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  1. Romain Grosjean finished P9 and Pastor Maldonado P11 after spirited runs up the order in the Brazilian Grand Prix Romain Grosjean finished P9 and Pastor Maldonado P11 after spirited runs up the order in the Brazilian Grand Prix. After a disappointing qualifying yesterday, today’s 71 lap race saw both drivers making moves on their rivals whilst employing different tyre strategies. Pastor looked like scoring with P10 until late in the race and did receive a five second penalty, served at his final pit stop, for contact with another driver. Romain started from P14 on the grid on new Pirelli soft compound tyres. He changed to new medium tyres on laps 10 and 35, then scrubbed softs on lap 54. Pastor started from P15 on new medium tyres, changing to new soft tyres on lap 25 and new mediums on lap 44. Romain Grosjean, P9, E23-04 “It was a fun race, and I enjoyed going through the field with some nice overtaking manoeuvres with our aggressive race strategy. It was quite hard to follow the cars but we had good power to overtake into turn 1. It has been an emotional weekend so it is good to be back in the points. The next race will be my last one with the team and taking the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi will be very special but I will give my best to bring a good result.” Pastor Maldonado, P11, E23-03 “It was a very active race with lots going on. We used a different strategy to most by running with the slower but more durable tyre for the first stint, when it was difficult to make progress against those on the softs. That meant when we changed to the softs we could push harder in the middle stint and make some good places. Then at the end we were defending with harder tyres from those with softer and fresher ones so it was difficult to keep P10, but from where we started it was a good race.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "A great job from Romain, and also from all of the race team here, to work so well at what is nearly the end of a very long season. Thanks too to everyone at Enstone for all their efforts which we were hoping would be rewarded by both cars in the points. It’s a big shame that Pastor received a penalty as otherwise he would have finished at least P10, and this is very frustrating for all of us.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director "That was a strong race where we got back to where we should have been fighting after yesterday’s disappointing qualifying. Romain drove superbly today and Pastor should have scored too were it not for his penalty."
  2. Pastor Maldonado finished eighth in a highly eventful United States Grand Prix whilst Romain Grosjean retired from the race because of damage sustained to his car at the first corner. Pastor Maldonado finished eighth in a highly eventful United States Grand Prix whilst Romain Grosjean retired from the race because of damage sustained to his car at the first corner. The Grand Prix started wet with a dry line emerging through the race. There were a number of safety car periods of both virtual and real iterations. Romain started from P10 on the grid on new intermediate tyres. He pitted at the end of lap one for new intermediate tyres, then lap 9 for new soft tyres. He retired at the end of lap 10 as a consequence of the lap one damage. Pastor started from P12 on new intermediate tyres, changing to new intermediates on lap 18 then new softs on laps 27 and 43. Romain Grosjean, DNF, E23-04 “I had a good start, but in the middle of the first corner I felt a hit from behind. This gave me a puncture and the damage meant that the floor and braking cooling ducts were damaged. We tried continuing but the brake temperatures were just too high and we had to retire for safety reasons. It’s a shame because it would have been a good race as far as we know with the experience we have and the set-up we were on… Everything should have been quite nice but now we’ll never know!” Pastor Maldonado, P8, E23-03 “We are in the points once again which is the main positive thing for the team. It was quite a busy race with a lot of fighting around me, and even some fighting with the car as it didn’t quite perform as expected. It was a little bit strange because we are normally quite strong in the races; better than in qualifying in fact. My crew were great all day with qualifying and the race. We hope to continue scoring strong points in the remaining races.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal “Firstly congratulations to Lewis Hamilton, a deserving world champion who took his title in the best way possible. He and the entire Mercedes AMG F1 team have done a fantastic job this year. It was an unfortunate day for Romain as his race was ended so early through no fault of his own. Pastor secured a good top ten finish which adds to our points tally. After a tough build-up to the race Formula 1 put on a great spectacle at the Circuit of the Americas so we thank everyone in Austin for all their efforts. I’m sure we’re all hoping for better weather next year!” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director "It was an eventful race but we weren’t able to capitalise on all the opportunities. Unfortunately we had to retire Romain very early as his rear floor and brake cooling was damaged in the contact at the first corner. We tried to keep racing but it wasn’t safe to continue. Pastor scored useful points but we weren’t able to fight higher unfortunately."
