Formula One News » Petrov makes amends, but is it enough? Posted on 03/09/2010
Renault number two driver Vitaly Petrov may have managed to redeem himself by bouncing back from his first lap error in qualifying to score points at the Belgian Grand Prix last weekend, but his future remains far from certain.
Petrov looked to have taken a big step towards securing a place on the grid in 2011 with a sterling drive to fifth in Hungary just before the summer break, one that was hailed by team boss, Eric Boullier as ‘excellent’.
However, he made a major gaff in Q1 at Spa last weekend, putting his Renault R30 on a kerb at the exit of turn nine on his out-lap and spinning out. It was his worst qualifying performance of the season and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The Russian though didn’t give up and on Sunday despite starting 23rd, he fought back and eventually took P9 and two championship points. Those points could turn out to be some of the most important he has notched up all year.
“Scoring points was the target, so it’s good to finish ninth,” Petrov reflected. “My start was okay and I then tried to push hard and come through the field, which is what I did. The race was nice, but the conditions were very difficult and it was hard to choose which tyres to use.
“The team made some good decisions and I stayed a long time on the slicks, so I think we made the best of it. After my mistake yesterday in qualifying, I showed that we have the pace to always be in the top ten and I hope next time I can qualify much better so I don’t have to overtake so many cars.”
Boullier and Renault chief race engineer, Alan Permane meanwhile were both pleased to see Petrov get a top-ten finish after his mishap in qualifying.
“It was a strong performance from Vitaly to recover from the back of the grid to score points,” Boullier noted.
Permane added: “Vitaly drove really well today and did well to score some points having started from the back of the grid.”
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