Vitaly Petrov says Renault performance lower than expected in the 2011 season – Formula 1 news
Renault’s Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov has said that his team’s performance in the 2011 season so far has been lower than expected.
Talking about the Canadian Grand Prix, Petrov said that the car was capable of more but he only managed a fifth position whereas it could have been a bit higher. The Russian also added that the qualifiers were also not the same as the team was expecting.
Petrov said, “We were expecting to be a little bit higher in qualifying, but I think we had some bad luck during the session so our performance was lower than hoped for. I think that if I’d had more (downforce) I would have had a stronger race. We did not
fully capitalise on the situation.”
Furthermore, the Russian Formula 1 driver urged the team to have a good strategy on the semi-street circuits like Montreal.
He said, “It is a challenging season with a variety of circuits and, as a team, we are really amongst it and fighting for the high-end points. We’ve been spot on most of the time in this area this season and we need to keep up the good work.”
Petrov managed a fifth place finish in a four-hour rain interrupted Montreal race. His teammate Nick Heidfeld crashed in the final stages of the race and retired.
Previously, Renault started the season on a high when both Petrov and Heidfeld managed a podium finish each in the opening two races of the season.
However, the Renault team kept their fourth place in the constructors’ championship table with 60 points. They are still ahead of the Mercedes team which is an achievement for them.
Petrov further commented that the team can do much more in the remainder of the season to manage a permanent place among the top ranked teams of the season.
The 2011 Formula 1 season continues in Valencia on June 26 and Petrov is aiming for some point scoring finish. Let’s see if he can manage that.
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