Hispania Racing driver Karun Chandhok dedicated his 14th place finish in the Australian GP to the backroom staff at the brand-new Spanish team, as the Indian driver secured the squad their first GP finish at Albert Park.
The Hispania team suffered a number of problems over the winter, undergoing a last-minute buyout in order to secure a place on the grid. They entered the season without testing their car and have struggled badly with their pace.
But Chandhok's finish, albeit in last place and four laps behind race winner Jenson Button, was celebrated by the team in Melbourne as if they had won the race, with team principal Colin Kolles hailing the result as a "great step forward".
"To finish was very difficult today, and all the more satisfying because of that," Chandhok smiled after the race.
"I dedicate this race result to all the mechanics and engineers who worked so hard since Bahrain, without any pre-season testing. This is a fantastic day for the team and a great step forward. I am proud to have ended our first race."
He went on to describe his race, saying: "At the start, I could see a big accident developing ahead of me and tried to keep to the inside to avoid trouble. I was able to avoid getting caught up in the aftermath and was in 16th position. I pitted on my eighth lap like the Ferraris and it was comfortable until mid-race where I was 15th.
"Later I changed tyres on my 51st lap, only seven laps before the end. We achieved the best result we could do today. We have to keep pushing and working and we will manage to finish even higher."
Kolles somewhat exaggeratedly praised the team for bringing two "very competitive cars" to the grid, and said that after two trying events, the season would really begin for the HRT team next weekend in Malaysia.
"Having Karun end the race in 14th position is a great step forward," the German grinned.
"We reached the goal with one of the two cars in the finish. I’m sorry for Bruno because he did a good job all weekend. Karun Chandhok drove the team’s first full race and finished in 14th position the first race for the team, which was really fantastic, especially with these difficult conditions.
"The team did a great job and brought two very competitive cars to the grid. Now we will keep on pushing and just focus on our preparation for Malaysia, where our season will really begin."
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