Lotus: Grosjean sets an impressive 4th fastest time
Romain Grosjean perfectly capitalized on the good top speed of his Lotus to secure the 4th fastest time in qualifying. However, he will start 9th tomorrow due to a gearbox change penalty, two places behind his teammate, Pastor Maldonado.
The gaps in Q3 were certainly very tight (two-tenths between 3rd, Bottas, and 8th, Maldonado). Nevertheless, Romain Grosjean impressed observers by setting the 4th fastest time in the Belgian Grand Prix qualifying session this Saturday.
The characteristics of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, which highlights the power of the Mercedes engine in the Lotus, perfectly suited the Frenchman. He logically congratulated himself on his performance: « We achieved a better result than expected! I gave everything I had in the car for the last lap, I pushed hard from start to finish. Setting the 4th fastest time is really a solid performance. Everything goes so fast here. Going through Eau Rouge at 300 km/h, it feels like being a child at Christmas. Every time you pass it, you have a smile on your face, it’s really great to drive on this circuit ».
Alas, Romain Grosjean will only start 9th this Sunday: after having to change his gearbox, the Frenchman received a five-place grid penalty. Nevertheless, his race pace makes him confident: « We are better in race pace than on a qualifying lap, so with good setups and, I hope, some effective overtaking maneuvers, we can score good points on Sunday ».
Pastor Maldonado, who achieved the 8th fastest time this Saturday, will start two places ahead of his teammate. He praises the work done by Lotus, despite limited resources and legal issues against Charles Pic: « At the beginning of the weekend, we didn’t have the best rhythm. The team really did a fantastic job to master the car and provide Romain and me with something really solid to use for qualifying. I would like to thank everyone’s work here. I think we will be competitive tomorrow. With the right strategy, we should be able to achieve a pretty good result. »
Alan Permane, the Track Operations Director at Lotus, confirmed the ambitions of the English team: “We undertook race simulations in Free Practice 3 this morning, and we were pleased to find that the changes decided upon since Friday have improved the rear stability of the car as well as tire degradation. We expect a solid race with good points scored by both cars.”
