Lotus understands Romain Grosjean's frustration

Lotus F1 Team did not perform miracles at the Singapore Grand Prix, with Pastor Maldonado finishing in 12th place ahead of his teammate Pastor Maldonado. If the urban layout of Marina Bay was less unfavorable to the Power Units of Renault, the Frenchman's 6l turbo/hybrid V1.6 suffered from engine shutdowns during qualifying, condemning the former GP2 champion to starting from 16th position. The French pilot was then very upset on the radio about the reliability of his engine which could be improved.

Si Romain Grosjean lost his cool in the overwhelming humidity of Singapore, his team does not seem to hold it against him while the Enstone team is strongly expected to become a Mercedes customer team starting next year. “When hot, emotions can take over”, comments Federico Gastladi, Deputy Team Principal of Lotus F1 Team. “Things don't always go the way you plan and that's what happened. Pilots are sometimes criticized for being too boring, for not having opinions or for not showing their human side. But it can happen when conditions become extreme. »

The new director of the Lotus F1 Team does not reproach his driver and can only note the facts knowing that the British team no longer has much to hope for this season since it only occupies eighth place in the Manufacturers' Championship with eight points scored, all won by Romain Grosjean. “We were all very disappointed but Romain was the one on the front line. It's sometimes difficult to suppress your emotions. It's quite ironic that radio communications are the main topic in Singapore regarding things that should no longer be said and then we talk about a discussion that happened under such circumstances. »

Discover the analysis of the Singapore Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 1979 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version and on newsstands.