Lotus Renault Hungarian GP Qualifying Report
Hungaroring
Vitaly Petrov - “I encountered quite a lot of understeer today”
Vitaly Petrov was the fastest LRGP driver in a difficult qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix where both cars narrowly missed out on a Q3 qualifying run.
Vitaly will line up on the grid for tomorrow’s race in 12th position with Nick Heidfeld directly behind him in 14th with under two tenths of a second separating both drivers’ best times, set using Pirelli’s super soft compound P-Zero.
Variable weather conditions with relatively brisk winds did not assist finding a good set-up for the R31 in a session where Sebastian Vettel took pole position with a time of 1min 19.815secs.
How did you find the conditions out there today?
VP: The difficulty we had was warming up the tyres because the weather was so changeable. It was quite windy and cooler than it usually is here, but that was the same for everyone out there.
Was it a challenging qualifying out there?
VP: I encountered quite a lot of understeer, especially in turn nine, which cost me two-tenths and practically put an end to my chance of getting in Q3. It is this, combined with traction issues that have been our main challenges so far this weekend.
And looking ahead to tomorrow?
VP: We are ambitious so qualifying where we did is not satisfactory for us. The focus will now turn to how we make the best out of the situation tomorrow.
Vitaly Petrov, R31-05
Qualifying: P12, 1:22.284, 14 laps
Nick Heidfeld, R31-04
Qualifying: P14, 1:22.470, 14 laps
By: Lotus Renault
Share Or Save This Story
Top 10: Ranking the best GP2 non-champions
Petrov replaced as F1 steward after father's death
LGBTQ+ movement criticises appointment of Petrov as F1 steward
WSJ Report: NASCAR is building 80+ race cars for Days of Thunder sequel
Brennan Poole to leave Alpha Prime Racing; team owners 'disappointed' to see him go
Oscar Piastri on his Singapore puncture: “Ironically, it probably helped”
Winners and losers from NASCAR Cup at Charlotte after dramatic finish
'Senior moment' or breakdown of trust? The implications of Hamilton's Singapore GP meltdown
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Singapore GP sprint and qualifying
How Honda plans a return to being an F1 powerhouse
Why Red Bull's 'crazy' power unit success matters so much for F1
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments