Q. Sum up your feelings after a great race to the podium last weekend in Sepang?
Nick Heidfeld: It’s a super result for me and the team. After two races, we have had two cars on the podium, which shows how much progress the team has made over the winter. My hope is that we can keep up in the development race and have many more results like this during the year.
Q. We saw some good racing in Sepang last weekend and lots of use of the DRS – what was your experience of it?
NH: There was a lot of action in the race and it’s clear the DRS is helping with overtaking. Of course, if you use the wing to overtake somebody, you like it, and if you are overtaken, you don’t like it. I’ve always said that I don’t like the idea of artificially improving the racing, but now that we have this rule we just have to make the best of it.
Q. Looking ahead to China, can you continue to fight for podiums?
NH: It’s too early to say. It really depends on the upgrade packages the other teams bring to China, which might change the pecking order a little bit. We had a good upgrade in Sepang, and our package this weekend in Shanghai is not as big. But I think it’s a circuit where our car will go well because we have good top speed, which should pay off down the long back straight.
Q. Describe China in three words?
NH: Traffic, big and Shanghai.
Q. What do you think of the track?
NH: It’s a nice circuit because it’s not like the others – there are some unusual corners and a long straight, which is good for overtaking.
Q. Best memory from Shanghai?
NH: It’s not a circuit where I’ve had great memories. Hopefully that will change this year.
Q. What do you think of the Chinese fans?
NH: Fans in Asia always show great support. I think they also like seeing people with blond hair – that seems to be special for them so I think they like me!
Q. A difficult end to a promising race in Sepang. What happened exactly?
Vitaly Petrov: I still don’t really know, but the car just started to understeer and I ran wider and wider on the exit of turn eight. Maybe my tyres were dirty or I picked up some rubber offline. Then there was a big jump, which ended my race.
Q. Despite the disappointment, you delivered another strong performance across the weekend. That must give you confidence for this weekend’s race in Shanghai…
VP: Yes, I think we can have another good weekend. I feel very happy with the balance of the car at the moment. It’s easy to drive and I believe we will be competitive. Of course, there is still a lot of work to do and we must keep improving if we want to fight with the big teams.
Q. Do you enjoy the challenge of racing in Shanghai?
VP: It’s not my favourite track, but I obviously have some good memories because I scored my first points there last year. As we saw in Malaysia, you really don’t know what to expect from the tyres and you also have to remember that the DRS will probably have a big impact there, as it did in Sepang.
Q. Describe China in three words?
VP: Enormous, interesting and different.
Q. What do you think of the track?
VP: It’s quite interesting, but it’s not easy. The first corner is different because it goes on forever.
Q. Best memory from Shanghai?
VP: I had a great race there last year and scored my first points in Formula 1.
Q. What do you think of the Chinese fans?
VP: They are very enthusiastic. When you come back to the hotel there are always lots of people waiting for you.
