Robert Kubica has today informed Lotus Renault GP that, despite having started an intensive training programme, it is still too early for him to commit to driving in the 2012 championship. Robert’s progress remains impressive – he can now walk freely, and move his hand and elbow -, but he feels that he needs more time to return to full fitness.

Lotus Renault GP remains committed to helping Robert as much as possible in his recovery process. A test car is ready and waiting for him, and a dedicated crew is on stand-by. Of course, Robert will remain a member of the LRGP family in 2012 and he is already, through his management, holding talks about renewing his contract for the following season.

Although very disappointed by the news, Lotus Renault GP will start assessing its options and will evaluate the most suitable candidate to drive from the first 2012 winter testing session. Once again, all the members of Lotus Renault GP wish Robert a full and speedy recovery as we say: “Szybkiego powrotu do zdrowia” - Get well soon our friend.

Robert Kubica: “Even if I’ve been working very, very hard over the course of the last few weeks, I came to the conclusion that I am not yet certain to be ready for the 2012 season. I have called the team and I have informed them of the situation. This was a difficult decision to make, but it is the most reasonable one. I also know that LRGP need to prepare for next year, and further extending deadlines would not have been the right thing to do. On a personal level, my recovery is still very encouraging and my doctors keep being impressed. I just need more time, as I want to be 100% ready before I commit to anything driving related. Finally, I regret not having been able to provide more news and not having appeared in the papers, and I thank my friends of the media for understanding that this has been the best way for me to cope with what has been the most difficult period of my life.”

Eric Boullier, Managing Director and Team Principal: “Everybody in the team is, of course, very disappointed today. Robert not driving in Australia at the start of next season is not what we were all hoping for. However, he has taken a very mature decision, acting in the best interests of Lotus Renault GP. As a team and as a family, we remain 100% behind him and we’ll help as much as we can. A programme composed of simulator testing, single-seater and F1 track time is awaiting him. In the meantime, we will start talking to a few drivers in order to finalise our line-up for next year as soon as possible. Robert will take it step by step and will jump back in his racing car when he feels it is the right moment to do so. On behalf of all 520 members of the team, I wish him a speedy recovery.”

http://www.lotusrena...s-start-of.html

Bruno Senna, P16, R31-04

Lotus Renault GP leave Abu Dhabi in 13^th and 16^th place, after a hard day’s night at the Yas Marina Circuit with neither car scoring any points.

Just like the entire weekend, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix took place in hot and hazy conditions with an air temperature of 27°C, though the dusk held off for the duration of the race, with the floodlights taking over from the sun.

With the DRS failing, Vitaly was unable to advance from his starting position of P12; he crossed the line in P13. Being unable to overtake anyone else, Vitaly tried to do a one stop race but the hard tyre couldn’t last long enough so he had to stop for the soft tyre.

Bruno had a problem with his KERS which really cost him, and put him back between half a second to a second each lap. There’s no real positives to take from today. Lotus Renault GP will now just have to ensure to do the best job possible to prepare for Brazil…

World Champion Sebastian Vettel spun off with a rear puncture, allowing Lewis Hamilton to lead Fernando Alonso from lap 2. Alongside Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastien Buemi and Jérôme D’Ambrosio had to retire in today’s race at the Yas.

At the front Lewis Hamilton took a dominant victory for McLaren ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and Jenson Button in the second McLaren.

http://www.lotusrena...Renault-GP.html

Q1: P6, 1.40.955, 10 laps

Q2: P12, 1.40.919, 8 laps

Bruno Senna, R31-04

Q1: P12, 1.41.391, 9 laps

Q2: P14, 1.41.079, 6 laps

Lotus Renault GP will have a lot of work to do during tomorrow’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a difficult qualifying session at the Yas Marina Circuit. Despite the session taking place in the early evening, it was still hot as air temperatures reached 26°C.

Both Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov went out early in Q1, putting in a five-lap run on the Pirelli medium tyres before switching to the softs for the final seven-minute push for Bruno and six-minute push for Vitaly.

Vitaly had just enough time to put in another flying lap. He duly nailed a time of 1min 40.955secs to seal 6^th place and make it into Q2. Bruno’s 1min 41.391secs was good enough to break into the top 12.

