Petrov targets a new top ten finish

Vitaly, sum up your feelings after Monza...

Monza was difficult for me because it was the first time I drove there in F1 and the first time with the low downforce. It was difficult to find the right set-up and we had some mechanical problems over the weekend. I didn’t feel 100% comfortable to be able to deliver a good result. The two important lessons I learnt from the weekend are first the experience I have drawn from racing on this circuit and the way the car is set up there. Secondly, I finished the race and that is always important so I can use the experience for next year.

We are starting the last leg of the season with five flyaway races and all the remaining circuits will be new to you. Does it represent a big challenge and do you enjoy discovering new circuits?

It will be a new challenge for me. I don’t know these circuits at all so I will do the maximum to prepare for them. I have been watching videos of previous races and reading data. We also hope that our car will be much more competitive in Singapore and for the last few races. I look forward to racing there and to the challenge that lies ahead. There are a lot of difficult corners in Singapore and, from what I saw in the videos, the track is bumpy, the car is jumping a lot and it looks easy to lock the wheels.

Do you enjoy street circuits generally?

Yes, and I like tracks where you need maximum concentration and where you cannot afford to make any mistakes. Street circuits also suit our car.

Singapore is a night race – is it the first time you will be racing at night?

I have experience of racing at night because I took part in the GP2 Series night race in Qatar. So the night race won’t be a problem for me.

Have you been working on a specific programme to prepare for the race in Singapore, in extreme hot and humid conditions, plus working at night and sleeping during the day?

The conditions are the same as we had in Malaysia. I’m training and will maybe go to the sauna a few times. We obviously can’t simulate the same weather conditions here in Europe. I like the fact that we will be working at night and sleeping during the day – I actually think that I will be able to sleep more! I will arrive in Singapore as early as possible to adapt and start living in race weekend conditions: going to bed late at night and getting up late in the morning.

What are your hopes for Singapore?

My objective is to fight in the top 10 and to get into Q3. Our objective remains to try and beat Mercedes. It will be a challenge because everything will be new for me, but it will be a challenging weekend for everybody.