Sunday Report: Lotus GP – 100th podium for a Renault chassis

After a difficult Friday, the Lotus Grand Prix team repeated its performance from Melbourne by securing its second consecutive podium finish, this time credited to Nick Heidfeld, who finished 3rd. Vitaly Petrov, on the other hand, made a small mistake that led to his retirement after quite a daring race.

Nick Heidfeld – 3rd

« I got off to an excellent start like in Australia, and I didn’t expect to gain so many positions. I found myself in second place with four places gained! Then I gave everything I could to stay in touch with Sebastian (Vettel), but he was much faster. Later, a few raindrops fell and my tires started to fade, but I stayed on track. I lost a few places at the first pit stop, but it was clear that we had a very good pace and were able to fight with those in front. I was lucky to take advantage of Fernando’s (Alonso) problem, but I thoroughly enjoyed battling and overtaking Lewis (Hamilton). In the final laps, Mark (Webber) caught up, but we had the pace to stay ahead. It’s another very good result for Lotus Renault GP and it confirms that the team has made great progress this year. »

Vitaly Petrov – retirement

« First of all, I am happy for the team with this new podium that confirms our great start to the season. The team delivered a very solid performance in an unpredictable race. I made a small mistake that shouldn’t have led to such consequences. I went wide and the car took off over a bank before landing abruptly. Both cars should have finished in the points today, but the good news is that we are perfectly on pace to fight at the front this season. »

Eric Boullier

The race was difficult with many pit stops and a lot of strategy changes. Honestly, I don’t believe everything went according to plan for everyone, but as a team, we reacted very well. I am very happy for Nick, of course, but also for the whole team. It’s another beautiful reward, especially after a tough start to the weekend. It’s good to find ourselves on the podium again, despite the disappointment of losing a car with less than ten laps to go. There is no doubt, the car is competitive, even if it still lacks the speed to compete for the win. So we need to double our efforts in development, but two podiums in a row is a real satisfaction.