My goal is to get closer and closer to the top ten - Petrov
The Renault Formula One Team looks ahead to this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The team's rookie driver, Vitaly Petrov, is looking forward the new challenge that lays ahead as he never raced at Albert park before.
Vitaly, how did you evaluate your first weekend in F1? "Apart from the final result, I was very pleased with the weekend and it was all pretty straightforward. I made one mistake in qualifying, which meant I didn’t start as high up the grid as I could have done, but I made up for that at the start by climbing up to P11. The team helped me a lot over the weekend, and we did a good job with the engineers and mechanics to find the right set-up. The car felt fantastic on Sunday and that makes me very positive for the next races."
You seemed to take everything in your stride – is that in your character? "I prefer to take everything calmly. I’ve been racing a long time and, although F1 is tougher than any other series, it’s still about doing the best job you can in the car. I was not worried before the race, but I felt much better after doing my first start, making up places on the opening lap and really fighting with the cars around me. My goal now has to be to get closer and closer to the top ten without making any more mistakes."
What has been the reaction in Russia to your first race? "So far, the support in Russia has been fantastic. Formula 1 is still something new for my country, so people are learning about it all the time and discovering all the different aspects of the sport. There has been a lot of excitement, and many messages of support, so I have to say a big thank you to all the fans over there. When I get in the car, though, I am focused on the job. It’s a great boost to have my people behind me, but it doesn’t feel like extra pressure on my shoulders."
How will you approach the challenge of learning a new track in Australia? "The most important thing is to learn the track and understand how it flows. I need to get out there and feel the tarmac, see the kerbs, walk a lap to have the right feeling for what I need to do. Then I will do the best job I can and we’ll see what happens."
Source Renault F1
