Sunday: Total Disappointment for LRGP
The nighttime atmosphere of the Singapore Grand Prix didn't seem to work for the Lotus Renault GP team drivers, Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov, who finished the race in 15th and 17th place respectively... A difficult weekend for the Enstone team, then, as they return from Singapore without any points scored.
Bruno Senna, 15th:
« It was a difficult race. My first lap was very good, but then we suffered from very high tire degradation. I was pushing hard to make good times, but we had to adjust the brake balance to compensate for the rear tire wear. When we fitted the soft tires, the grip was not the same as with the super-softs. Then, when I arrived at the hairpin, the slowest part of the circuit, my wheels locked up, and I hit the wall. This really complicated my race because I lost a lot of time and then had to make an additional pit stop. We could have done better, but now let’s look towards Japan where I think we can better exploit the R31. »
Vitaly Petrov, 17th:
« Today was a race to forget. I had some problems with the KERS shortly after the start, which cost me a few tenths each lap and made it difficult to overtake. Then the tires started to degrade. When the cars started to overtake me, I had to slow down a bit and the tire pressure improved. We need to think about why the car doesn’t perform well on tracks like this. We weren’t at our usual level today, but I think the last five Grand Prix will be more favorable for us in terms of performance. »
Eric Boullier, Team Principal
« Upon arriving in Singapore, we knew the weekend would be challenging. The R31 has never been suited to street circuits, and there was little reason to believe it would be any different here. However, we did not expect such a poor performance. Seeing our cars classified as they are today, with our grip issues and the blue flags for us to let others pass, it was tough. Under these conditions, it’s hard to find positives from the race, apart from the impeccable work done by the Grand Prix organizers. We need to forget this race and quickly turn our attention to Suzuka, where the fast corners should bring smiles back to our faces. Finally, I would like to wish Steve Nielsen, our sporting director, all the best for the future. Steve has worked with the team for over 10 years, and today was his last race with us. »
