Sure I'll be able to fight for a strong points finish - Heidfeld
After luck deserted him in Montreal, Lotus Renault Grand Prix driver Nick Heidfeld discusses his intent on putting things right in Valencia. The German hopes to be able to get the maximum out of the car at Valencia and he's convinced to fight for points in the Spanish city.
You must be disappointed after Montreal – was it just a case of bad luck? "Yes, I think it was bad luck. I have put it behind me now but it is difficult to know what could have been done differently. When the incident happened, I was behind Kamui (Kobayashi) and he suddenly slowed down instead of accelerating which would be the normal action at this part of the track. Of course then I couldn’t avoid him and went into the back of his car, my front wing came off and unfortunately my race reached its end. These things happen from time to time, it was just unlucky that it took place when we were in such a strong position fighting for high-end points."
Despite the disappointment, there were positive signs for the team throughout the weekend – what can you draw from the experience? "Overall, it was definitely a positive weekend for us, especially if you look at the preceding race in Monaco. It was a good step forward to have both cars qualifying in the top ten, and then to have Vitaly scoring 10 points, too. Before I went out (of the race), I was driving well. It was important for the team to come away from Canada understanding some of the problems we encountered in Monaco, and I think we have clear proof that we did exactly that. We now know which direction we need to take, and it is obvious the team started doing that during the two-week spell between Monaco and Montreal. These things don’t magically happen overnight, but we have done a good job in analysing where we need to improve. In addition, the pit wall team made the right decisions over the weekend to put us in a strong fighting position."
Valencia is another street circuit – what are your views on this track? "It’s another street circuit but different to both Monaco, which is a proper street circuit, and Canada which is more of a high speed street circuit. This is a different type of track, faster than Monaco, slower than Canada. I think it will also require the car to be set-up with a bit more downforce than we needed in Montreal. It’s a reasonably recent race to join the F1 calendar but I’ve been there before so we will see how we get on."
Four more races until the August break, what’s your target for these? "Well, we will take it one race at a time. Firstly, our thoughts are very much on Valencia and this is our priority for now. I always want to get the maximum out of the car and each situation. I am sure I’ll be able to fight for a strong points finish here."
Seven races into the 2011 campaign, do you feel this season has been particularly exciting for F1 fans? "On one hand, yes but on the other hand, no. The races have been very exciting in terms of overtaking and unpredictability, so in that sense the sport has been more of a spectacle. However, if you look at the lead Sebastian (Vettel) has in the Drivers’ Standings then it is not much of a fight at the moment. From that side of things it is quite one-sided. But, this could change very quickly and it will be interesting to see what happens when the rules on the exhaust systems are altered."
