Silverstone remains familiar groundSpeaking after the first day of practice at the British Grand Prix, Heikki Kovalainen was content with his 11th fastest time and predicts a similar pecking order to the French Grand Prix.
Heikki, how did your day go?
"Pretty
well, overall. We completed our technical programme without problems. The main thing today was to work on the set-up and evaluate the tyres provided by Bridgestone for the weekend."
Did you manage to evaluate the performance of the 2 types of tyre?
"Yes, we did. We’ll have to wait for the track to evolve and heat up to get a clearer idea of the qualities of each compound. But they both seem to work well."
Did the wind play havoc with the session?
"Yes. The cars are so aero sensitive that the slightest gust can cause an accident; What’s more the situation changed from lap to lap; Sometimes you got through a corner without problems, then next time round there was a blast and you lost a little time. You really have to pay attention to this parameter as it can catch you out. Of course, it’s the same thing for everybody, but it could make a crucial difference."
There were quite a few offs today...
"Everybody got caught out by the wind. Looking at the slow motion shots there were a lot of offs in the fast corners.
"
How do you feel at Silverstone?
"I like the place very much. It’s here that I won my first Formula Renault and my first F3 race. It would be great to score my first F1 grand prix victory here too, but I think it’ll be for next year! I’m always happy to be here even if the climate’s not ideal. I know a lot of the marshals and the volunteers at the entry gates."
What are your objectives for the weekend?
"In F1 you never know what’s going to happen. Take Montreal: I was twenty-second on the grid and fourth at the finish. But quite honestly, we’re not all dreamers. We’ll do our very best once again and our aim is to do better in each race. If there are any opportunities, we’ll seize them."
Who will be your rivals?
"I think we’ll be battling with BMW once again, and then the+ Red Bulls, the Toyotas and the Williams. Qualifying will be very close. This being said I don’t think the hierarchy will change very much compared to Magny-Cours."
Source Renault