In Q2 Vitaly and Bruno were heading out again on soft tyres – when the session was red-flagged for Felipe Massa knocking over a bollard. That meant Bruno and Vitaly only had nine minutes left to set a lap when the session resumed for the final run. Vitaly set a time of 1min 40.919secs to take 12^th on the grid and Bruno put in a lap of 1min 41.079 to go 14^th.

In the final Q3 shoot-out, Sebastian Vettel took pole position for Red Bull with a lap of 1min 38.481secs ahead of the McLarens Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

http://www.lotusrena...YING-LOTUS.html

P11, 1:41.509, 21 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P14, 1:41.594, 18 laps

Lotus Renault GP completed its preparations for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix with the third and final session of free practice on another hot afternoon in the Emirates.

The two Lotus Renault cars went out on the Pirelli medium tyre for their first eight laps of the futuristic-surrounded track. Vitaly put in a lap of 1min 43.851secs while Bruno recorded a lap of 1min 44.041secs on his second.

With 25 minutes remaining Bruno and Vitaly went out to try the soft tyre on their third and fourth run. Bruno was the quicker of the LRGP duo, with a 1min 41.509secs lap compared to Vitaly’s 1min 41.594secs - before making switches to the medium Pirellis for qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton set the pace at the front with a lap of 1min 38.976secs ahead of the Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber as the F1 field finalised its settings for the early evening qualifying, scheduled for 1700 local Abu Dhabi time.

http://www.lotusrena...ce-3-Lotus.html

P13, 1:41.947, 31 laps

Bruno Senna, R31-04

P15, 1:42.369, 36 laps

With the track temperature eleven degrees cooler, Lotus Renault GP started the second session in the early evening at the Yas Marina Circuit. Vitaly and Bruno had to change their visor strip to be ready for driving at dusk.

On the yellow-marked soft tyres, Vitaly and Bruno managed times of 1min 41.947secs and 1min 42.369secs.

As for Vitaly, he was pretty happy with the work he completed and felt that the changes made between the two sessions were an improvement. He was also pleased to have done 31 laps in total, providing the engineers with lots of data with which to try and make further improvements overnight.

The team will need to anticipate how the track temperature will change between final practice and qualifying tomorrow because it is likely to have quite a big impact on car balance.

Lewis Hamilton topped the leaderboard, as he headed the field with a 1min 39.586 secs, ahead of team mate Jenson Button in second.

http://www.lotusrena...ce-2-Lotus.html

P12, 1:42.685, 29 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P13, 1:43.118, 13 laps

Lotus Renault GP began its preparations for this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Romain Grosjean had his first taste of Grand Prix weekend R31 track action today as he completed a trouble-free FP1 session in Bruno Senna’s R31-04.

Making his debut, Romain made the most of the running and completed 29 laps using one set of Pirelli’s medium and soft compound to set a time of 1min 42.685secs, the 12^th quickest time of the session.

Vitaly Petrov was less fortunate as his session was shortened due to a steering column problem, and the engine lost power after his two fastest laps. He still ended up 13^th courtesy of a lap of 1min 43.118secs and his car will be ready for FP2.

Fastest in FP1 was McLaren’s Jenson Button with a time of 1m 40.263secs.

http://www.lotusrena...ce-1-Lotus.html

Engine

There is no overriding focus for the engine as there are long straights where you need good top end power, but there are also a lot of slow speed corners where you need good engine response and driveability.

Brakes

There are reasonable braking demands, especially into Turns 5, 8 and 11 which have quite high speed approaches to the low speed corners. Brake temperatures need to be monitored, as will brake wear – not likely to be an issue, but more attention is paid here than at other tracks.

Suspension

The kerbs are more pronounced than at some other tracks, in particular Turns 8, 9 and through the last sector. A soft car which rides the kerbs well helps here, but it’s a trade-off between having a soft car which will ride over the kerbs and one which is stiff enough for the driver to have a sharp change of direction which is necessary for the chicanes (8-9 and 11-13).

Rear Wing

The recent tracks - Suzuka, Korea, India - have been a high-medium downforce level whereas Yas Marina is more akin to a Monaco level of downforce - almost maximum because of the section between Turn 11 and 21, which is all very low speed with a lot of second gear corners.

Tyres

The consecutive allocation of the medium and soft compound Pirelli tyres should not present too many issues, with both tyres likely to suit the circuit – opening up the potential strategy permutations.

Front Wing

Turn 2 is the crucial corner for determining how much front wing is used. More front wing is required here than for any other corner, so you need sufficient front wing for Turn 2 without causing too much detriment elsewhere.

