Grosjean limited by his box in Abu Dhabi

Lotus F1 Team had a difficult day during qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. With the disqualification of Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean only set the seventh fastest time, one second behind Mark Webber's pole. This result is surprising for the Frenchman who again showed good potential during testing but encountered a gearbox problem at the crucial moment. “I was fast in the corners but the gearbox synchronization was faulty and it was a disaster in a straight line”, explained the former GP2 Series champion in the Yas Marina paddock. “The lack of top speed is part of our setup choices. We have been quite slow on the straights for a few races, but it seems to work well with our car."

After making a superb comeback from 17th place at the Indian Grand Prix where he finished on the podium for the third time in a row, Romain Grosjean remains hopeful about his chances of achieving a good result this weekend in Abu Dhabi where the Lotuses are taking advantage of the high temperatures. “It's not easy to start from seventh place (sixth after Kimi Räikkönen's disqualification), but you never know. Anything is possible, I wasn't very optimistic after qualifying in India and I finally finished on the podium and the party was all the better for it. Considering the times, we would have had to get third place and it would have been easier. »

The start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be given tomorrow at 14 p.m. French time. Click on this link to see photos of the tests.