Saturday: Räikkönen well positioned, Grosjean in trouble at Lotus
The qualifications for Team Lotus are a typical case of a mixed outcome: while Romain Grosjean hit a snag due to his collision with Pedro de la Rosa, which caused his only Q1 elimination of the year, Kimi Räikkönen, on the other hand, overcame various reliability issues that appeared in free practice to qualify for Q3.
Kimi Räikkönen – 24th and 9th [8th on the grid]:
Obviously, we hoped for better, but the weekend was complicated. If I could have done a few laps this morning, it would have made things much easier. But after the engine problem, I couldn’t get back on track. With the different temperatures from yesterday, it was hard to know what the best setup was. Under these conditions, I think it wasn’t bad to reach Q3 after so many problems. In other words, we were able to salvage something from a day that could have been worse.
Romain Grosjean – 5th and 18th:
Unfortunately, there is not much to say. I stayed behind Pedro de la Rosa during his timed lap to avoid obstructing him. When we got onto the straight, I tried to pass and I think he didn’t see me. I braked as hard as possible, but it was too late. There was then contact with the barrier and also with his car, which demolished my front wing. I managed to go back for a final lap, but with cold tires and some damage, it was no longer possible to make it to Q2. That’s how it is. There’s a lot of work for tomorrow, but the car performed well in practice. So I hope to still score good points.
According to the Lotus F1 Team press release
