Friday: Lotus Renault seems to be in the running at Suzuka
After a more than disappointing weekend in Singapore, the Lotus Renault team was hoping to bounce back in Suzuka and things seem to be off to a good start as Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna's R31s seem comfortable on the Suzuka circuit. Both drivers are delighted with their car's current performance but hope to make a few more adjustments to gain additional performance for the qualifying session and the race.
Bruno Senna – 11th and 14th
It was nice to drive again at Suzuka because it’s such a fantastic circuit. We spent the day working on a slimmer bodywork for my car, making numerous changes to try to find a good balance for the car. The main problem was understeer, especially in the first corner, which caused me to spin out, but I managed to get back on the track with the help of the marshals who are very good here and without any damage, which allowed us to continue our program. There’s still a lot of work to be done, and this work is only just beginning.
Vitaly Petrov – 10th and 9th
The two sessions were good for us without any major mechanical issues, which allowed us to complete the planned testing program, and everything seems to be heading in the right direction. We still need to make some adjustments to improve the car, but we’ve shown that we have a solid base here. We had to change the power steering this morning, but it didn’t affect the program too much since we managed to complete the number of laps we needed. If we continue on this trajectory, we should be well positioned on Sunday.
