F1: New HRT Runs In Barcelona

Formula 1

F1: New HRT Runs In Barcelona

HRT displays its new F112 at Barcelona...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted March 05, 2012 Barcelona (ESP)

The new 2012 HRT F112 was displayed at Barcelona. (Photo: HRT)

HRT shook down its new F112 at Barcelona late this afternoon after a marathon effort to get it ready.

The car was built in Munich and then finished in the afternoon in Spain before getting a brief 10-lap run at the end of the day in the hands of Narain Karthikeyan on what was officially a filming day.

“Today was a shakedown of the F112 and I have had the honor to be the first driver to test it,” said the Indian. “The first impressions are quite good; it’s definitely a step up from last year. We couldn’t do any set-up work or stuff like that but everything seems to be working fine and there are no major problems so we can look forward to the season now.

“Everyone has worked hard and the new team management has put everything together in a very short period of time. They’ve done a proper job with the car and I’m sure that it’s a big step forward from last year, so hopefully we can take the competition to the teams we were fighting last year.”

“Today has been a very special day because the car saw the light for the first time,” added Pedro de la Rosa. “Narain did some installation laps and then various times laps without any issues. This is very important, it might not seem like it, but any sort of mileage before Australia is vital to see that the car is in good conditions. From here it is our job to try and improve it and make it progress.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 27th season as a racing journalist in 2011. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.