is all part of my continuing development as an F1 driver, and I'm sure that experience will help me in Canada and for the rest of the season as we keep battling. The actual Canada circuit looks like it'll be a good challenge. It's quick, especially for what is almost a street circuit, we run pretty low downforce as there are several high speed sections and one of the main things we'll be working on in the free practice sessions is braking - we need to make sure the brake cooling is optimised throughout the weekend, and watch brake wear, especially in preparing for the race itself. After Monaco I'm definitely ready to get back to work, and it'll be good to start again at another new track and one which everyone tells me is going to be an amazing race weekend."

Alexander Rossi (Reserve) - "FP1 in Montreal will be my first drive of the year in the 2014 F1 car, but after the amount of laps I've done in the sim with CT05 I'm already pretty familiar with how it'll be inside the cockpit! Obviously it's not quite the same as actually being out on track, but I have a lot of F1 mileage under my belt with the various FP1s and test days I've completed and having driven in FP1 in Canada last year I know I can go straight to work and help the team complete its plan for the session. I'm grateful to Caterham for their continual support with my development as an F1 driver, in the F1 car again in Canada this weekend and Austin later this year. The chances for young drivers like me to be in current-season cars on track are very limited, and obviously every lap counts over a race weekend but the fact the team sees that I can add value from the work I do in the car, and they can keep helping me to learn, shows great support and how committed they are to developing young talent. Now I'm focused on Friday morning. The weather should hopefully be dry so if that stays true we should have a full session run and be out as the green lights come on - if it rains then so be it, I'll still be focused 100 percent on the job the team asks me to do."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

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Quotes made by Drivers.

Monaco GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

Next quotes are from the Caterham F1 Team!

Kamui Kobayashi - "Next it's Monaco, one of the most famous races in the world. I like the challenge of the circuit, I think every driver does, but there is so much going on all over Monaco for the whole week it's pretty intense. Sometimes you just need to focus on your job but that's almost impossible while the race week is on, so I like to do the best work I can for the team on track. Monaco's also one of the shortest tracks of the year, and because it's not a really high speed circuit it's one where the gap to the cars ahead is always less. That's obviously good for us as one of the smaller teams as it means we have a better chance to do something special and I think it would be a fair reward for us to have something to celebrate after a couple of tough last races. I know that everyone in the team is working even harder than ever to fight back from where we are right now – the amount of hard work and effort that's always put in is one of the things that most impresses me about our team whenever I'm on track or at the factory, and it's about time our luck changed. Even though we only tested for one day in Spain, we still achieved a lot there. We were doing more aero evaluations of the new parts we took to Barcelona and were also looking closely at why we couldn't get the tyres working over the whole weekend in Spain. The good news is that the tests allowed us to assess alternative setups that pointed to a very clear direction for future development so we can overcome the problems we had in Spain. I also want to thank the whole team for working even harder than ever to prepare the cars for Monaco after what was a pretty big accident I had at the end of day one - now we'll take everything we have to Monaco and aim for a much better weekend there."

Marcus Ericsson - 

"As a rookie Monaco is obviously one of the races you're most excited about, and I'm no different! I obviously have a lot of experience of racing there in GP2, I finished on the podium in 2012 with iSport, but racing F1 cars around Monaco is one of the things I've dreamed about ever since I first wanted to be in F1, and I can't wait to get started. It's also going to be a very special race for all Swedish fans as it's 40 years since Ronnie Peterson won in Monaco in 1974. It's a huge honour for me to be another Swedish F1 driver following in his footsteps, especially as he and I come from the same part of Sweden, and while I know we won't be competing for a win like he was, I want to do the best job I can to pay homage to him and his legacy. I've obviously been asked a lot about what Senna meant to me over the last few weeks, but I always say it's Ronnie that really inspired me, obviously not because I saw him race, but because where I'm from in Sweden, Kumla, Ronnie is the number one hero. We have a couple of very cool things planned to celebrate his memory over the race week and I'm sure it'll be emotional for the people who are in the paddock today who remember him. If I can give them something to cheer for, that would be pretty cool for them and our whole team. In GP2 the race week is obviously very different to F1 for the drivers, but I know that the one of the main things is to switch off all the distractions whenever I'm in the car and focus on doing the best job I can on track. I have a few events going on over the week, and I'm sure they'll be good, but really it's about giving ourselves the best chance to take advantage of anything that happens on track in quali and the race so that means making every lap count on Friday and Saturday. It's almost inevitable that there will be a higher retirement rate than we've seen in the last couple of races, and that may give us a chance, but we need to be there when it counts and that's what I want to focus on."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

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Quotes made by Drivers.

