Saturday: Petrov and Lotus Renault GP reconnect with Q3
After a disappointing British Grand Prix, Lotus Renault GP regains performance and reaches Q3 but still has a lot of work to do to return to its early-season form.
Vitaly Petrov – 11th and 9th
The day was not easy, and we had difficulties finding the right settings and getting the tires properly warmed up in this cold weather. We all worked hard, and it’s satisfying to achieve our goal of reaching the top ten. We can be quite happy with our position today. That said, we are still on the edge of entering Q3 and we still have work to do.
The team did an excellent job today and prepared an excellent car for me. The weather has varied quite a bit over the past two days and we always have to adapt our driving style. But whether it rains or not tomorrow, we are ready.
Nick Heidfeld – 13th and 11th
I missed out on getting into Q3 by just over three hundredths, but such small margins can always be made up somewhere. So it wasn’t such a bad qualifying, although it would have been better to have a shot in Q3 to try to gain a few places.
Tomorrow, many things will depend on the weather. If it rains, it will make things harder to predict and we know our car is more comfortable in dry conditions and on long stints. One thing is for sure, we are on the path to getting back in shape. Silverstone was tough for us, but we definitely made a leap forward. We need a good race tomorrow to prove it. Definitely, our goal is to score points.
[From the Lotus Renault GP press release]
