• Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

HRT end season on upbeat note

Bruno Senna and HRT continue to push ahead © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Christian Klien
• |
• Bruno Senna

• Teams:
• HRT

HRT will end an often fraught first season At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in good heart with improving performances, a new sponsor and a new chassis deal.

Team boss Colin Kolles will stick with Bruno Senna and Christian Klien as his two drivers, showing a consistency which has not often been evident in the second half of the season. That means no place for Karun Chandhok, the last of whose ten grands prix came at Silverstone in July, or pay-per-race driver Sakon Yamamoto.

"It's my third chance to compete for the team this season and I'm getting more and more used to the car and the crew," Klien said. "It'll be my first time at this modern racetrack that combines very long straights with a technical slow part with not many run-off areas. There are basically two very different sections, so you need a good top speed for the long straights as well as some downforce and mechanical grip for the slow section.

"A further difficulty is the visibility, as the race starts at 5pm. We should have a similar pace to the one in Brazil, so I think we can be a challenge for the new teams."

Senna, who has only missed one race, said laps done in a two-seater F1 car should stand him in good stead. "It's a good circuit with some demanding technical sections. There is a mix of slow camber corners and some interesting long straights that could allow overtaking. The car must be set up well for corner exits and slow corners. Following Interlagos, where we had a very competitive race, we expect to finish the season on a high here in Abu Dhabi, competing with the other new teams again."

Kolles said: "After a positive result in Brazil, we are eager to keep on closing the gap to the other new teams and fight for positions with them."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.