Track annotations

• Turn 1 is medium speed; around 130 kph leading into the high speed Turns 2 and 3 which should be flat out in qualifying.It is only something for the drivers to think about when they are on heavy fuel loads.
  
• Turn 2 is a defining corner for set-up. You need sufficient front wing to eradicate high speed understeer and this defines how much front wing is used as the other corners can all use less than this one.
  
• Turn 5 has one of the bigger braking demands on the circuit, down from around 300 kph.
  
• Good engine pickup out of Turn 7 is vital to enter the longest straight of the track. Turn 7 is a second gear corner, taken at around 70 kph.
  
• The fastest part of the circuit, at the end of one of the longest straights in F1 with a maximum speed of around 320 kph. It is followed by heavy braking down to second gear and around 80 kph.
  
• The kerbs are used aggressively through Turns 8-9 so a soft car helps with this.
  
• Another long straight with a top speed of over 300 kph which leads into a heavy braking zone for Turn 11. Turns 11-13 need a good change of direction from the car.
  
• Between Turns 11 and 21 is all very low speed with a lot of second gear corners, This is very reminiscent of a street course without actually being a street course.
  

http://www.lotusrena...Grand-Prix.html

Lotus Renault GP can confirm that, from 2012, it will adopt Lotus as its chassis name.

Following a meeting of the F1 commission last week, the team’s request to change the chassis name was approved and has been officially announced by the FIA today. It will be reflected in the Constructors’ Championship lists from 2012 onwards.

Eric Boullier, Lotus Renault GP Team Principal & MD: “We are very pleased that our chassis name change has been approved. We have said all along that, in the interests of the sport, it is important that we remove any ambiguity on this matter. It is also important that there are clearly identifiable teams on the grid, and today’s announcement goes some way towards ensuring that. It is the start of another chapter for Enstone, but not a whole new beginning. The team’s history and experience will allow us to take up this challenge with a controlled and swift process. We’re very much looking forward to 2012.”

P12

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P11

Lotus Renault GP just missed out on a return to the points today at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, as Vitaly came home 11th and Bruno just behind in 12th.

The result was an improvement on their grid positions, but Bruno was left disapointed finishing where he did after a barnstorming start rocketed him up to 10th position.

A KERS problem shortly after, however, led the Brazilian to be passed by both Torro Rosso cars, and cross the finishing line in 12th position.

Vitaly faced some struggles, sliding off the track on a couple of occasions and suffering from a slow first pit stop.

The misfortune cost him, but he crossed the line in P11 just behind Sauber’s Sergio Perez.

World champion Sebastian Vettel claimed first prize, ahead of Britain’s Jenson Button in second and Fernando Alonso in third.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7571-INDIAN-GP-RACE-LOTUS-RENAULT-GP.html

P11, 1.26.319 20 laps

Lotus Renault GP had a dissappointing qualifying session today with neither car cracking into the top ten, despite showing promising pace in Q1.

Vitaly set the fastest time in Q1, with a 1min 26.189secs. Had that time been set in Q2 would have taken him through to Q3. Unfortunately, he was unable to replicate the time in the second session and set the 11th fastest time, to which a five place grid penalty will be added for tomorrow’s race.

Bruno set the tenth fastest time in Q1, but could only manage P15 in Q2, meaning both drivers have tough tasks ahead of them for Sunday’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel was fastest today with a lap of 1min 24.178secs whilst Lewis Hamilton was second quickest.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7553-INDIAN-GP-QUALIFYING-LOTUS-RENAULT.html

Vitaly Petrov: R31-06, P11, 1:27.890, 37 laps

As the drivers eased into their driving duties at the Buddh International Circuit, Bruno and Vitaly were able to enjoy some considerable track time in this afternoon’s 90-minute session.

In warm, hazy conditions Lotus Renault GP took part in an interrupted second session, as both drivers managed to trial Pirelli’s hard and soft tyre compounds.

On the hard tyres, Bruno and Vitaly managed times of 1min 33.331secs and 1min 32.502secs respectively.

Moving onto the yellow-marked soft (option) tyres after 25 minutes, Vitaly managed a time of 1min 27.890secs, claiming 11^th place in the process. However, it was Bruno who pipped his team mate by almost four tenths of a second, with a time of 1min 27.498secs, leaving him in P8 at the end of the session.

