Motorsports Mondial

Photo: airtel india

2011 Indian Grand Prix Preview

Lotus Renault GP prepares for round seventeen of the season in India.

Bruno Senna – “India will have a completely different culture from anything I’ve seen before”

After two below par races, the Brazilian is eager to see his name on the points board once again

It was a trying weekend for you in Korea – what was your judgment?

In all honesty, it was a weekend riddled with problems. On Friday, our running was limited and we had some issues with the balance and aerodynamics of the car. On the Saturday I also endured a tough time, as I wasn’t able to pick myself up in qualifying and, as a result, ended up P15 on the grid. As for the race, I think the car was better than where it finished. I had a poor start again, which dampened my expectations but I still gave it my all and managed to recover a few positions to finish in 13th. Unfortunately I didn’t have the performance necessary to overtake a few more cars and my tyres were pretty beaten up by the end.

A relatively unknown track in Korea to a completely unknown one in India – what are your thoughts leading into this race?

India will be a complete voyage into the unknown, as no one has ever raced there before. We do not yet know how the car is likely to perform, though looking at the track layout it should suit us quite well, and we can expect to be up amongst the mix in the top 10; although we need to remain careful at this stage. From the maps I have seen, it looks to be a fast, flowing track that suits my style of driving so I am looking forward to racing there. It will be a test of who learns fastest. I think that whichever teams can extract the maximum from their cars in the short period of time that we are there will benefit most.

Are you excited to go to India?

Yes, very excited indeed. It’s a country that loves its sport, and we have seen new sports events take place there recently such as the Commonwealth Games; I’ve no doubt it will be an interesting Grand Prix, with a completely different culture from anything I have seen before and I think Karun Chandhok is going to show me around – it’s always good to have a local as your guide so I’m enthusiastic to get out there.

What must Bruno Senna take from the last three races to ensure he’s a happy man come the end of the season?

Ha ha, well some of my best races were in Abu Dhabi and Brazil last year so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t enjoy similar fortunes this time around, especially because I am in a competitive car that can score points. The aim is to keep learning, keep improving, and to arrive in India with a much clearer head after the frustration of my weekend in Korea. I loved the experience of being in the points in Monza, and that’s something I want to repeat. I have three races left to do that.