• Turkish Grand Prix

Heidfeld compromised by traffic

Nick Heidfeld spent a lot of his race battling in the midfield © Getty Images

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• Report:
• Vettel leads Red Bull one-two in Turkey
  

• Race:
• Turkish Grand Prix

• Championship:
• FIA Formula One World Championship

• Drivers:
• Nick Heidfeld

• Teams:
• Renault

Nick Heidfeld said that he could have finished higher than seventh place but struggled with traffic during the Turkish Grand Prix.

Having started in ninth place, Heidfeld found himself involved with numerous battles throughout the race until finally getting clear air in the last stint. He said that the car's overall pace was encouraging, and gave him reason to believe that the final points haul could have been more as he reeled in Jenson Button in the closing laps.

"It's always good to score points," Heidfeld said. "But I think I could have finished even higher up today, even though I started in P9. I am not totally happy with the race - I was stuck in traffic for quite a while, overtaking was difficult and Vitaly made contact with me - but my pace was good, especially at the end of the race when the car was light on the soft tyres. I also think our strategy was the right one. Overall, to finish in P7 and take six points for the team is good, given that I did not qualify in a higher position."

Renault team principal Eric Boullier said he was satisfied that the team had got the most out of the strategy during the race, but that the team needed to improve the car if it wanted to be able to fight for podiums once again as it did in the first two races of the season.

"Today, going for four pit stops was the right decision," Boullier said. "There was no spectacular start from our cars but we pitted at the right time to ensure both drivers finished in the points. We definitely need to work harder on Fridays to understand the tyre degradation, which will allow us to know where we stand for the rest of the weekend. From here, we will push even more as the result today was not as strong as it could have been - we will be striving to get back into the top six. "

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