Friday: Another good weekend ahead for Lotus Renault GP
A positive first day for the British team despite Nick Heidfeld's off-track excursions, which cost driving time in the morning. Both cars placed in the top 10 during the day's two sessions, and the drivers hope to achieve another good result for the team.
Nick Heidfeld – 5th and 8th:
It didn’t go as we wished, particularly because of my two outings during the first and second session. In both cases, it was my fault. I hope it’s a good omen because, in Malaysia, we had little track time on Friday before achieving a good result. Considering I had only done five laps, I was surprised to be so quick. We were both in the top 10. The car can do better, but the gap to the best is a bit larger than we would like. As expected, we set our best times with the soft tires, but it’s good to have been able to use both types of rubber.
Vitaly Petrov – 9th and 9th:
We were able to drive normally during both sessions. We also managed to work on setup directions and we’re quite happy with it. We should be satisfied with the day. Not so much in terms of pace and times, but rather because we didn’t encounter any mechanical issues. So we can keep working hard. The option tires brought a big improvement, as usual, with much more grip.
[With a statement from Lotus Renault GP]