Lotus Renault GP driver Vitaly Petrov has admitted that a number of technical issues made for a challenging opening day at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, with his morning session hampered by radio and throttle pedal complications. However, a better afternoon helped the Russian limit the damage and climb to eighth on the timing screens, one place ahead of team-mate Nick Heidfeld.
"It was frustrating not to get many laps during the first practice session; to start with, my car radio needed to be rectified, then the throttle pedal had to be replaced," Petrov explained. "With the red flag out there, my time was even more limited.
"However, I managed to get some good laps in the second session and found the Super Soft tyres had a little more grip. I was pleased with P2 because we achieved all that we were planning to achieve. We found a good balance with the car and did some long distance runs, so all in all I think it was a satisfying day’s work.
"One thing we should consider is that the track will evolve over the weekend, so things can change over the next day or two."
German team-mate Heidfeld added: "A busy Friday, but with no drama from our side. We’ve been able to assess both types of compounds and there were no surprises on that front, although we still need to improve the balance of the car with the softer compound.
"Also, the new rear wing and DRS system seemed to be performing well. The only bad news is that I’ve been unable to make any long run this afternoon because of the red flags. Although it has improved since this morning, the track remains slippery, and a few of people have been caught out by these tricky conditions.
"Finally, the next two days should be cooler; we are also expecting some rain, so we’ll have to remain really flexible during the weekend. It’s been good to see many fans in the grandstands on a Friday, it almost felt like a race day."
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Vitaly Petrov
Nick Heidfeld
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  F. Alonso | Ferrari | 01:15.107 | 34 |
| 2. | S. Vettel | Red Bull | 01:15.476 | 29 |
| 3. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 01:15.601 | 33 |
| 4. | L. Hamilton | McLaren | 01:15.977 | 26 |
| 5. | J. Button | McLaren | 01:15.989 | 25 |
| 6. | P. di Resta | Force India | 01:16.089 | 34 |
| 7. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 01:16.102 | 28 |
| 8. | V. Petrov | Lotus Renault | 01:16.324 | 32 |
| 9. | N. Heidfeld | Lotus Renault | 01:16.422 | 32 |
| 10. | R. Barrichello | Williams | 01:16.687 | 28 |
| Full results | ||||
| Nick Heidfeld | |||
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| More Nick Heidfeld photos | |||
| Vitaly Petrov | |||
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| More Vitaly Petrov photos | |||
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