Spanish GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

More quotes, these ones from Caterham! 

Kamui Kobayashi - "After a couple of weeks to recharge we're back to work in Barcelona at a track everyone knows extremely well, but, unusually for us in the recent F1 era, this will be our first visit there this year as we didn't test there in pre-season. It's a track I've always gone pretty well at, especially in 2012 when I finished fifth after really good fights with Button and Rosberg in the race. While I'd like to be racing both of them again this year we're realistic enough to know that's very unlikely, but we are still aiming to be able to fight at least two of the teams ahead, and new parts should help that. We're bringing updates to the front and rear wings and the floor and the key to optimising the performance gains from them is obviously maximum time on track, so strong reliability will again be crucial. It was good to see how much progress we and Renault made on that over the first four races and we'll obviously aim to carry that over to Barcelona and throughout the season as it is especially important in helping perfect set-ups over the weekend."

Marcus Ericsson - 

"I've had a very good two week break back at home in Sweden but now I want to get back on track and Spain's the perfect place to do so! This will be the first race of the year at a track I know well and, while it's only a small advantage, it's obviously good to have that knowledge as it makes the initial runs on Friday more useful, and it means I can attack a lap more efficiently right from the start of FP1. That's important at any race, but especially this weekend as we have some new parts coming and it will be critical to complete the run plans we have for those on Friday so we can really see where we can find maximum lap time. As we have had at all the races this year, in addition to the work on track we'll also have the simulator operational back at Leafield, and all the simulation software we have at our disposal to help generate even more data, so while the focus will be on Spain there will also be a lot of work going on back at the factory to help us even more. Obviously that's a big step up in terms of support from the last time I raced GP2 in Barcelona, but for me it's all part of my progression and I can't wait to start work again!"

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.

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Quotes made by Drivers. 

Chinese GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

First preview quotes for the Chinese GP come from the Caterham drivers!

Kamui Kobayashi - "The last of the four early season flyaway races is Shanghai, a track I’ve always had good support on and one that’s a really good challenge technically. The last time I raced there in 2012 I qualified fourth, the highest qualifying position of my career and my team at that point. I actually started third after Lewis had an issue but then the car had a problem with the launch and I lost a lot of places off the line. While I know we won’t be starting that high this year, it would still be good to have a better race in 2014, and the whole team is working as hard as possible to help us do that. The main set up focus is how you balance the need for downforce in the high speed turns against the low drag you want for one of the longest straights of the year. We saw in Malaysia that we have good straight line speed so we’ll have to make sure that works in our favour, and with Renault we’ll be working on energy management so we can maximise the advantage we have in those parts of the track. It’s also a circuit where windspeed and direction can have a big influence on how the car handles, so that’ll be another area for us to focus on in the three practice sessions. We obviously want to head back to Europe in a good position so everyone’s working flat out to help us do that. I We have a couple of new parts coming in China before the bigger package everyone brings to Spain, but we also have to make sure we play to our strengths - we have a small advantage in pure pace over our direct rivals which put us in a strong position for most of the Bahrain race, right up until the final stint which ended with a disappointing result. We have to use that performance on Sunday to help us get back to where we want to be, and to build on that at every race."

Marcus Ericsson - "China’s another new track for me, so obviously what will really help is having another good Friday and Saturday, like we had in Bahrain. Step by step, with each race I’m learning more about how to manage a full race weekend and, apart from Canada, China’s the last track before we get to Europe that I haven’t raced on so it’s even more important to have maximum mileage in FP1 and FP2 so we can really work on optimising the settings. Something I will be working on is tyre management, especially over the long runs - for rookies in F1 tyre management is one of the key areas you have to work on and improving that area of performance will definitely help make me stronger over the full race distance. It might be my first visit to Shanghai but I raced in Macau in 2008 and 2009 so I have raced in China before. I was on pole there in 2009 and finished fourth, so I have good memories of racing in China, and I also spent the week between Australia and Malaysia this year in Macau because my trainer Alex was living there and working as an FMX rider in Macau before he joined me in F1. It’s an amazing country and it’ll be a privilege to race there as an F1 driver - hopefully we can repeat the sort of performance we had in Malaysia and finish these flyaways positively." 

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.

Bahrain GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

More quotes - These ones are from Caterham!

Kamui Kobayashi - "Next it's back to Bahrain for race three, back at a track we've already spent a couple of weeks at this year in the pre-season test where we managed to build up some pretty good mileage at a time when our reliability was good, something that will be really important this weekend. We also now have something to build on, both in terms of performance and from where we are now, in tenth place in the championship and with targets ahead that we know we can race with. Reliability really is the main focus for Bahrain. We need to have three good practice sessions so we can go into qualifying and the race with an optimised setup giving us the chance to really find out what the real performance level of this car is. On my last day of the test in Bahrain we weren't able to do the final performance run because of a clutch issue, and we really haven't had a chance since then to run the car in full quali spec with optimised setups because of the reliability problems we've had, and the wet quali sessions we had in both Australia and Malaysia. Yes, we performed well in Malaysia for much of the race, but that was with a car that had almost no meaningful setup work done on it and with more still to come from the power unit. It's vital we have a full weekend so we can pick up where we left off in Sepang and continue to improve across all areas of the car's performance. Our ability to develop is what will be crucial this year. Our development program is starting in Bahrain with the first new parts coming from the work we've been doing in the TMG wind tunnel and it'll be good to see how they perform."

Marcus Ericsson - "I left Malaysia feeling pleased that I'd finished my first full race, and excited about what we achieved on Sunday at Sepang. It was tough - even though we'd completed quite a few laps on Friday and Saturday, we still went into the race without an optimised setup due to the issues we had on Friday and the work we had to do overnight to rebuild the car on Saturday and Sunday, so the most important thing in Bahrain is to have a trouble free weekend. Also, the Bahrain circuit characteristics should suit our car better than Sepang so we may be stronger here than in Malaysia, relative to the competition. I obviously know the Bahrain circuit well after the tests and, like Malaysia, that means we can get on with the program right from the first laps in FP1. We have a lot of data that's helping us go to the race with a much clearer idea of where we want to go with setup than we've had in either Australia or Malaysia, but it would also be really helpful if we can have the sort of reliability we had in the second pre-season test - mileage is what will help us unlock the full performance of this year's car, and I know how hard both Renault and our team are working to make sure we can do that."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.

 

Malaysian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

First preview quotes for Round 2 come from the CaterhamF1 Team.

Kamui Kobayashi - “The second race of the year is Malaysia and it’s our team’s first home race of the year, so it’s going to be a good week! I’ve obviously raced there a few times before, and finished in the points in 2011, and this year it would be great if we were able to fight for a point, but we’ll have to make sure we have a better Friday than we did in Australia if we’re going to have a stronger weekend at Sepang. The way we bounced back in qualifying in Melbourne showed a little bit of what we can do, but without any real laps in FP1 or FP2 we only had a very small chance to fight. With a proper Friday and Saturday program we can give ourselves the opportunity to show the true pace of the car, and prepare much more for the race. Obviously, I’d like to also make sure I don’t have the same brake problems that caused the accident in turn one in Australia - without that I think we’d have had a strong race and we’ll work as hard as we can to give ourselves the chance to really perform. Off track we’re going to be busy, especially on Tuesday night when I’m at a Renault event at Sepang and on Wednesday when we have a very packed schedule meeting sponsors and fans. We’ll be at the Pavilion Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday afternoon from about 2pm meeting our fans so if anyone is in KL that afternoon they should come along. We’re also going to see AirAsia’s head office on Wednesday afternoon and meet their staff, so it’ll be good to see one of (Caterham Group Co-Chairman) Tony’s (Fernandes) other teams in action!”