  3. Lotus F1 Team completed a strong Japanese Grand Prix with both cars finishing in the top eight for the first time since the Indian Grand Prix in 2013 Lotus F1 Team completed a strong Japanese Grand Prix with both cars finishing in the top eight for the first time since the Indian Grand Prix in 2013. Romain took seventh, with Pastor finishing just 1.3 seconds behind him in eighth. Romain started from P8 on the grid on his qualifying medium compound tyres. He changed to scrubbed mediums on lap 11 and new hards on lap 33. Pastor started from P11 on new medium tyres, changing to new mediums on lap 12, and new hards on lap 36. Romain Grosjean, P7, E23-04 “We finished with both cars in the points so I’m definitely happy with that! When it came to my own race we were a little bit slow against the Force India. We tried to fight Nico Hulkenberg but couldn’t. I really struggled with the tyres at the end – it seems the new Pirelli limits hurt us more than our rivals so we’ll work around that for the next race. Overall though, we’ve had a good result as a team.” Pastor Maldonado, P8, E23-03 “It was a good race for us and we really deserved a happy result today after pushing hard all weekend. It’s a shame we weren’t able to keep Hulkenberg behind us so we’ll review the strategy and performance to see if there was more we could have done. The team has been united all weekend, we scored some nice points and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "It’s a great result for all of the team after a reasonably challenging weekend. It just goes to show that you can never discount an Enstone team no matter what the circumstances. We have to say thank you to all the crew at the track for working through a slightly unusual situation as well as thank you to Bernie for his help behind the scenes. We’re looking forward to continuing to fight back in Sochi.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director "It’s great to get both cars solidly in the points and score more than our immediate championship rivals Force India and Toro Rosso. Force India looked stronger than us in the race and we didn’t have the pace to match Hulkenberg today. It was nevertheless a good performance from both drivers and the entire team."
  4. Lotus F1 Team fought a tough Singapore Grand Prix with Pastor Maldonado finishing twelfth and Romain Grosjean classified thirteenth. Lotus F1 Team fought a tough Singapore Grand Prix with Pastor Maldonado finishing twelfth and Romain Grosjean classified thirteenth. Romain was able to feature strongly in the top ten for much of the race, but diminishing tyre performance late on meant a better finish was not possible. Pastor sustained damage to his car after contact from Jenson Button’s car which blunted his late-race performance. Romain started from P10 on the grid on his qualifying super soft tyres. He changed to scrubbed softs on lap 9 and new softs on lap 26. Pastor started from P18 on new super soft tyres, changing to new super softs on lap 10, new softs on lap 27 and new super softs on lap 54. Romain Grosjean, P13, E23-04 “We had an aggressive strategy planned for today, which looked good since we were as high as P8 at one point but the first virtual safety car cost us dearly. I lost a lot of places on the first lap, there was quite a lot of sliding going on and, as we knew this wouldn’t be a great track for us – like Hungary and Monaco – we knew it would be difficult. There was nothing left in the tyres towards the end of the race and as soon as we were out of the points, we chose to retire the car as we had some concerns with the gearbox and didn’t want to risk a penalty in Japan.” Pastor Maldonado, P12, E23-03 “It was a really difficult race. The contact from the McLaren was small but enough to break my diffuser. I was defending on the inside and I don’t know where Jenson wanted to overtake me. It’s a very narrow corner where it happened and there was no chance for him to overtake. The damage meant we lost performance at the rear at the time in the race when we wanted to preserve tyre life. Sadly it wasn’t possible to maintain the pace and the tyres so we had to make an additional, unplanned stop.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "We scored no points today but we certainly fought hard. It’s a long, hot and humid race so thanks to Pastor and Romain for pushing to the maximum for every lap. Everyone in the team has been working hard all week so it’s frustrating for all of us when we fall short of the points. We’re certainly focused on a better result in Japan.” Nick Chester, Technical Director "That was a long tough race for us. Romain lost positions at the start so we brought forward his stops to undercut and gain track position. Unfortunately this meant we missed out on a quick pit stop under the virtual safety car at the first stop. We suffered worse tyre degradation than expected on Romain's final stint which cost us in the last few laps. Pastor made up positions from his start but was compromised later on after the damage sustained from Jenson. We are now looking forward to Suzuka."
  5. Lotus F1 Team returned to the Formula 1 Grand Prix podium for the first time since the US Grand Prix in 2013 thanks to a superb drive from Romain Grosjean in today’s Belgian Grand Prix. Despite a five-place grid penalty, Romain delivered an exceptionally measured performance including setting a race fastest lap. Romain’s joy was tempered by a second lap retirement for Pastor after his car lost drive. The cause is currently being investigated. Romain’s result means Lotus F1 Team return to fifth position in the Constructors’ Championship. Romain started from P9 on the grid on his qualifying soft tyres, changing to new soft compound tyres on lap 9 and scrubbed mediums on lap 21. Pastor started from P7 on the grid but was forced to retire on the second lap after his car lost drive. Romain Grosjean, P3, E23-04 “Today’s result is wonderful. It’s good for the team and for myself of course. Yesterday’s good qualifying result put a smile on my face but today was an unbelievable race. Everything came together when it mattered during those 43 laps. I drove with my heart today and pushed 100 % throughout the race. I did some great overtaking manoeuvers and was really pushing to catch up and hopefully overtake Sebastian Vettel – of course it was bad luck for him to have had the tyre issue at the end. We were really trying to go for the podium this afternoon and I felt very emotional during the last lap of the race! It’s a great feeling today.” Pastor Maldonado, DNF, E23-03 “We had been doing a great job this weekend, especially yesterday. The car was feeling very good, very competitive and I had a good race start. We had an issue with the drive of the car which the team are investigating. I’m disappointed about the issue we had today but that’s racing sometimes. We are keeping focussed for the next race now and Romain has shown what is possible. I love Italy and Monza so I’ll be doing everything I can for a strong result there." Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "What an amazing job from Romain today and we all thank all the hard work of everyone at Enstone and here at the circuit in Belgium. It’s no secret that it’s been a tough season for us in some ways, but we certainly know how to pick our moments to bounce back. Our joy for Romain and the team is a little bittersweet because of the retirement for Pastor, who started his race ahead of Romain so could have finished equally strongly. We will do everything we can to get both cars in strong positions in Monza.” Nick Chester, Technical Director "That was quite a race from Romain and the team! We were buoyed after yesterday’s P4 qualifying performance then today he drove a fantastic measured race. He drove brilliantly and made all the correct decisions with some fabulous overtaking. He looked after the tyres when he needed to and pushed when he needed to. It was the perfect race from him. We haven’t looked at everything on Pastor’s car yet but we know there was a big excursion over the kerbs which appears to have caused some damage to the power box so a big shame as he should also have achieved a strong result here."