Brazil’s Felipe Massa topped the leaderboard, as he headed the field with a 1min 25.706 secs, eight hundredths ahead of world champion Sebastian Vettel in second.

http://www.lotusrena...us-Renault.html

Vitaly Petrov: R31-06 P12, 1:29.705, 20 laps

Lotus Renault GP took to the Buddh International Circuit for the first time today in a dog-interrupted free practice session at the impressive new facility near Delhi.

After installation laps from both drivers a local dog came to see what the noise was about, bringing out a brief red flag period whilst pooch was pulled from the track.

Back to action, and Bruno and Vitaly completed further laps on Pirelli’s hard compound tyre, before switching to the soft compound as the track surface became cleaner.

Vitaly ended the session as the quicker of the LRGP duo, with a 1min 29.705secs lap compared with Bruno’s 1min 27.799secs.

Lewis Hamilton ended the session with the fastest time of 1min 26.836secs with Sebastian Vettel second fastest.

http://www.lotusrena...US-RENAULT.html

The circuit incorporates a number of decent straights and an assortment of corner types, meaning strong top-end power allied with responsive and smooth power delivery are required.

Brakes

There are significant braking demands at turns one, four and five but overall it does not appear to be a hard circuit for brakes. There is certainly a long straight for the brakes to cool before turn 4, and they will not be unduly stressed heading into turn 1.

Suspension

With a new circuit the exact kerb location and severity are not known, nor are the bumps of the track. This makes it difficult to predict spring and anti-roll bar rates. As a result, the first days at the circuit are crucial for data collection. The circuit will be visually inspected, and then extra data logging is used on the car on Friday.

Rear Wing

Downforce level simulations show that the Buddh International Circuit is comparable to a Suzuka or Barcelona level of downforce; similar to that used in Korea which is a couple of steps away from maximum load.

Tyres

Pirelli are taking their hard and soft tyres which appears to be a rightly conservative choice for what is a new circuit. The ambient weather predictions are around 36ºC so, with very hot track temperatures, we will be on the lookout for blistering.

Front Wing

Front wing downforce needs to be sufficient to eradicate understeer, particularly for the turn 10 to 11 high speed corners where it would lose a lot of lap time.

Track annotations

• Turn 3 is extra wide to promote overtaking. It is also one of the slowest corners, leading on to the longest straight, so overtaking opportunities should be evident going into the corner, and then on the following straight.
  
• The longest straight should see the highest speeds – predicted to be around 320 kph.
  
• Track surface analysis from Pirelli shows a surface around middle ground for roughness – neither very smooth nor very abrasive. Analysis of the surface and bumps will take place once the team arrives at the track.
  
• Turn 4 at the end of the longest straight is another corner which is wide in order to assist with overtaking. It’s also the heaviest braking point on the circuit - another aspect which should assist with passing.
  
• Turns 8-9 should require a quick change of direction from the car. How the kerbs can be tackled won’t be known until the team’s arrival at the track.
  
• Turn 10 is uphill and heads straight into turn 11, offering one of the most exciting parts of the circuit. This section is overlooked by a grandstand with a capacity of 13,000. On this long corner, understeer is the enemy and car setup is designed to counter this here.
  
• Turns 13-14 require good change of direction from the car. Here, the car needs to be stiff to ensure a receptive response.
  
• Turn 16 is another wider section of track, aimed at promoting overtaking.
  

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Disappointment in Korea – how would you summarise the weekend?

I had mixed feelings coming away from Korea. If I look at the weekend as a whole, we showed good pace but did not capitalise on it. It was disappointing for Bruno not to qualify higher than he did and the result was a tough race. Vitaly had a healthy grid position and was looking good until his mistake cost him on lap 15. If he had carried on as he did during the first stint of the race – when he was on soft tyres – then we could have expected him to finish at least eighth or maybe seventh. Unfortunately it was not to be, but we’ll now look ahead to an exciting venue – the Indian Grand Prix.

Next stop India – what was your reaction when you first heard the country was going to host a Formula 1 race?

With an Indian Formula 1 team and an Indian driver – in Karun Chandhok – in the sport, a race was always the next logical step. It is a big country; a promising, powerful nation that is at the forefront of a lot of global activity. India is also a country that loves its sport. It is definitely a good thing to have a Formula 1 race in a new, emerging world economy, and for this sport to consider itself global it is important to bring the show to new territories. Taking F1 to India is a positive step for both the sport and the country. I’m thoroughly looking forward to taking the team racing there.