Marcus Ericsson - “I can’t wait to get back in the car, especially after having a really good race until the oil pressure problem forced us to stop in Australia. It’s been great to read so many nice comments about what we did in the race after such a bad Friday, but now I want to get on with it again and go straight back to work. Sepang’s a track I’ve already raced on, so that’s obviously an advantage over Australia. I really like the heat and have trained hard all through the winter to prepare for races like Malaysia, so I’ll be 100 percent ready physically, but I’m still just loving being in F1 and for race two to be a home race for Caterham and on a track I know and like, that’s just really good for me. It’ll be great to see how much Caterham means to the Malaysian fans, and I’ve been told the autograph session on Sunday will be one of the real highlights of the year, so there’s a lot to be excited about! We obviously need a stronger weekend on track overall, and I know they guys back at the factory and at Renault have been working flat out to help us do so. Our race pace in Australia was pretty good, but with a full Friday and not having to use FP3 to catch up, I think we can start to unlock the real performance of this year’s car. If we can do that, and with the work being put in by everyone, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t, I think Malaysia could be a strong weekend for our team."

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by Drivers.

Australian GP: Driver Preview Quotes - Caterham

Next quotes are from the Caterham team who switched out both their drivers and now have Kamui Kobayashi (Former Sauber driver) and Rookie Marcus Ericsson who is debuting in F1 this year!


Marcus Ericsson - “Honestly, I cannot wait for it all to start in Australia. It will be my first ever F1 race weekend as a race driver and I’m so excited about my debut season in F1 starting, and in Australia, a country with a lot of F1 history and seriously passionate fans, that’s just going to be cool. I’ve been working for this chance since I started racing, and now it’s finally coming true, thanks to all the people who’ve supported me, and to the team for giving me this chance. We’ve done everything we can to prepare, but, honestly, I don’t think you can ever prepare for what it’ll feel like in the car, sitting on the grid as the lights go out in my debut race - however, that feeling will go very quickly and I know I’m ready to race. The pre-season tests were tough, but at the end of them we’d got through most of what we planned, so there shouldn’t be too many surprises in Melbourne. By the end of the tests our reliability was best of the Renault teams and we ran through a race sim, including the formation lap procedure, starts and pit stops, so with the mileage we completed in both Bahrain tests, we’re as ready as we can be. I’ve also been back at the factory since leaving Bahrain and been driving the Melbourne track on the sim which means it’ll only take a lap or two for me to get up to speed when we’re there. Since the tests finished there’s been a lot of talk about what’ll happen in Australia, but until we’re actually on track it’s impossible to predict what might happen. We weren’t able to do full performance runs on either of the last two days - for me because it was my first ever lap on supersofts and I know how much more I will get out of them with more experience, and for Kamui (Kobayashi) because a clutch issue problem stopped him before he could have a go at supersoft runs - so I think the first time we’ll really see where we are on pace compared to the other teams will be in quali. What we do know is that in the race itself fuel and energy management strategies are going to be critical, so I’m glad we were able to work on them with Renault as much as we did in the tests. It might well be confusing for the fans, a bit watching driver manage tyres was for the first half of last year, but it will all be clear when the chequered flag falls.”

Kamui Kobayashi - “We start the season in Melbourne and I’m excited about getting back to racing F1 cars again! Last time I raced in Melbourne (in 2012 with Sauber) I was sixth and while I don’t think that’s a realistic target for us this year, I think the race will be very interesting. There could be reliability problems for lots of teams, us as well obviously, but by the end of the tests our reliability was ok, certainly better than a few other teams, and that could be very important on Sunday in Melbourne. Obviously for me this is my first race back, and I’m really pleased it’s with Caterham. I guarantee that they are working as hard as anyone else to have a good year in 2014 and I’ve been very impressed with how determined they are to succeed. They have a very good base to work from in Leafield, so there’s no reason we can’t have a good year, particularly with what we have planned to improve the car as the season goes on. We still don’t know exactly where we are on performance, partly because you never do in tests because you don’t know what everyone else is doing, but also because we didn’t really have a chance to do a proper quali sim in Bahrain. We have some new parts coming to Australia, including some revisions to the front wing, so we’ll be working on them on Friday and Saturday morning and know more about where we are when qualifying’s finished on Saturday.”

Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
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Quotes made by drivers.