  6. Pastor Maldonado drove an impressive, measured race to take seventh position whilst Romain Grosjean suffered from a gearbox issue to halt his charge in the Austrian Grand Prix Both drivers ran to one-stop strategies, with Romain starting on his qualifying super soft Pirellis and Pastor starting on the harder soft tyres. Pastor eked out a long performance life from the super softs, passing cars late into his final stint. Romain’s car was brought into retirement at the end of lap 35. Romain started from P9 on the grid on his qualifying super soft compound tyres, changing to new soft tyres on lap 23. He retired from the race with a gearbox issue on lap 35. Pastor started from P10 on the grid on new soft tyres, changing to new super soft tyres on lap 37. Romain Grosjean, DNF, E23-04 "Of course it’s disappointing to retire from the race. We had good potential after the pit stop and it was good to be able to pass some cars with some side-by-side action. We were P8 when we retired and the car was feeling good. I just lost my gears and there was nothing we could do other than retire. Let’s hope our bad luck is behind us as we head to Silverstone confident of showing well again." Pastor Maldonado, P7, E23-03 "It’s great to get another seventh position and the points that come with it. It was a big moment fighting with Max. The super soft tyres were very hot so losing their grip and you lose a lot of downforce close to the car ahead, but everything was under control! I wanted to get the position and I think we deserved it. It seems like we’re coming into a good time of the season for us so we’ll all keep working hard to continue scoring points." Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "That was a fantastic drive from Pastor to take his second consecutive seventh position this season. It was a tough tactical race where he saved fuel in his first stint then managed his tyres, doing everything that was asked of him from the pit wall, plus showing us an incredible bit of car control right at the end too. We are sorry that Romain was unable to make the finish and we will do everything to diagnose and rectify the issue as he too was on course for a great result. Once more, with the pace shown this weekend, we have shown our potential to score strong points in the races ahead." Nick Chester, Technical Director "That was a very lively end to the race to highlight a fantastic drive from Pastor. He did lose positions at the start, so after that we used a very aggressive strategy to get past Sergio Perez and thereafter Pastor managed the super soft tyres very well indeed for almost a half-race distance. This included a great dice with Max Verstappen in the final laps, which Pastor won to take seventh. Romain would have been well up in the points too but suffered from what looks like a gearbox issue so our joy is tempered by the knowledge we have to find and fix whatever issue affected him."
  7. Romain Grosjean drove a strong and measured Bahrain Grand Prix to finish seventh whilst Pastor Maldonado endured an eventful race to finish an eventual fifteenth in the first night race of the season. Romain ran as high as third during the race, but later traffic and an induced 360° spin meant a P11 finish. Pastor suffered from a first lap puncture then had to retire nine laps from the chequered flag due to a braking issue Romain started from P10 on the grid on his qualifying soft compound tyres, changing to scrubbed soft tyres on laps 12 and new medium tyres on lap 31. Pastor started from P16 on the grid on new medium compound tyres, changing to new soft tyres on laps 10, 24 and 41. Pastor served a five second penalty in the first stop and had an engine restart on his final stop. Romain Grosjean, P7, E23-02 "It had been a tough weekend until now for me, so it was really great to get another strong seventh position. Today’s race was great, especially as there was lots of overtaking. I was really hoping to catch Daniel Ricciardo but he was too quick for us today. It was quite difficult to manage tyres, especially with the rears so I think we did a good job to make the two-stop strategy work. We only had new medium compound tyres for the race, the rest were scrubbed, so it really was a great job by the team. It was a good recovery from Friday and Saturday’s session and I’ll happily take seventh place as my birthday gift for myself and the team." Pastor Maldonado, P15, E23-03 "That was a frustrating race for me. I pushed as hard as possible at the start on the medium tyres whilst everyone around me was on the grippier soft compound rubber. Once I moved to the soft tyres I was able to set the race’s then fastest lap so things looked good with our strategy. Unfortunately the engine anti-kill triggered when I came in to make my final pit stop which cost me a lot of time. It’s frustrating as we should have finished strongly. My focus is now Barcelona where I’ve delivered very strongly in the past." Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "Congratulations to Romain once more for a strong race and thank you to the race team for some great pit work as well as engineering over the weekend to get the car to Romain’s liking so he could deliver today. It’s thanks to the hard work of everyone at Enstone that we can score points like we did here in Bahrain. Pastor had a difficult race and we need to investigate exactly what went wrong so we can improve for our next time out." Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director "That was an excellent, straight-forward copybook race from Romain. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace to challenge the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo today but we were ahead of the rest of our near rivals. We were able to complete some very quick pit stops, which helped both drivers during the course of the race. For Pastor we ran with a different strategy to most of the field, with a three-stop strategy, starting on the harder medium compound Pirellis. This looked to be working very well and Pastor should have finished around the same position as Romain however a five-second pit stop penalty and the engine-kill activating when he entered the pits extinguished any opportunity of a strong result"
