Friday: the new parts are working at Caterham
Despite a problem at the end of FP2 for Vitaly Petrov, caused by his KERS, smiles are on the faces at Caterham. The new parts, including a new front wing, are working, and the English team, awaiting a more complete package for Silverstone, hopes to close the gap.
Heikki Kovalainen – 17th and 19th
A rather good Friday for me, with both sessions going according to our plans. In FP2, we tried a new version of the front wing and the initial feel it gave was good: it’s too early to say how much it will benefit us, but it’s a good sign that what was predicted at the factory seems to have worked on the track. There’s more to come for the next race, but already it’s a step in the right direction.
Vitaly Petrov – 20th and 17th
« It was a positive Friday for us. The FP1 started with a track as green as we had anticipated, but that affects everyone in the same way, so we began our program and focused on finding a balance that would be good once the grip level increased. We also tried new KERS settings, which worked well but might be better suited to a track less characterized by acceleration/braking than Valencia. We will look into that tonight, and I’m sure we will find a solution in time for FP3. »
In FP2, we completed most of the program, running with both low and high fuel loads and with both types of tires, and until we had a mechanical problem at the end of the session, the car was good. We’ve made a few changes here, and I definitely felt some progress, but we’ll see the full package at Silverstone. Still, it’s good to see that we continue to develop the car and get closer to our goals this year, so I think qualifying and the race could be quite interesting for us.
