Grosjean confirms Lotus suffers without FRIC

Lotus F1 Team did not achieve a miracle in qualifying for the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. Romain Grosjean is only 14th on the grid (15th without Esteban Gutiérrez's penalty) while his teammate Pastor Maldonado only occupies 19th place, the Venezuelan not even having managed to qualify for Q2. If certain teams were supposed to suffer from the withdrawal of the FRIC (interconnected suspension system), the British team seems to be one of the main victims.

This result was also anticipated since Lotus F1 Team was the first to develop this technology. Romain Grosjean confirms that the absence of the FRIC is visible on the E22 unlike the majority of other single-seaters. “Our goal was to reach Q2 and we achieved it. The team did a good job”, tries to play down the drama of the former GP2 Series champion. “It was a challenge without the FRIC. We had become accustomed to this type of suspension for longer than the other teams. This system was an integral part of the development of car, by influencing sectors such as ride height or aero. We obviously have to change this because it costs us quite a bit in performance. »

His feeling is also shared by Alan Permane, the track operations director of Lotus F1 Team, who must cross his fingers that the weather gets involved tomorrow even if the latest forecasts suggest that the race will be contested only with slick tires. “These suspension changes we had to make this weekend complicated things for us. It is clear that we lack speed compared to the competition. »

The start of the German Grand Prix will be at 14 p.m. and will be followed live on AUTOhebdo.fr. Photos of the event can be viewed on this link.