  8. Lotus F1 Team scored their first points of the season after Romain Grosjean came home in a strong seventh position in the Chinese Grand Prix. It wasn’t so plain sailing for Pastor Maldonado who, despite a very strong start, suffered from braking issues and late race contact from Jenson Button, eventually retiring from the race with seven laps to go. Romain started from P8 on the grid on his qualifying soft tyres, changing to new medium tyres on laps 12 and 32. Pastor started from P11 on the grid on his new soft compound tyres, changing to new medium tyres on laps 11 and 33. He retired from the race on lap 49. Romain Grosjean, P7, E23-02 “It’s the best we could do today and it’s satisfying to have achieved the team’s first points of the season. I’m proud of everyone at Enstone and at the track. It wasn’t an easy circuit for us, with a lot of front limited corners that we don’t particularly like, but we had a strong start, and most of the stints were good too. We’ve made a good job improving the car race after race and it’s great to finally score points. The next race could be promising too!" Pastor Maldonado, DNF, E23-03 “I made a great start and we were running strongly early on however later I had a braking issue which made it harder to battle. We also have to understand why the brakes locked-up so easily coming into the pits. We lost a lot of time here and it compromised the rest of my race. It was a fantastic battle with Jenson and we were passing each other very cleanly; a good, fun, exciting battle. Unfortunately, it looks like he got his braking point wrong and went into the back of me. This can easily happen when you’re fighting for position, braking off-line and using DRS, so it’s just one of those things. Certainly our race pace is good, if we qualify a little higher we should be set for a very good time in Bahrain." Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "It feels great to gets points on the board and get that particular monkey off our back. Romain performed strongly all weekend and his seventh position is just reward. It wasn’t such a good race for Pastor. He made a fantastic start, but suffered later in the race with braking and also racing contact from Jenson. The team is buoyed by Romain’s result and we’re looking forward to increasing our tally in Bahrain.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director "That was a solid race from us which illustrates where we expected to be fighting from the start of the year. Both cars were looking in very good shape for a seventh and eighth finish, and it was a great result from Romain meaning our first points on the board. We achieved our target of overtaking the Red Bull and both of the Saubers with Romain, who delivered everything required. Pastor had a much more difficult race despite a strong start and clearly had potential to finish comfortably in the top ten too.”
  9. The cruel hand of fate dealt a bitter blow for Lotus F1 Team at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix with both cars out of the race by the end of the first lap. Pastor Maldonado was pitched into a spin from behind, resulting in his car hitting the barriers, whilst Romain Grosjean suffered from a loss of power, and retired at the end of the first lap. Romain started from P8 on the grid on his qualifying soft tyres, but suffered from an immediate loss of power, retiring at the end of the first lap. Pastor from P9 on the grid on his qualifying soft tyres, before being pitched into a spin and ending his race in the tyre barriers after the exit of turn 1. Romain Grosjean, DNF, E23-02 “We had a loss of power on the formation lap; there was a technical issue which we are investigating. It’s not how you want to end your race, but we know the car is good and we’re miles ahead of where we were last season. We have a good baseline with the E23 and a good engine. We also have new pieces that we are bringing over for the next races, so more performance coming. The first race is always a bit of a tricky one, you never know what might happen and, unfortunately it was bad luck for us today but it doesn’t matter: I’m still very hopeful for the year." Pastor Maldonado, DNF, E23-03 “Racing is like this. It was quite busy start, going into a narrow corner. I just felt a big hit on the back and didn’t see what happened. It’s disappointing because it was a great chance for us to have a great race. The pace of the car was looking much better than in qualifying, so looking forward we can learn from this race. It was a good weekend until today, it’s looking quite promising. In two weeks we will be again fighting for points and again doing our best to be even more competitive." Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "What a frustrating day! Pastor’s race ended through no fault of his own and Romain’s race was over at the end of the first lap too. This is not the way any team wants to start the season and there were a few choice words in the garage when we realised our race was over so soon. It was particularly frustrating as we had great potential to deliver very strong results today. The team is not downcast, however, and we have a lot of enthusiasm for the races ahead as we’ve seen what is possible from the season ahead. The whole vibe of the team is tremendously positive.” Nick Chester, Technical Director "A very short race for us to end a weekend full of promise. Pastor was an innocent victim whilst Romain suffered from a loss of power which we are investigating. We ran very reliably in pre-season testing, but sometimes certain issues don’t manifest themselves until the season starts. Everyone back in Enstone will get to the root of the issue and we’ll come back fighting in Malaysia. Fortunately today was one race in twenty and we’ve demonstrated over the course of the weekend that the E23 Hybrid has tremendous potential. We can’t wait to exploit this potential once we get to Sepang."
