Friday: Lukewarm Debut for Senna at LRGP
First difficult day for the team based in Enstone. While Bruno Senna damaged his car in Free Practice 1, Vitaly Petrov experienced a steering problem that prevented him from running for a good part of the session, especially during the dry track period.
Bruno Senna – 23rd and 17th
« Obviously, I was disappointed to see my first session cut short when I went off the track. But this afternoon, I was delighted to have more time on the track. Despite the difficult conditions, the second session was much more productive. I was able to run on dry conditions, which was crucial to determine the direction to take for the settings. We were also able to work on a number of procedures, such as pit stop rehearsals and clearances. I’m catching up on lost time in the past by accumulating kilometers. One thing is for sure, I’m looking forward to getting back in the car tomorrow. »
Vitaly Petrov – 22nd and 24th
« The first session was challenging with too much water on the track. This made it difficult to understand how the new parts on the car were working. With the intermediate tires, the grip was good, both when the track had large puddles of water and when it dried out. Overall, it was a typical morning at Spa, and we didn’t experience any issues.
This afternoon, we assessed the setup with the intermediates and the car behaved well. I’m happy with its handling and would be happy to drive it again under the same conditions. When I went out for my first lap on slicks this afternoon, I felt a problem with the steering in the fast corners. So I returned to the pit for the team to analyze the problem. I wasn’t feeling good about the steering, so it made sense to come back for the team to work on it.
[From the Lotus Renault GP press release]
