A totally new experience for me - Petrov

F1 Grand Prix, GP Canada, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

After a year of absence on the Formula One calendar, the Renault F1 Team returns to the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit in Canada this weekend. For Vitaly Perov however it will be the very first time he'll travel to Montreal.

Vitaly, looking back to Turkey, you came very close to scoring points. Sum up your feelings after such a promising performance. "I have mixed feelings about Turkey because even though it was a good race for me, I was disappointed to end up without any points. All the way through the weekend I was consistent and felt comfortable with the car. In qualifying I made it into Q3 for the first time, which was my target and this was an important step for me. Then, in the race, everything was going perfectly until the incident with Alonso, which caused the puncture."

Did it feel satisfying to race on terms with the Ferraris? "Of course, but it would have been even more satisfying to finish in the points. The car felt very good in the race and I was able to keep pace with the cars around me, especially Massa who I was pushing hard for most of the race. All the cars in the train were very close and it was good experience for me to race with the top teams."

Are you looking forward to the next race in Montreal? "It will be a totally new experience for me because I have never been to Canada before. So it’s a new country and a new track for me to discover. I’ve been told that there is always a good atmosphere in the city and that the public really support the race so I’m looking forward to experiencing that."

What are your expectations for the race? "First of all I just want to get there and see how things go in practice before I start setting myself targets. I need to get a feel for the car and learn the track so that is the priority. It’s a track with lots of big braking zones and chicanes, so I think it will suit the R30 because our car is easy to drive and is good at jumping over the kerbs. I will be targeting the top ten in qualifying and we’ll see what happens in the race."