Better understanding for Petrov

Vitaly Petrov insists he is getting a better understanding of the new Pirelli tyres after a solid performance on the third day of F1 testing in Barcelona.

Overnight rain gave Petrov his first chance to sample Pirelli's intermediate tyre during the morning after a series of long runs on track before he worked on set-up during the afternoon.

Having lost time earlier in the week to a KERS-related issue, the Russian was able to complete more than 90 laps with his quick time during a short run towards the end of the day.

"We used the intermediates to begin with and it was one of our first opportunities to do a lot of laps with them," he said. "The only issue we had was warming them up because it was very cold early on. The plan was to do a race distance in the morning and we managed quite a lot of long runs while the track was wet. Then, we put the slicks on just before lunch and started improving the set-up.

"We learned a lot of new things and I'm starting to understand the tyres more and how to get the most from this car."

Petrov's solid day on track came after he told Renault they could rely on him to perform this season in the absence of the injured Robert Kubica [See separate story HERE].

To view times from the third day of running in Barcelona, CLICK HERE.