Lotus hopes for a quiet weekend in Monaco
After an eventful Grand Prix in Barcelona, the Lotus F1 Team hopes for a calmer weekend on the streets of Monaco. Nick Chester, technical director, hopes that both drivers will make it to Q3.
During the Spanish Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean finished 8th after a rather eventful weekend. Pastor Maldonado, his teammate, was not as fortunate and had to retire after a collision with the Frenchman.
For the Monaco Grand Prix, Nick Chester, the team’s technical director, hopes for a calmer Grand Prix: « Barcelona was a weekend with a lot of events. On Friday morning, we had a gearbox issue on Pastor’s car, even though it was minor in FP2. In the afternoon, we had some fastenings break on the engine cover of Romain Grosjean’s car. This was able to be repaired. During the race, both drivers made contact and Pastor had a wing support plate that came loose. We decided to continue until we were sure there was no chance he would make it into the points, and then we decided it was wise to retire the car. »
The Technical Director of Lotus turns his attention to the hardest Grand Prix of the season, Monaco: « It is a bit more difficult than the others, it is much tighter, the garages are small, the offices are cramped, the tires are stored at the back of the pits, everything is narrow, but it’s not so bad in the end. Yes, the location is different from everywhere else, but we are well accustomed ».
He also explains the specifics of the Principality’s circuit: « This track is really unique compared to all the others we visit. The circuit is slow, very narrow, and very bumpy, which means the car setup is very different. We will have a significant package in terms of downforce specifically for Monaco and will carry out a portion of the work we did during testing in Barcelona, specifically a setup work focused on Monaco ».
Monaco is renowned for being a Grand Prix where overtaking is difficult, however, Nick Chester explains that being in Q3 will be crucial for Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado to score points: « With very few overtaking opportunities, the qualifying session will be decisive, but the characteristics of the track present an additional challenge on race day. The track evolution during the race is such that we must pay attention to tire degradation, which is difficult because, as the laps go by, the track becomes faster, and the tires become slower. It may seem quite strange, but it’s a real challenge that we must carefully consider when making strategic decisions ».
