Qualifying - Lrgp Report

Nick Heidfeld, R31-04

P9, 1.14.062, 7 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-05

P10, 1.14.085, 7 laps

LRGP will have two cars in the top ten for tomorrow’s Canadian Grand Prix after a strong qualifying session at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve today.

In weather that was markedly different from yesterday’s free practice, overcast skies meant that the track temperature was well down from the sunny conditions at 25°C. But both LRGP drivers made it through to Q3, with Nick Heidfeld lining up in 9th place and Vitaly Petrov securing 10th.

In Q1 both Vitaly and Nick were comfortably able to progress and both put in two runs on the soft tyres, saving their supersofts. Vitaly’s best time of 1m 14.699s was good enough for 7th place while Nick’s 1m 15.096s left him in 12th. Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari was fastest in that session with a lap of 1m 13.822s.

Vitaly’s early lap of 1m 14.354s on the supersoft tyres in Q2 was good enough to reach the all-important top ten. Nick was also in the top ten early on after a lap of 1m 14.719s but he went out for a second run to make sure of a place in Q3, duly recording a final lap of 14.467s. Felipe Massa went fastest with a time of 1m 13.431s in the Ferrari.

In the all-important final shoot-out, Sebastian Vettel took pole position for Red Bull with a lap of 1m 13.041s ahead of the Ferraris of Alonso and Massa. Nick took 9th place with a lap of 1m 14.062s while Vitaly took 10th with a lap of 1m 14.085s.