  10. Pastor Maldonado finished twelfth whilst Romain Grosjean was classified seventeenth in a pit stop-plentiful Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos. Romain’s race started with promise, running in the top ten, but ended eight laps shy of the chequered flag after a Power Unit issue. Pastor made a poor getaway at the start, but fought back from eighteenth to twelfth at the chequered flag. Romain started from P14 on new medium compound tyres. He changed to fresh medium compound tyres on lap 24 then scrubbed medium compound tyres on lap 40, changing to a final set of new soft compound tyres on lap 59. Pastor started from P16 on new soft compound tyres. He changed to new medium compound tyres on laps 4 and 27 then scrubbed mediums on lap 45.Romain Grosjean, P17, E22-03 “The start of the race was good and we were able to run high up in the field quite quickly. We had to switch from a two-stop to a three-stop strategy half way through the race however and that came with some challenges. A lot of work was done to improve the car’s performance this weekend so it’s hard not to be able to finish. We’ll be looking into what happened and make sure we’re ready to make the most of the double points on offer for the next race.”Pastor Maldonado, P12, E22-02 “It was a tough race. We had to switch from a two-stop to a three-stop strategy due to high tyre wear which meant our race was compromised. My start wasn’t great but we managed to be a lot more competitive towards the end of the race and were aiming for points. I tried my best and was hoping to overtake Valtteri Bottas but it wasn’t possible in the end. We’ll be pushing hard in Abu Dhabi, that’s for sure.”Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "Today we expected a better result on track, especially after some of the evidence to suggest we could have a reasonably decent race. Neither driver experienced a perfect day. Pastor struggled at the start, but then fought back to make up a lot of places. Romain was able to run high up the order early-on but we had to change strategy which penalised him, but not as much as his engine failure. Now our focus is Abu Dhabi and the double points available there.”Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director "Today’s race didn’t go the way we wanted it. Pastor didn’t get a good start off the line and Romain’s car was unable to make it to the chequered flag. We were hoping to capitalise on better tyre life than our rivals, and although we were able stretch more durable performance from the medium compound than some, it was insufficient to secure fewer pit stops for us which meant no advantage. We have one race remaining in 2014 where we will push to gain some final points from this season, then our focus is 100% on 2015.”
  11. Romain Grosjean led home Pastor Maldonado in the first Russian Grand Prix at the impressive Sochi Autodrom. Both cars struggled for grip and performance during the course of the 53-lap race, played out under glorious blue skies. Romain was given a five-second penalty after contact between his car and Adrian Sutil’s Sauber. Romain was classified seventeenth and Pastor eighteenth. Romain started from P15 on new soft compound tyres. He changed to new medium compound tyres on lap 20. Pastor started from P20 on new medium compound tyres. He changed to new soft compound tyres on lap 21. Romain Grosjean, P17, E22-03 “The car felt okay to drive today, which was a big improvement on the previous two days and a testament to the work the team has put it over the week. The main challenge was the race start. It was hard to get the tyres up to temperature over the first few laps, so much so that I thought I had a puncture at the beginning. After that, it was a straight-forward race aside from the incident with Adrian Sutil. He was on the softer tyres and had a lot more grip than me going into T3. That corner closes up a bit on exit and he didn’t want to go too much off the racing line. I was already on the maximum for the braking zone and we just touched a little. It felt more like a racing incident to me but never mind, we head to Austin and hope for better things.” Pastor Maldonado, P18, E22-02 “We really struggled for balance on track today and it made for a very tough race for us. We started on the medium tyre, which made it difficult to make progress in the early laps. We then moved to the soft compound, but even late in the race it was a struggle to find grip. My side of the garage lost out quite a lot from our issues on Saturday as we weren’t able to improve the car and in particular the balance. It was frustrating as we really wanted to put on a good show as the Sochi Autodrom is a fantastic circuit. I can’t wait to return next year in a faster car with a different tyre allocation as there is fantastic potential here.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "Our performance today was nothing to write home about which is a complete contrast to the facility here and the reaction we received to Formula 1 on our first visit to Russia. The Sochi Autodrom is highly impressive and there is a lot of potential for great racing over the years to come. Both our drivers kept focused and brought their cars home, but we share their frustration at the performance level here this weekend. We have three races left in 2014, but our focus is very much on 2015 as we target a return to form.”
  12. An eventful wet weather Japanese Grand Prix resulted in both Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado bringing their cars home, finishing in fifteenth and sixteenth place respectively. With the race starting and concluding behind the safety car, the afternoon’s running was punctuated by red flags and numerous pitstops before the Grand Prix was ended early following an accident involving Jules Bianchi. “Firstly, my thoughts are with Jules and I hope he is not seriously hurt,” said Romain. “It was a difficult race out there. The start under the safety car was in very wet conditions when the spray made it difficult to see and the amount of water on track meant we were aquaplaning a lot, so it was sensible to red flag the race. After the restart, conditions were much better, but then the rain returned and it was difficult to be on the right tyres and find the grip we wanted. The car seemed quite good at times but we also used up our tyres quite quickly, so it was a big challenge today.” Pastor echoed his team-mate’s sentiment, stating: “Most importantly, my thoughts and prayers are with Jules tonight, I hope he is okay.” “It was a tricky race from the very beginning,” he continued. “I think we were doing quite well, trying to anticipate what others would do strategy-wise, and we recovered some places. There was a big battle at the back, quite tricky because the visibility was not so good. We were able to make some good moves, but equally you had to be very careful about where to push.” Deputy Team Principal, Federico Gastaldi summarised the day by voicing the team’s concerns regarding Jules Bianchi, adding: “Our thoughts are with him, his team and his family. We know the medical personnel will do everything he needs.” “The race took place under difficult weather conditions so it was a challenge for everyone. In terms of our performance, both drivers drove very well under very trying circumstances to bring both cars home after numerous visits to the pits.”
