Barwa Addax Team very hopeful for the new season starting at Sepang

Barwa Addax Team get under way in the GP2 Series 2013 at the Sepang race circuit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This weekend the first two races take place with the usual format. This season the two official drivers are Jake Rosenzweig driving with number 16 and Rio Haryanto number 17.

This season consists of 11 events beginning in Asia with the Malaysian Grand Prix followed by Abu Dhabi and then goes on to the 7 race European stage to finally round off the season in Singapour and United Arab Emirates at the beginning of November. In each and every event they will compete on the same weekend as the Formula 1 Grand Prix and will use similar tyre compounds as the maximum class. The level of performance in wet conditions and at legendary Street circuits such as Monaco is very similar and this simply guarantees spectacular entertainment for everyone.

The American driver already took part in the last two events of the Gp2 Series in Singapour and Monza, with the Barwa Addax Team. Jake Rosenzweig is looking for this season to confirm the progress he has made. In the pre season tests he has worked very well with the car and team and has more than accomplished the objectives programmed by his engineers. The main aim was to develop and gain more experience for the season ahead, rather than simply set fast lap times. Even Rosenzweig, decided to dedicate his time to long runs, to work on his adaptation to the car and the performance of the new tyre compounds that the teams will be competing with this season. However the weather conditions in Barcelona prevented the team from making much progress.

Rio Haryanto had a great season in 2012 and managed to finish in a mid table position in the overall driver’s classification. His performances included a magnificent pole position in Spa and the fastest race lap time in Barcelona. This season the Indonesian is looking to improve on last season’s performances and have possibilities to fight it out for the driver’s title. He has had a rather discreet time of it in testing but the cold and wet weather condition made life difficult for all in both pre season tests. Haryanto is a great driving talent and knows how to administrate and look after his tyres, which will be an important factor in racing but were negative in testing because he was unable to get the right tyre temperature for the new compounds due to adverse weather. Rio is particularly motivated for the first race. Being of Indonesian descent he considers the Malaysian Grand Prix almost as a home event. He expects a large number of fans this weekend. Although this weekend will not be easy due to the extremely hot and humid conditions forecast at the time of racing.

Barwa Addax Team will face their most important challenge this season, their racing strategies and the choice of tyres in each and every moment which have been developed by Pirelli with the idea that both drivers and teams alike learn how to deal with situations similar to those in the teams of F1. Another important point will be the possibility of changing the set up of the car in qualification, just like last year.

Barwa Addax Team