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Vitaly Petrov bemoans impeded lap on DTM debut

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Ex-Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov is disappointed with his maiden DTM qualifying session at Hockenheim.

Petrov, who signed to drive for Mercedes in the 2014 DTM season, endured a tough start to his DTM career. In the Free Practice session, he finished 23rd and last and later in the afternoon in the first DTM qualifying session of the year, he once again finished slowest of all 23 runners.

Petrov however believes he and Mercedes made progress in the time between Free Practice and qualifying, and it was only an interrupted qualifying lap that stopped him qualifying higher up the grid on his DTM debut.

“We’ve made a lot of progress compared with free practice,” said Petrov after qualifying. “The car is handling better and I’ve felt a lot more comfortable with it.

“On my flying lap, a car ahead of me spun off track, which affected my braking.

“Consequently, I’m not satisfied with my qualifying result, but apart from that, we’ve certainly taken a step in the right direction.

In addition to Petrov’s struggles, Mercedes endured a difficult start to the 2014 DTM season. Not one of the Mercedes C Coupes made it through to Q2 at Hockenheim, and Gary Paffett was the marque’s best qualifier in 16th.