Karthikeyan Pleased with Performance
Jordan driver Narain Karthikeyan was pleased with his performance in practice for the Canadian Grand Prix
The Indian driver, lapping the Gilles Villeneuve circuit for the first time today, finished 19th quickest with his Toyota-powered car.
Karthikeyan, who spun late in the second session, lamented how slippery the track was but was nonetheless happy with his day's work.
"I had a productive day today," said Karthikeyan. "As I have never driven here, I had to spend quite a bit of time learning the layout but this was not too difficult. The track surface was very dusty, which does not make your job any easier.
"However, we did quite a considerable amount of laps and I am quite pleased with that. Now we will decide on our tyre choice for the rest of the weekend and I will do my best to improve tomorrow again."
Karthikeyan finished ahead of teammate Tiago Monteiro, who was hit by mechanical problems in the morning session.
The Portuguese rookie was 22nd fastest.
"Today was a hard day as I lost nearly an hour this morning, due to a small hydraulic problem," said Monteiro. "Even though I know the track here for having raced in Champ Car in 2003, I still needed some running time.
"I pushed hard in the afternoon to make up lost time and I completed a great number of laps. Now we have to analyse the information we gathered and work well tonight to get a more stable car.
"There are so many important braking areas here, you have to be confident on the brakes and balance of the car. I am sure we will be able to manage that."
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Drivers | Narain Karthikeyan |
Why sustainability is being mandated by F1
Continuing to be socially acceptable as public views shift globally is vitally important to the future of motor racing, says PAT SYMONDS - especially in Formula 1, the championship that represents the technological peak
The Barcelona practice times that prove Red Bull's title credentials, and heap pressure on Verstappen
Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes led the way in Friday practice for the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix, but there was one big encouraging sign for Red Bull. The trouble is, it looks like making good on that gain will require its superstar driver to avoid repeating a mistake made today that left him well down the FP2 order
Why McLaren doesn’t doubt Ricciardo can escape his ‘dark’ place
Three points finishes from as many starts represents a decent opening innings on paper, but Daniel Ricciardo has endured a tough start to his McLaren career - only magnified his team-mate's excellent form. Yet both he and the team have good reason to expect a turnaround soon
What needs to “change” for Red Bull is ending Verstappen’s errors
OPINION: Going up against the dominant force of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton was always going to demand the best from Red Bull and Max Verstappen. But after making a couple more errors during the Portuguese Grand Prix, the Dutch driver showed there's a small gap he still needs to close in the 2021 Formula 1 title fight
The "subtle" Red Bull upgrades that kept it in the Portugal F1 mix
Red Bull's Portuguese Grand Prix fortunes were decidedly second best to Mercedes', but the result skews the potential that the team had at Portimao. With a new set of updates, the team looks good going forward into the rest of 2021's spicy F1 competition
Portuguese Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The 2021 Portuguese GP will for several drivers go down as a weekend of missed opportunities amid imperfect track conditions that caused struggles with tyre warmup. But the performances of a select few stood out from the crowd
How Hamilton took a “completely different journey” to Portugal victory
Just as he did in 2020, Lewis Hamilton had to come from behind to win the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix. Only this time there were two rivals he had to pass, among the several challenges he had to overcome, on his way to securing a 97th grand prix victory
The ‘big fish’ mentality that kept an Australian legend winning
Frank Gardner was the veteran of just eight grand prix starts. It could have been more, but why waste his talent if the cars weren't up to it? NIGEL ROEBUCK recalls the life of one of racing's great characters
