Report Saturday: Lotus Renault GP – Vitaly Laughs, Nick Cries
The Lotus Renault GP cars were expected to be in the top 10 at the end of the qualifications for this first GP, but only one made it, that of Vitaly Petrov. The Russian driver has been comfortable since the beginning of the weekend, and his sixth position allows him to aim for points tomorrow.
Nick Heidfeld won’t have the same luck. The German had problems with his KERS system, which penalized him. Then he got stuck in traffic and ends up far on the grid, in 18th position.
Vitaly Petrov – 5th and 6th:
«After all the work done during a difficult winter for the whole team, it’s nice to come here and qualify on the third row. There was a lot of pressure in Q3 because I only had one lap. So there was no second chance, and I’m happy to have nailed that lap. »
The car has been good since the start of testing, and we have improved consistently in each session. I think we are in a good position for the race and that we can fight for some points tomorrow.
I’m not too worried about the tires because they’ve worked well for us so far and we haven’t seen the wear we had during the winter.
Nick Heidfeld – 9th and 18th:
I’m disappointed to start the season from so far back. It wasn’t an easy session and I had a problem with the KERS, which means I had to change some settings and it cost me one of my timed laps.
Then there was so much traffic and I tried to find space but it didn’t work out for me. It’s unlucky but I’m trying to put it behind me. As we saw with Vitaly, the car seems to have a good level and the race is open, so hopefully I can fight for the points.
