Sunday: Grosjean in the wall and Räikkönen at an impasse, at Lotus
Lotus could have dreamed of a better end to their 2012 season as only Kimi Räikkönen finished the race, in tenth place. While Romain Grosjean went off the track, taking a 9.5 G hit at the moment of impact, Kimi Räikkönen might have hoped for better without a detour into a dead-end escape road. However, the Finn retains his third place in the drivers' standings.
Kimi Räikkönen – 10th:
« It was an intense race, and I didn’t have the desired pace all the time. A lot of things happened. I went off at the last corner, on the 52nd lap, because I couldn’t see very well anymore; my visor was dirty and fogged up. Where I went off, it’s possible to get back on the track by going through the pits of the support races, but you have to go through a gate. I knew this because I had done the same thing in 2001, and the gate was open. Someone had closed it this time. Next year, I’ll make sure to check if it’s open. »
Romain Grosjean – Retirement:
« I’m a bit shaken, but otherwise, it’s not too bad. Everything was perfectly under control at the beginning of the race, then everything happened very suddenly at turn 11. It was bizarre, I saw that it was raining a little more and I had eased off a bit compared to the previous lap. And all of a sudden the car got away from me and it was over. I didn’t have much luck this weekend and it’s obviously not the way I wanted to end the season. But overall, it has been a good year and I hope that many more great days are to come. »
[From the official statement released by Lotus F1 Team]