What have you heard about the Buddh International Circuit itself?

We, the team principals, have been updated regularly about the facilities by Bernie himself. It is always difficult to judge by pictures alone, but it appears to be a very promising facility with a strong, suitable infrastructure and I’m sure we will have a great event there. I, for one, am excited about it as it will be deviating from the F1 norm, and I’ve little doubt it will be a great experience all round. Let’s hope we can take a good result from the weekend too.

Three races remain – how hard is it for the team to keep its focus on this season only?

There will be increasing temptation to start looking to next season, and to contemplate what exciting times might lie ahead. However, we have to maintain focus and look at the here and now; We won’t allow ourselves an ounce of complacency from the team going into these final three races. We must ensure we have a good car to take with us to India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil; our pace has been satisfactory recently, we have some performance now but we must translate this performance into points. We will be disciplined in achieving that.

http://www.lotusrena...-Indian-GP.html

P14

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

DNF

Lotus Renault GP suffered a pointless finish at the Korean Grand Prix after a mistake on lap 16 left Vitaly smarting from a case of what might have been, having started the race from eighth on the grid.

Bruno, meanwhile, was unable to advance many places from P15, as he crossed the line in P13.

Starting on the fourth row of the grid on the super soft (option) tyres, Vitaly began the race well, maintaining his starting position. Shortly after stopping to change onto a new set of super softs on lap 14, however, he collided with Michael Schumacher. A tyre puncture and damaged front suspension meant a return to the pits, which ultimately brought an end to his race.

Bruno also endured a difficult race. After falling back four places at the start, he was able to recover some ground but could only make his way up to P13 as he crossed the line after 55 laps.

It was business as usual for recently-crowned champion Sebastian Vettel, as he claimed victory ahead of Briton Lewis Hamilton and Australian Mark Webber.

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P15, 1:38.791 (Q2 time) 14 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P8, 1.38.124 (Q3 time) 19 laps

Lotus Renault GP has one car in the top ten for the Korean Grand Prix after Vitaly set a 1min 38.124secs for eighth position on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Bruno wasn’t able to deliver as well as he wanted and will start the race from P15 after setting a lap of 1min 38.791secs in Q2.

Both drivers started Q1 using soft tyres before switching to super softs to take them through to Q2. A scrubbed then new super soft strategy was employed in Q2 - taking Vitaly through for a go at the big money prize, but Bruno’s work ended there.

Vitaly went out on his used super softs to set his Q3 time, with a subsequent run on new super softs curtailed as it would not have moved him up the grid.

As a contrast to Friday, Saturday saw no rain in Yeongam as Lewis Hamilton took pole position with a lap of 1min 35.820secs with Sebastian qualifying second.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7348-KOREAN-GP-QUALIFYING-LOTUS-RENAULT.html

P16, 1:40.451, 19 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P7, 1:39.612, 20 laps

A dry yet overcast Saturday morning in Yeongam allowed Lotus Renault GP to take part in an uninterrupted third practice session as both Vitaly and Bruno gave Pirelli’s soft and super soft tyre compounds their maiden outings of the weekend.

Although using softs for most of his trouble-free session, Vitaly out-paced his team mate on the faster super soft tyre with a time of 1min 39.612secs, which left him in seventh position after 20 laps around the Korean International Circuit.

Birthday boy Bruno was less fortunate. Brief contact with the side wall before the session’s halfway mark resulted in a damaged front wing, and forced the Brazilian to return to the garage for a suspension set-up change.

On returning to the track, he clocked-in with a best time of 1min 40.451secs on the super soft tyre. The time left him 16th in the standings having completed 19 laps.

At the top end of the rankings, it was a case of Rule Britannia as Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton took the top two times of the session.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7343-Korean-GP-Practice-3-Lotus-Renault.html

P15, 1:55.187, 28 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P11, 1:54.200, 26 laps

After a near-washout practice session this morning in Korea, Lotus Renault GP encountered brighter skies as they took to the track for Free Practice 2.

Seeking a considerable amount more lap time, Bruno and Vitaly completed their first timed laps of the day early in the session.

Running on Pirelli’s blue-marked intermediate tyres throughout the 90-minute period, Vitaly led the way after posting a session-best time of 1min 54.200secs.

Bruno’s fastest lap was completed in 1 min 55.187secs.

