Petrov: I know that I still need to improve

Vitaly Petrov needs to prove himself worthy to Renault in next nine races

Jul.21 (Renault) Vitaly Petrov has been in the news of late as speculation regarding his future with the Renault team mounts. Several big name drivers are being touted for what is one of the most coveted “available” seats in Formula 1.

Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault R30. Formula One World Championship, Rd 10, British Grand Prix, Race, Silverstone, England, Sunday 11 July 2010.

Vitaly in action at Silverstone

The Russian rookie meanwhile has to keep his focus on performing well in the final half of 2010 to keep his hopes of a 2011 race seat alive with his current team. Petrov speaks ahead of the German Grand Prix weekend at Hockenheim.

Let’s look back to Silverstone – another promising race ruined by a puncture…
I enjoyed the race but, of course, I was disappointed with the outcome. I was almost in the points when I had some bad luck with the puncture, so we could have got a much better result. But what is done is done, and it was still good to finish all 52 laps of the race. This gives us lots of information about the car and the track, which was especially important with Robert’s race ending early.

Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault. Formula One World Championship, Rd 10, British Grand Prix, Practice Day, Silverstone, England, Friday 9 July 2010.

Vitaly working closely with Renault engineers

You now have ten races behind you, what is your frame of mind as we enter the second half of the season?
I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and using the experience that I have gained so far. I know that I still need to improve, but I’m doing my best to work more closely with the team and Robert to improve the car. I feel that I have a really good relationship with the team and we know each other pretty well by now. We spend a lot of time together, we go to dinner together and I spend a lot of time at the factory. Being very close with them will help me get the most from every weekend.

Vitaly Petrov (RUS) Renault R30. Formula One World Championship, Rd 6, Monaco Grand Prix, Practice Day, Monte-Carlo, Monaco, Thursday 13 May 2010.

Vitaly at the wheel of the Renault R30

As a rookie, each race is a big learning experience. Where do you feel you can still improve?
I think that the information and feedback I give the team is something that is very important. When we have a new upgrade, we need to have a good understanding of how it works and how it improves the car, and it’s down to me to give the team the right information. Being accurate with my feedback is also important for improving the set-up and getting the most from the car so this is where I am working hard.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s race in Germany, what are your views on the Hockenheim circuit?
I know the circuit because I’ve raced there before in GP2. It’s quite a difficult track and there is usually close racing so you need to be quite tactical with your driving. There are some corners where you can overtake, like the hairpin at the end of the long back straight. Overall I think it should be a good circuit for our car.

What are your objectives for the German GP weekend?
As always the first target is to be close to Robert’s pace. Then I need to qualify in the top ten and finish the race. I think that qualifying is my number one priority for the weekend because we know how it important it is for the outcome of the race. Print This Article