Can't wait to get back in the car - Petrov
Renault's Vitaly Petrov will be racing at the Interlagos Circuit in Brazil for the first time, which he says will be great to experience rather than watch on television as he's done in the past. And after Korea he visited the teams Enstone base to learn about the requirements and characteristics of the short but twisty circuit in order to prepare for the challenge ahead.
Vitaly, how are you approaching the next race at Interlagos? "When you have tough races like Japan and Korea, you can’t wait to get back in the car to forget those bad memories, so I’m really looking forward to Interlagos. But it’s difficult to know what to expect because I’ve never been to Brazil before and it’s another new challenge for me. It’s a famous circuit because there have been so many great races there, especially in the last few years with the championship being decided. I remember watching these races on television so it will be great to experience it for real."
What are your views on the track layout? "It’s not a very long lap – just over 4km, but there are a lot of different corners in the lap. It’s also quite undulating so I think this makes it more interesting to try and find the limit in some of the corners. There is a very long straight and a good overtaking opportunity into the first chicane, so clearly the f-duct will very important at this track."
Have you done any special preparation for this race? "After Korea I went straight to Enstone to see the engineers and to talk about Brazil. The team have lots of data from last year, which is useful for learning the track because you can see the gears, the braking, the line, and you can start to understand the lap more. I also went back in the simulator to help me learn the Interlagos circuit. It only takes an hour to know the track pretty well and to have the confidence to start pushing."
Interview courtesy of Renault.
