Saturday: Senna and Petrov return to the top 10 with Renault!
Very poor two weeks ago at the Singapore Grand Prix, managing to just qualify for Q2, the Lotus Renault GP team has here in Japan regained its usual level. Bruno Senna once again outperformed his Russian teammate by securing the 9th position. Petrov will start behind him in 10th place. Initially awarded 8th and 9th places, the FIA reviewed its decision to place Kobayashi ahead of the Renault drivers. None had completed any laps in Q3, so the Q2 standings were used.
LRGP found form in qualifying, with both R31s securing their place in the top 10 for the Japanese Grand Prix. Bruno Senna will start eighth and Vitaly Petrov ninth. The incident that prematurely ended Senna’s final practice session ultimately had no impact on his qualifying performance.
New front suspensions were installed on Bruno’s car in time for qualifying. Evidently, the lack of track time during free practice didn’t prevent him from achieving a great performance under pressure. Vitaly Petrov maintained his impressive free practice pace by qualifying 9th.
None of the two R31s completed a flying lap in Q3, following the team’s decision to go out only at the end of the session on scrubbed medium tires, allowing them to start the race tomorrow on the tire of their choice.
Bruno Senna – 17th and 9th:
It was a bit tense to get my car ready to participate in the qualifiers after my incident this morning, but the team did a fantastic job. I couldn’t get all the track time I wanted this weekend, but the car performed superbly during the qualifiers, and our strategy helped us secure good positions for the race. I’m really looking forward to lining up on the grid; the race should be exciting. As I’ve said several times, I love this circuit and feel supported here. So, I hope to give our fans reasons to get excited.
Vitaly Petrov – 9th and 10th:
«I am delighted to qualify in ninth position on the grid. We are in much better shape than in Singapore, and we are proving once again the potential of the R31 on circuits with fast curves. The car has gradually improved each time I’ve taken the wheel. I felt good in free practice 1 and 2, and this morning, free practice 3 confirmed my feeling that we could achieve a great performance. The stability of the car has increased in the fast curves, and the traction was much better. So I am confident for the race. Different strategies will be applied, but I am happy that we are in the mix again.»
Alan Permane, Director of Track Operations:
The performance satisfies me. The day was good, but Bruno’s crash this morning is unfortunate; it prevented him from achieving a significant time before the qualifications. The mechanics did a fantastic job to have the car ready for the qualifications, and Bruno made his way calmly through Q1 and Q2, eventually securing a good position on the grid.
Why didn’t you do a fast lap in Q3?
We concluded that we would have struggled to improve our positions in the tight Q3 fight. It would have been difficult to get ahead of Schumacher anyway. So, we decided to send both cars out on used mediums to ensure we have the opportunity to choose our tire type for the start tomorrow.
From a strategy standpoint, are there several options for tomorrow?
Yes. Tire degradation is high here. The Suzuka track has strong grip and is hard on the tires. Also, having the ability to do what we want is an advantage. We will spend some time this evening thinking about the best solution. We have a fairly clear idea of how to approach the race. But we will examine the data very seriously to determine the best possible strategy and offer the drivers the best chances.
According to a statement from the Lotus Renault GP
