Friday: Caterham can still do better on medium tires
The Caterham team is pleased to have covered a large number of kilometers and thus collected valuable data for the rest of the weekend. Having worked on brake cooling, the Malaysian team has mainly assessed the extent of tire degradation and expects a race filled with pit stops and strategies.
Heikki Kovalainen – 18th and 17th:
« It’s a good day for us in terms of kilometers completed and data collected. This morning the track wasn’t as “dirty” as we feared, so the grip level was OK. This means we really could look at the level of tire degradation with the medium tires during Free Practice 1 and it was immediately clear that the heat and the nature of the track mean tire management will be crucial on Sunday. Rear grip is an area we will need to pay particular attention to and try a few setup changes, but I think it’s the same for everyone. »
Vitaly Petrov – 18th and 16th:
« It was a good day for us. We completed a decent number of laps in both sessions, and I was happy with the car all day. It’s going to be tough on the tires on Sunday with both compounds, but we looked pretty good on the softs in the performance runs, and we have a few changes to try tomorrow to get the most out of the medium tires, so I think we’re in pretty good shape. »
« It is clear that tire degradation will be the biggest topic of discussion on Sunday, and I think we will see many pit stops in the pack. Strategy and pit stops will play a big role, so no matter what happens, it will be an exciting race for the fans. »