The times left Vitaly in P11 and Bruno in P15 as they look forward to the final practice session of the weekend tomorrow morning.

McLaren’s out-of-form driver Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time of the session in 1min 50.828secs.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7307-Korean-GP-Practice-2-Lotus-Renault.html

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06 No time set, installation lap only

Lotus Renault GP began its Korean Grand Prix weekend greeted by wet conditions at the Korean International Circuit near Yeongam.

Both Bruno and Vitaly went out for an installation lap but after that it was a waiting game in the garage to see if weather conditions would improve; they didn’t.

Both cars used Pirelli’s orange-marked wet tyre for their install.

Michael Schumacher ended the session with the fastest time of 2min 02.784secs with newly crowned champion Sebastian Vettel second fastest.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7311-KOREAN-GP-PRACTICE-1-LOTUS-RENAULT.html

Engine

Korea is not an all-out power circuit, however there are significant straights at the start of the lap. For the lower speed corners like turns 1, 4, and 6, good traction is essential so smooth power delivery from the engine is an advantage here.

Brakes

It's not a circuit with extreme braking demands, however there are three significant areas of speed retardation requirements: turn 1, turn 3 and turn 4; all at the end of long straights.

Suspension

Car set-up is a compromise between reasonably good change of direction at high speed (necessitating a stiffer set-up) and the slower speed corners like turns 1, 4, 6, which warrant a softer set-up. One of the features of the track is that it is incredibly smooth, and there are no significant kerbs. This means the car can run very low and close to the ground, especially as there are no notable bumps on the surface.

Rear Wing

Downforce levels are similar to Suzuka. Although Korea does have very long straight, the corners are sufficient to allow more wing to be carried than focusing purely on speed when pointing in one direction. It is closer to a Spa or Montreal type of track than a Monaco or Hungary set-up.

Tyres

Pirelli's soft and super soft tyres are allocated. These should not present any problem with the warm-up, which was an area of focus in the past. The challenge with the super soft will be making it last the whole lap in qualifying – there are a lot of stresses on the tyre from the high speed corners.

Front Wing

A 'reasonable' amount of front wing is needed to balance the car for the medium and high speed corners; slightly more than at a slower speed circuit, but not as much as at Silverstone or Suzuka.

Track annotations

• Turn 1: High braking demands at the end of turn one, which has the potential to be very difficult at the start of the race with cars at their heaviest and tyres at their coolest.
• Turn 3: Over 300 kph with heavy braking into turn 3. Higher speeds could be attained on this long straight, however wing levels required for the corners mean the maximum velocity is constrained by the drag and gearing.
• Turn 4: More heavy braking demands after a significant straight, leading into the slowest speed section of the track where both good low speed change of direction and mechanical grip are required.
• Turn 5: Good engine drivability and traction required.
• Turn 7: The sweeping corners of turns 7-13 are quite long, and rely on good downforce and balance from the car; these are quite satisfying turns for the drivers.
• Turn 8 is taken at almost 300 kph before heading to the slower turns 9 and 10.
• Turn 13: Good change of direction required from the car in these sections; the close walls punish any mistake. Turns 14-18 are similar to Valencia.
• Turn 17 involves quite high speeds, heading on to the first straight.

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P16

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P9

Lotus Renault GP returned to the points today in a safety car-affected Japanese Grand Prix.

Starting on the fifth row of the grid on the medium tyres, Vitaly managed to get the better of team mate Bruno on the first lap as he squeezed past the Brazilian at turn 2 to take ninth position.

On his first pit stop on lap 18, Vitaly changed for another set of the Pirelli medium tyres before the safety car was deployed. He stopped once again 21 laps later, this time moving onto the soft tyres, which crucially allowed him to overtake both Force India cars and cross the finishing line in ninth position.

Bruno meanwhile suffered from a tricky first lap, slipping back four places into 13^th. He adopted the same strategy as Vitaly (medium, medium, soft) as he endured a race full of traffic before crossing the line in 16^th position.

Jenson Button continued his rich vein of form by winning the race ahead of Fernando Alonso whilst, as expected, Sebastian Vettel secured his second world title after coming home in third position.

http://www.lotusrena...RENAULT-GP.html

P8 1:32.297 (Q2 time) 12 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P9, 1.32.245 (Q2 time) 17 laps

Lotus Renault GP bounced back to form at Suzuka with both cars making it to Q3 and into the top ten for tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix.

