Grosjean remains convinced by the potential of his Lotus

Romain Grosjean had a great opportunity to clinch the first points of the season for Lotus F1 Team at the Chinese Grand Prix, but the Frenchman had to retire following a gearbox problem which inevitably dealt a blow to the morale of the former GP2 Series champion. “It was obviously a big disappointment.”, admits the French pilot. “But the outlook for this weekend remains 90% positive. We have not been rewarded but we know that we have progressed in the right direction. We were the second customer team of Renault (behind Red Bull Racing) before the problem, we were in front McLaren while being in the fight with Force India. »

The Lotus driver must look forward to the Spanish Grand Prix as the hierarchy could change with the break before the start of the European season next week. “ Even though we gave the impression (in Shanghai) that we had made good progress, there were no major changes on the car. There will be more in Barcelona. It’s easier for engineers to bring new elements to the circuit. I have good memories, including fourth place there in 2012. We know that we have a suitable platform on which we can solve problems. The engine is obviously not yet at its best potential and we are still behind Renault's leading customer team. »