Sepang, Malaysia: HRT's Narain Karthikeyan is confident of a better show in the second round of the Formula One season here following a no-show in Australia.
Karthikeyan and his experienced teammate Pedro de la Rosa did not qualify for the season opener in Melbourne Sunday after having reliability issues with the car.
HRT's woes are likely to continue in the Malaysian Grand Prix over the weekend with very little time between the first two races. Karthikeyan though was positive ahead of the battle at the Sepang International Circuit.
"It wasn't an easy first weekend for us but the team is working hard and we hope to complete the maximum amount of kilometres with the new car so that we can have it in prime conditions for qualifying and the race. The team is working on solving the reliability issues that we encountered," said Karthikeyan.
"Sepang is a circuit that I like a lot and a place where I have raced numerous times. This was the only Grand Prix out of the eight last year that I didn't finish, so this year, I am looking to first qualify and then finish the race," the 35-year-old added.
De la Rosa said the team particularly needed to fix problems with the DRS and the power steering.
"Our two main priorities are to have DRS and improve the power steering in this short time that we have whilst being away from Europe. In Australia, we were only able to complete seven timed laps so I need get more track time, get to know the car better and improve the set-up.
"If we can achieve this then we could have a good Grand Prix. Sepang is probably the toughest track of the year both for car and driver. Mechanically, it is very demanding because besides there being a lot of consecutive high-speed corners, it is very hot and humid. Cooling is key for the car as is hydration for the driver," said the Spaniard.
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