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Senna confident HRT will be quicker than rivals

ESPNF1 Staff
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Senna is confident the new HRT will be quick © Sutton Images
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Bruno Senna is confident the new HRT F1 car will be faster than fellow newcomers Lotus and Virgin.

On Thursday HRT confirmed Senna and Karun Chandhok as its drivers and unveiled its Dallara-built chassis. The car has not completed any pre-season testing, but by comparing Lotus' and Virgin's testing times to that of the Dallara GP2 car, Senna is confident the HRT can match its rivals for pace.

"Lotus and Virgin were in Barcelona just a good second faster than the GP2 cars, of which Dallara has indeed all the data," he wrote in his column for Motorsport Magazin. "And we should be faster according to their calculations right away, at least two seconds faster than the GP2 cars."

However, Senna is well aware that reliability will be a major factor in the early races.

"Of course, much will also depend on whether the car is stable from the beginning to some extent," he added. "I hope that, with the experience of the Dallara men and with a little luck, a few of the problems that the other newcomers encountered, especially in the hydraulic system, will not trouble us."

The HRT will run for the first time during Friday practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 12.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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