  13. Pastor Maldonado finished twelfth with Romain Grosjean directly behind him in thirteenth after a full and eventful Singapore Grand Prix on the Marina Bay Street Circuit. The race – which featured a safety car period – ended due to the time limit being reached rather than completing the allotted number of laps. Romain started from P16 on new super soft compound tyres, changing to scrubbed super softs on laps 10 and 22, then new softs on lap 30. Pastor started from P18 on new super soft compound tyres, pitting on lap 11 for a set of new super soft tyres, then on laps 23 and 30 for sets of scrubbed super soft tyres. He made a final stop for a set of new soft tyres on lap 31. Romain Grosjean, P13, E22-03 “It was hot out there; things were looking pretty alright until the safety car, we were fighting for points. Unfortunately, I tried to attack too hard on the restart. I wanted to give it everything and with cold soft tyres after a slow safety car period, it was just too much once at the corner. From then on, I couldn’t pass back up through the field to get points.” Pastor Maldonado, P12, E22-02 “We got the maximum out of our performance today and we had a strong consistent race. I’m pretty happy about this after the issues we had earlier in the weekend. I pitted once more than the others during the safety car period but it didn’t affect my position. It was a tough race, especially the last ten laps where the tyres needed a lot of managing, but I think we were able to do a great race today.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "We were very close to scoring points with Pastor and Romain today. Unfortunately we couldn’t convert the potential into reality in the end but the team did a great job to get both cars to finish the race after the difficulties that we had through the course of the weekend. So I’m happy. Not rock and roll, but happy.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director "Unfortunately we didn’t have the pace to challenge for points today but we were very close, closer than we have been for a long time. The safety car period obviously influenced our race strategy so it’s hard to say what the maximum could have been were it not for that. We’re pleased with the improvement of the E22 which we hope to be able to harness in the next races.” Simon Rebreyend, Renault Sport F1 track support leader “After the disappointment of yesterday, the Power Unit performed well today, with no issues at all, which is the minimum requirement for every weekend. The drivers were therefore able to show a much more representative pace in the race and could race the Saubers, Force Indias and Toro Rossos. This is much more where we should be and gives confidence for the next race in Suzuka.”
  14. Pastor Maldonado finished fourteenth and Romain Grosjean sixteenth after a fast-paced Italian Grand Prix under blue skies at Monza Pastor made a great start and drove an impeccable race whilst Romain suffered from a broken sidepod element affecting downforce and a downshift issue on his way to the chequered flag. Romain started from P17 on new hard compound tyres, pitting on lap 20 for a set of new medium compound tyres and for a piece of bodywork to be removed. Pastor started from P16 on new medium compound tyres, pitting on lap 21 for a set of new hard tyres. Romain Grosjean, P16, E22-03 “I had a dreadful start and was last by the first corner. I was on the hard tyres for the first stint and this made it difficult to fight back. I’m not sure what happened with Esteban [Gutierrez]. He was overtaking me, but then under braking he moved over on to me. My front wing was where he was trying to be so we touched. Not too much damage for me, but he had a puncture as a result. Certainly, I don’t think the tracks we will visit next will be as challenging for us as this one has been.” Pastor Maldonado, P14, E22-04 “I made a good start and a strong first lap which gave me a better position than on the grid as I was able to get past the Saubers. From there I tried to attack the Toro Rosso ahead of me, but their configuration for the straights was too much to overcome. This meant we were running at a consistent pace without any fear from the cars behind, but equally without pace in the right place to attack the cars ahead. It was quite uneventful today but good to get to the finish line.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal "We saw a very strong race today from Pastor who didn’t put a foot wrong and extracted the maximum from our current package. Romain’s race was a little more difficult but he drove around the small issues he experienced to bring his car home too. Monza has certainly been a difficult venue for us this year; let’s hope for better results in Singapore.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director "Fourteenth isn’t where we want to finish but today’s race did give us some signs of encouragement. Pastor’s pace was much closer to that of the cars in front of us, and he drove an exemplary race. Both cars were reliable although Romain lost a part of his sidepod and also experienced some downshift issues later in the race which hurt him in the very important braking zones here. We’ve taken another small step in understanding the car this weekend which helps us for the next races.”
