Caterham: Kovalainen and Petrov satisfied after the first day in Monte Carlo

A good first day of free practice for Caterham at the Monaco Grand Prix. Heikki Kovalainen set the 21st fastest time in Monte Carlo on Thursday after suffering engine problems in the morning. Excellent 16th time for Vitaly Petrov.

Heikki Kovalainen
“This morning's session went very well. We tried a new suspension which went very well, then we went through our normal program in FP1 on prime tires until the engine died when I was entering the tunnel towards the end of the session. As soon as I engaged neutral the rear locked up and that was the end of my session. In FP2 everyone had problems with the rain and although we did a few laps on the supersofts I didn't have the chance to do a fast lap on them so we will have to re-evaluate them on Saturday. We did the last run with the intermediates and at turn 5 the car went straight, there was little grip but there was no damage, I parked there."

Vitaly Petrov
“Both sessions went well for me today. Although obviously I would have preferred to ride more with the options in the afternoon but the rain interrupted the run on the supersofts, but that was the case for most of the riders. In FP2 the car looked really good but the track was very slippery when we went out on the intermediates, however I felt the balance was decent. This is one of those races where we need to make sure we see the checkered flag and don't make any mistakes, so having done a few laps in the most difficult conditions of the weekend makes me confident for the other sessions and the race."