Vitaly Petrov's disappointment

Vitaly Petrov could have imagined better. During testing, the Lotus-Renault showed itself in the rhythm of Mercedes and Ferrari. Unfortunately, the qualifications did not go well.

During Q2, Lotus-Renault tried a somewhat risky strategy. Both drivers must qualify for Q3 in a single timed lap. This shows the confidence of Eric Boullier’s troops. Vitaly Petrov managed it without difficulty, taking a very good 4th place. However, it did not take long for bad luck to befall the Russian. A few moments later, his car stops on the circuit, jeopardizing all his chances of fighting in Q3.

Petrov will start tomorrow from 10th position on the grid. “I don’t know, after the second or third corner something was wrong with the car, explains the Lotus-Renault driver to the BBC. I tried to go full throttle but the car wouldn't work, I tried changing gears which didn't work either. We need to verify and analyze what happened. But to be honest, I'm very, very disappointed because we took a big step forward in the set-up. We have improved a lot since yesterday because the car was really nice to drive. It would have been very interesting to see what would have happened in Q3. »

The only consolation is that the start is one of the Russian's strong points, so he is not yet completely eliminated from the fight at the forefront tomorrow.