After Bruno's off in this morning's FP3 session, the crew worked against the clock to ready his car for the session, with work completed ten minutes into the Q1 session. Bruno duly went out and put his car through to Q2 and from there on to Q3.

Vitaly had no dramas with pace to get through to Q3 either, giving good feedback on the balance of the car after strong performance from the R31 so far this weekend.

Both cars went out in the Q3 session, using the medium compound Pirelli tyres but not setting a timed lap.

Sebastian Vettel set pole with a 1min 30.466secs.

http://www.lotusrena...YING-LOTUS.html

P17, 1:35.389, 5 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P9, 1:33.058, 15 laps

Lotus Renault GP endured a mixed performance during the final practice session in Suzuka this morning as Vitaly Petrov once again demonstrated impressive top 10 pace, whilst his counterpart Bruno Senna spun off the track 25 minutes into the session.

Vitaly ran on both the Pirelli medium and soft tyre compounds, and posted a best time of 1min 33.058secs on the soft tyres, improving by more than four tenths of a second from his times yesterday. The time left him in P9 at the end of the session. On the medium tyre, Vitaly managed a time of 1min 35.905secs.

Retaining the tighter bodywork package after it ran without fault yesterday, Bruno was 17th fastest with a best time of 1min 35.389secs on the white-marked medium tyres. Just before the halfway mark of the session, however, his track time was abruptly ended when he ran wide on the exit of the spoon curve and spun off the track, which resulted in a red flag whilst the debris was cleared. The incident left the front end of the car damaged, but it is expected to be easily mended in time for qualifying.

Jenson Button once again signalled his intent with a time of 1min 31.255secs, five tenths ahead of his team mate Lewis Hamilton.

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P14, 1:34.557, 27 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P9, 1:33.446, 36 laps

Vitaly Petrov wasted no time in setting the marker in FP2 at Suzuka, after he held the fastest time for the first eight minutes of the session with a lap of 1min 35.339secs on the medium tyre.

In warm October conditions and in front of a sizeable Japanese crowd, both drivers embarked on their outings using Pirelli's medium tyre once again. Resuming action with the tighter bodywork package, Bruno followed his team mate by posting a best time on the mediums of 1min 36.713secs before spinning off the track at turn 1.

After switching onto the yellow-marked soft tyre for the second half of the session, Vitaly and Bruno improved on their earlier times, posting session-best times of 1min 33.446secs and 1min 34.557secs respectively.

Vitaly finished in P9, over eight tenths ahead of his team mate Bruno in P14

Jenson Button once again headed the field with a time of 1min 31.901secs.

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Vitaly Petrov, P17, R31-06

Lotus Renault GP will leave Singapore licking its wounds after a hard Sunday’s work at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Just like the entire weekend, the Singapore Grand Prix took place in hot and humid conditions with an air temperature of 31°C, though the rain held off for the duration of the race. Unfortunately the team’s struggle for pace round the city streets also continued as Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov both finished down the order.

Bruno made a good getaway from P15 on the supersoft tyre, and he forced his way round the outside of Sebastien Buemi’s Toro Rosso to take 14th place. He battled off the cars behind to hold the position on the run to the first pit stops. Unfortunately shortly after his stop on lap 11 he was forced to pit again to replace his front wing, pushing him down to 22nd place.

The race was then interrupted by a safety car period to clear an accident involving Michael Schumacher on lap 29. Like most of the field, Bruno took his second pit stop as the debris was cleared, exiting in P19. He duly set about the cars in front, making it up to P15 when he passed Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus. Bruno’s final stop was on lap 48, coming out 16th, after which he chased down Jaime Alguersuari to regain P15 by the flag.

Vitaly started from P18 on the soft tyre, the harder of the two available compounds. He found himself baulked on the inside at the first corner and he was unable to gain ground. Soon afterwards he lost a position to Alguersuari before he started to move up the order as the supersoft runners started pitting after 10 laps. The Russian was up as high as 13th before he had to cede ground as his tyres ran out of grip.

Vitaly exited his pit stop on lap 17 in 19th place and gained a few places before, like Bruno, he came in for his second pit stop behind the safety car, exiting in P17. He made his final stop on lap 47, coming out 19th. He then forced his way past the Virgin of Jérôme D’Ambrosio to take an eventual 17th place.

At the front Sebastian Vettel took a dominant victory for Red Bull ahead of Jenson Button’s McLaren and Mark Webber in the second Red Bull.

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