  15. Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean were both forced to retire from today’s Belgian Grand Prix. Pastor was ordered to make an early retirement as a result of suspected exhaust failure, whilst Romain’s race was comprised due to damage on track. Though it wasn’t result the Lotus F1 Team was hoping for, Romain’s E22 had a strong race at Spa, delivering impressive pace on the medium compound tyres despite the loss of downforce. “The car was pretty good; the pace was much better than expected, which is encouraging. Unfortunately the race was compromised early on,” said Romain. First lap damage to Romain’s car forced a pit stop for a new front wing and new medium compound tyres, though it was damaged following his final pit-stop that caused the retirement. “Unfortunately, he picked up some damage after his final pit stop which made his car a real handful for him – he radioed in that the car was dangerous, so the only sensible thing to do was retire,” Trackside Operations Director, Alan Permane explained. Pastor displayed a positive outlook on the day as reflected of what could have been at Spa. “We were expecting a tough weekend – both here and Monza are challenging tracks for us – although the car seemed competitive and consistent today. “It might have been possible to fight with Sauber and Force India during the race.” Looking on the brighter side of life, Romain is optimistic for the following races. “We’re moving forward every weekend and learning a lot, though Monza is likely to be challenging too. Singapore should suit us a lot better.” It was always going to be a tough race at Spa-Francorchamps, but in true Enstone style, the team are undeterred by today’s result. “We will regroup between now and Monza of course, and do everything we can to improve further. We’ll also keep looking for that pot of good luck,” surmised Deputy Team Principle, Federico Gastaldi. Onward to Italy.
  16. Mark H

    Unlucky For Some

    Mixed fortunes at the Hungaroring where Romain Grosjean spins out and Pastor Maldonado finishes P13. The 2014 Hungarian GP was made rather challenging by the wet track in the opening section of the race following a period of rain before the start. Most drivers suffered in the very slippery conditions, not least Lotus F1 Team driver, Romain Grosjean who started from P14 on new intermediate tyres, changing to new soft compound tyres on lap 8. Unfortunately Romain's slip forced him off the track and out of the race on lap 11. Pastor Maldonado started from twentieth position on new intermediate tyres. He carried out a three-stop strategy changing each time to new soft tyres, fitting a new front wing in the middle stop following contact with Jules Bianchi. Maldonado battled his way up to P7 in the middle of the race but dropped back down to P14, finally finishing in P13 matching his "lucky 13" driver number. Romain Grosjean DNF E22-03: “We didn’t finish the race today which is very disappointing. The conditions on the circuit this afternoon were very tricky and we couldn’t get the best out of the tyres. We made the right call to move to slicks when the safety car came out – like most of the grid did – but I made a mistake when I was trying to keep the tyres warm. Unfortunately, I touched the white line and spun and that was it. I feel very sorry for everyone in the team who are giving everything they can to give me the best car possible. Hopefully these last two weeks of work and the break ahead of us will help us move forward and come back stronger for the next race in Spa.” Pastor Maldonado P13 E22-01: “It was a tough race for us. It was a struggle to find enough grip and the track surface was very slippery. We didn’t always have full power, which certainly added to the challenge in what was already a pretty difficult race with the changeable conditions. We weren’t able to close in on the cars ahead along the straight which made it hard to overtake, and there aren’t many places to overtake around here. The important thing is we finished all 70 laps so we have plenty of information to make further improvements to the car.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: "It was quite some race for us and for many teams too! Romain was unlucky to be caught out by the conditions as he had good potential in the race, but as we saw many drivers had moments off track today. It was good for Pastor to see the chequered flag in such an eventful Grand Prix. The team worked well together all weekend and now we have a week to apply all the lessons learnt from the last two races before the well-needed summer shutdown.” The drivers will take a well-earned rest, while the team continues to work on improvements to the car. After a month's break, the Belgian GP will take place at Spa-Francorchamps on 22-24 August 2014.
  17. Lotus F1® Team driver Pastor Maldonado displayed good progress this weekend, equalling his season-best finish so far, during the 10th round of the 2014 Grand Prix Championship which took place at Hockenheim’s GP circuit in Germany. Pastor Maldonado who begun from P18 on super-soft tyres, made slow and steady progress throughout the race. Sticking to a 2-pit stop strategy instead of the anticipated 3-stop, the Venezuelan fought with tenacity, tussling for placement mid-grid. He narrowly missed out on a points finish, slipping two places from P10 in the final laps to finish in P12. It was a disappointing race however for Lotus F1® Team driver Romain Grosjean who had started in P14 on the soft tyre compound. A slick getaway from lights out saw him make 2 places early on, advancing to P12. However he was later forced to retire when a cooling issue on the E22 robbed him of race pace and called an early end to his assault. Romain Grosjean DNF E22-03: “We didn’t have an easy start with the soft tyres and I struggled to warm them up after the safety car too, but our overall pace was quite good today. I suffered from a loss of power due to an issue with our cooling system so was asked to switch off the car. It’s such a shame as we were on a different strategy from our rivals so we looked like we could be on course for scoring points. Sometimes that’s how it goes in motor racing.” Pastor Maldonado DNF E22-01: “It was a tough race from the beginning; the incident in turn one was quite tricky to avoid but then the pace looked consistent. I did my best to manage the tyre degradation, which was quite high, and we were able to do only two stops. Today’s lower temperature helped us there as well. The initial plan included three stops but we had a competitive first stint so we went for plan B which worked well for us today.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: " There was great evidence of the team’s spirit over the whole weekend in Hockenheim. We lost our suspension system which has meant a new challenge and some long days adapting the car to work in its new configuration. Despite this, we had good race strategies and looked to be managing the tyres well with the pit stop crew making some fantastically fast tyre changes during the course of the race. Pastor drove impeccably all race and was unlucky not to be rewarded with points. Romain drove superbly too, but we weren’t able to give him a reliable car today. We have improvements planned for Budapest and hope to perform much better there. ” The Hungarian Grand Prix takes place in Budapest on the 27th July.
