Petrov Gives His Team a Serve

[Jungles]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96306

Ouch.

He must be feeling a lot of pressure over his future with the team, with Grosjean under consideration and Kubica possibly returning at some point next season. What's with the tongue-lashing? I thought he was a more level-headed guy.

[woof]

Grosjean in then

[zaphod42]

I suspect he's just been told he hasn't got a seat next year. Maybe his money/funding has dried up, or Grosjean/Senna can bring more?

[gtdc]

I think that's fair enough. He's bringing a lot of money to that team and he has a very valid point about their strategy.

[Jungles]

Their development direction was definitely down the gutter, and they might have squandered some points with their strategy. But for a driver whose driving has been far from flawless, it's a bit rich for him to verbally bash his team in front of the media.

[gtdc]

If he's being played with by having the other drivers dangled in front of him he won't stay quiet for long. I think he's done a very solid job all things considered. Have a lot of respect for him as a driver.

[CurvaParabolica]

gtdc said:

If he's being played with by having the other drivers dangled in front of him he won't stay quiet for long. I think he's done a very solid job all things considered. Have a lot of respect for him as a driver.

Agreed. However I can't help but feel that a lot of the impetus on development comes from driver feedback, and with them lacking Kubica, I'm not sure that either Petrov or Nick or Senna have been able to give the same detailed input that Robert was famed for.

[m0rris]

Lets face it Petrov is not a unique talent and if they can get their money elsewhere and for more and still retain Kubica when he finally reappears then Petrov will probably end up experiencing the delights of a back marker team should he decide to stay at all. I've been quite impressed by Senna and would like to see Grosjean strut his stuff and if one of those is prepared to have a short term contract then let 'em in.

[LotusOmega375D]

He talks about their fall down the table. But weren't they only quick at the start of the season due to their off-throttle front exit exhausts? Like Brawn and their Double Diffuser. If it's a positive innovation then eventually everyone will copy you. Brawn couldn't win for toffee when that happened.

[Mini1275]

Well he's now apologised;

Vitaly Petrov has apologised to the Renault team for the outburst in which he criticised the squad's performance during the 2011 season.

"Unfortunately I cannot say anything bad about the team, it says so in my contract," Petrov told Russian television.

"But many things have already been written about in the media.

"People say the team criticised the drivers. But excuse me; read my interviews, I haven't criticised the team despite what we have lost so many times. How much have we missed at pitstops? With strategy?

"We have lost positions in about 10 races or even more. Even without a fast car we could have gained good points, we could have finished with points if we had had a good strategy.

"But I couldn't say in interviews that we lost it with the pitstops, and I cannot talk about that now either. But I can't keep silent any more - it is over. I can't keep everything inside any more."

Petrov's manager said on Friday that the Russian driver had apologised to the team, and that his comments were made during an "emotional" interview.

"It was an emotional interview," Petrov's manager Oksana Kossatchenko told Reuters. "It was an exception and he apologised afterwards to the team. It will never happen again.

"We are really sorry and the management has discussed it with Vitaly already."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/96328

I don't think he'll be there next season...

[EDLT]

LotusOmega375D said:

He talks about their fall down the table. But weren't they only quick at the start of the season due to their off-throttle front exit exhausts? Like Brawn and their Double Diffuser. If it's a positive innovation then eventually everyone will copy you. Brawn couldn't win for toffee when that happened.

Brawn still managed to stay close enough to the front to score a decent amount of points, though. Renault are right at the back fighting Williams for the chance to take the last point when one of the Saubers crashes.

[The Stiglet]

Sounds like a bit of a loose cannon. It's not just his perception with Renault, which will be damaged, possibly irreversibly, but other teams don't want some liability damaging their brand reputation in front of the media and sponsors.

Basic PR skills.