Sunday: the two Lotus Renault GP in the points

Nick Heidfeld, 7th:

« It’s always good to score points, even though I think I could have finished higher today, although I started from ninth place. I’m not completely happy with the race. I was in traffic most of the time. The overtaking on Vitaly was difficult and we touched, but my pace was good, especially at the end of the race when the car was developing with the soft tires. I think our strategy was the right one. Overall, finishing seventh and getting six points for the team is good, given that I couldn’t qualify in a better position. »

Vitaly Petrov, 8th:

This was an interesting race, and strategically it was difficult for all the teams. I think what really affected my result today was the collision with Michael Schumacher at the start of the race. He hit my car, and then I was slowed down by some slower drivers after the first stop. If that hadn’t happened, my race would have been much better. However, I had the pleasure of overtaking Sébastien Buemi at the end, which placed me in eighth position. We have to stay positive; we have two cars in the points, and that’s 10 new points for the team.

Eric Boullier, Team Principal and Director

Four pit stops today was the right decision. Our cars didn’t get off to a flying start, but we stopped them at the right moments to ensure a place in the points for both drivers. Clearly, we need to work harder on Friday to understand tire degradation, which will allow us to know where we stand for the rest of the weekend. From there, we can push harder. Because if we consider today’s result, it’s not as good as it could have been. We’ll double our efforts to get back into the top six.

James Allison, Technical Director

«Today, we chose a four-stop strategy instead of three, and all elements prove that it was the right choice. To be honest, I’m satisfied rather than happy with our performance. Satisfied because our finishing positions are better than in qualifying. But not happy because the gap between us and the podium is too large. We have other improvements planned for the car, and we will aim for a top six or better in the upcoming races in Barcelona and Monaco.

Riccardo Penteado, Chief Engine Engineer LRGP, Renault Sport F1

A new double finish in the points for LRGP, which is a good result after the setbacks of the last race. We had planned an aggressive strategy to try to overtake Jenson (Button) at the end. But the fuel consumption was very high, even more than during qualifying. Therefore, we were very tight on fuel with both cars. It almost worked, and Nick was not far, just one second behind. It’s a shame he got caught in traffic, but the most important thing is that we scored 10 new points and consolidated our position in the championships.