Heidfeld gracious towards Petrov
The German driver, dropped from the Lotus Renault GP just before the 2011 Belgian Grand Prix, spoke positively about the season of his former teammate, Vitaly Petrov.
Replaced at Renault by Bruno Senna since the Belgian Grand Prix, Nick Heidfeld stated about Vitaly Petrov: « For me, Vitaly is really better than last year. »
The German, who like Petrov knows what it means to have Robert Kubica as a teammate, added: « I drove alongside Robert Kubica for four years, I know what I’m worth compared to him, just look at the statistics. For me, we were at the same level. Sometimes he was dominating, sometimes it was me. »
Regarding the young Russian driver, Nick Heidfeld added: « I thought things would be easier against Vitaly this year. He has done a better job, especially in terms of his pace. Last year, he was spinning, he had accidents. But it was his first season and this year he has made good progress. He has gained confidence and improved his driving ».
However, Heidfeld does not forget that Petrov, who has participated in six more Grand Prix than him this season, has only scored two more points than the German this year: « However, what really matters in the end are the points ».
There are therefore two Grand Prix races left for Vitaly Petrov to further widen the gap over Nick Heidfeld…