27/07/2010
NEWS STORY
Robert, you finished seventh in Germany, ahead of both Mercedes - were you happy with the outcome of the race?
Robert Kubica: I think we achieved the limit of our car and we were 'best of the rest' in Hockenheim, but we know that there is a big gap to the fastest teams at the moment - and also that the teams behind us are very close. This means that we have to get everything perfect across the race weekend to qualify in the top ten, and finish in the points.
Is the Hungaroring likely to play more to the strengths of the R30?
RK: I think it will be a more suitable track for our car and I hope we can be closer to the front than we were in Germany. But I honestly don't think we can hope to repeat the kind of pace we showed in Monaco earlier this season.
What challenges does the Hungaroring present for a Formula 1 car?
RK: It's a very difficult track to set the car up for because there are long corners where you need to have very good front grip, but on the other hand you need good rear stability. It's also difficult for set-up because of the bumps and because there are lots of different kinds of corner, so you have to somehow concentrate on all areas of the set-up and car balance. And it's very demanding physically and mentally because there are so many corners and there's only really one straight, and even that is not so long. You don't really have time to get back your energy and relax, so you are always concentrating.
This is the closest grand prix to your home country of Poland. Does that make it a special event?
RK: I'm really looking forward to the weekend and we usually see a lot of Polish fans coming to Budapest, so it's a sort of home grand prix for me and for the Polish fans. I am expecting a lot of people to come, and a good atmosphere from the crowd, so we are hoping that we can put in a good performance for them.
Vitaly, you scored your first F1 points in dry conditions last weekend - were you happy with your performance?
Vitaly Petrov: Yes, of course, I was pleased to be back in the points and to have a good race. It was quite an interesting race for me; I had a good fight with the guys around me and the car felt easy to drive. I pushed at the right times in the race and managed to make up two places at the pit stops. After that, I was behind the Mercedes, but there was no place to overtake.
The next race is at the Hungaroring - is it a track you enjoy?
VP: It's a circuit that I know quite well and I have a lot of experience there racing in GP2. But this will be my first time there in Formula 1 so there is still a lot for me to learn. I like the circuit and it's quite a tricky track where you need to find a good rhythm and know the secret to going well there.
What is a realistic target for the weekend?
VP: I need to work on improving my qualifying performance to make sure I start the race in a good position. If I can do this, I think I can have a strong race because in Germany the pace of the car was good. In fact, Germany was nearly a mistake-free weekend, except for qualifying. Robert has shown what the car can do in qualifying, so I know this is where I can improve. I will work hard to put all the pieces together across the weekend and my target is to finish in the top ten and score some more points.
To experience the Hungaroring in more detail click here