Saturday: Lotus Renault GP may regret it
After showing a drop in performance during free practice, the R31 seemed much more competitive during Q1. Vitaly Petrov recorded one of the 4 fastest times in both Q1 and Q2. However, despite being qualified, the Russian had to stop his car on the track a few minutes before the end of Q2, thus preventing his teammate from setting a good time in Q2. Nick Heidfeld ends up in 16th place, while Petrov cannot race in Q3 and qualifies by default in 10th place before likely receiving a penalty for a gearbox change. A very disappointing result today.
Vitaly Petrov – 7th and 10th:
«I am terribly disappointed with what happened. I had just finished a very fast lap that placed me in 4th position at the end of Q2. The car lost power, and I had to stop on the side. The track was improving, and so were my times since this morning, everything was going very well. Because of the engine stop, I couldn’t pull off the track, and my qualification was over. The positive point is that the car proved to be fast, and that gives me hope of making a comeback tomorrow starting from 10th place on the grid.»
Nick Heidfeld – 11th and 16th:
It’s really frustrating to start 16th because it doesn’t reflect our true value. We were supposed to do just one lap on soft tires in Q2, but the red flag made the last minutes very complicated. We absolutely had to be the first out of the pit lane because there was very little time left to cross the line and start the lap timer. I managed to do one last lap, but I was caught in traffic, and that lap was not clear at all. As I said, our race pace is much higher than what our grid position indicates. But starting 16th won’t be easy. Fortunately, the circuit offers overtaking opportunities, so I hope for a good start and to climb back up to fight for points.
