Huge disappointment for Lotus in Melbourne
While the Lotus team seemed to have regained their smile after a very difficult 2014 season, the two Enstone cars were not able to fully defend their chances at the Australian Grand Prix.
Author of a good start, Pastor Maldonado was involved in a contact with Felipe Nasr in the first corner. An incident with severe consequences as the Venezuelan ended his race in the wall, prompting the deployment of the safety car.
“Sometimes, it happens like that,” explains Maldonado. “The start was a bit heated. I felt a slight contact at the back, but I didn’t see what happened. It’s a shame because we had the potential to have a good race.”
« The pace was there in qualifying, so we still learned something here. In two weeks, we will fight for points again and we will do our best to be competitive.
On his side, Romain Grosjean was a victim of a mechanical issue with his car, which prevented him from getting a good start. At the end of the first lap, the Frenchman returned to his garage to retire.
« We lost power during the formation lap, » says the Frenchman. « There was a technical problem, and we need to find out what it was. This is not how we wanted to finish the race, but we know the car is good, much better than last year’s. »
« We have a good base with the E23 and a good engine. We also have some new parts that we will bring in the upcoming races. The first Grand Prix is always a bit tricky, you never know what’s going to happen, and unfortunately, we were unlucky today. I remain optimistic. »
