Grosjean: The victory was playable

Romain Grosjean fought at the front at the European Grand Prix and could even have led the race after the retirement of Sebastian Vettel if he hadn't been restarted by Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). The Lotus driver had remained in contact with the F2012 and threatened the leader before experiencing an alternator failure on the 41st lap putting a premature end to his race. For the Frenchman, victory was possible on the Valencia circuit where the heat favored the E20 which is renowned for being economical with rubber when temperatures are high.

“The car stopped and so did the engine”, explains Romain Grosjean, obviously disappointed not to score any points this weekend. “At first glance it appears to be an alternator problem and we will have to look into this in depth. The race was almost perfect until this point. I had a good start, I had a good strategy and I was on the attack when necessary. I had a very good pace today. It could have been my first victory but maybe it will be for later. I am sure that we have shown good performances and that our experience has improved. I think I was in too bad a position and we knew I could be faster than the Ferrari. I just had to wait a bit to watch his tires deteriorate and then attack. But I didn't manage to get that far. »

Discover the analysis of the European Grand Prix in Valencia in the next issue of AUTOhebdo, available from Tuesday in digital version for iPad, PC and Mac, and from Wednesday on newsstands.