  18. Lotus continue their Grand Prix battle In its 50th year of hosting the sport, Britain’s Silverstone Circuit welcomed the 9th round of the 2014 Grand Prix Championship today, and despite the warm support from British fans for our black and gold team, it was another thorny race for Lotus. The race weekend had not started well with Pastor Maldonado failing to qualify after he ran out of fuel. This resulted in him starting at the back of the grid, in P20. Romain fared slightly better beginning the race from P14. A nasty accident by former Lotus F1® Team Driver, Kimi Räikkonen, then cut short the race in lap 2, with all drivers under the red flag whilst repairs to the guardrails were made and track debris removed. A re-start under the safety car saw Romain then begin in P16 and Pastor in P14. Several laps later, a shunt for Pastor Maldonado saw him airborne for several seconds but continue the race seemingly unscathed. It wasn’t until the penultimate lap, however, that his fight became difficult when he suffered exhaust issues and was finally classified 17th. Romain, on the other hand, who had also been battling hard had advanced to P12, before going on to take the flag in the same position. Both drivers began the race on medium tyres before switching to hard compounds. Romain Grosjean P14 E22-03: “It was a difficult first start to the race for me. I had a switch problem which meant limited power, but despite that we had a good first lap. I avoided the incident with Kimi, but my visor did get damaged by some debris. The restart went pretty well for me and the car felt alright. Towards the end of the race, on medium tyres, our pace was much better. We came close to the points but we’d started the race from too far down the grid. I understood quite a lot from the car today which should assist us in making progress." Pastor Maldonado DNF E22-01: “My first start felt good but after the restart we struggled for power so I wasn’t able to fight with the cars around me. I still pushed as best I could but making progress was difficult. There was contact from Esteban Gutierrez, the result of which I’m told looked spectacular, but in the car it was over very quickly and we kept on racing. We’re not sure if this added to the cause of my retirement, certainly the rear wing was moving about more than normal so we don’t know yet what other damage there was. Now I look forward to testing here on Tuesday.” Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: "Once more the team demonstrated great teamwork over a challenging weekend. Unfortunately we weren’t able to take advantage of what looks to be much more competitive damp weather performance as the weather was much better today. It was an eventful race and we’re thankful no-one was hurt in the incident at the start. Our performance was short of where we want it to be, but both drivers gave their all. As our local race, it was fantastic to see so many people from Enstone here and we thank them all for their ongoing hard work.” The team now head to Germany for the next round of the competition that takes place in Hockenheim on the 20th July.
  19. The Lotus F1® Team continues to pull together during the 2014 Austrian GP where both team drivers completed the 71-lap race. The 8th round of the 2014 Grand Prix Championship competition got underway today, at the Spielberg Circuit in Austria, and it was another gritty challenge for the Lotus F1® Team. Hot conditions, high on-track temperatures, together with the rolling nature of the circuit inevitably put pressure on the brakes and both drivers worked hard to avert issues. Romain Grosjean began the race from the pit lane following a gearbox change, starting the race on supersoft tyres. He soon knuckled down and climbed the field steadily to take the flag in P14. Pastor Maldonado, who begun the race from P13 on new soft tyres, held his form throughout the race, advancing one place to finish in P12, - just missing out on a finish in the points. Romain Grosjean P14 E22-03: “Today hasn’t been easy. We had various issues during the race to add to our struggle for overall performance so it was quite a challenge! We stopped very early for soft tyres but unfortunately we soon experienced graining from these which made it difficult for the rest of the race. Looking at the past, the team has always managed to make a great comeback. It might be a bit of a big build-up this time, but I know that we will work hard and do all we can to fight back to where we want to be." Pastor Maldonado P12 E22-01: “For me in the car it was actually quite a good weekend. We finished the race which is positive and we made the most of the package we had today. We are losing a lot of time in the slow-speed corners and we need to keep improving in this area to be more like our good high-speed corner performance. Unfortunately we had some brake issues from very early on in the race so I wasn’t able to fight others around me, even though it was nice to be running in the top ten during the course of the race. After that, it was a case of saving fuel and brakes to get to the chequered flag. I think Silverstone will suit us much better." Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: "There are positives from today. Both cars made the chequered flag in what’s been a difficult race for many teams. Pastor and Romain really got their heads down and made the most of the cars under them and should be applauded for today’s drives. It is obvious where we are lacking against our rivals so our focus going forward is clear.” Formula One™ comes home for the next round of the competition which takes place at Silverstone for the British GP on 6th July.
  20. The Lotus F1® Team suffered disappointment over the weekend in an unfulfilling Canadian GP that saw both Lotus F1® drivers retire from the Montreal race Despite a heart-warming fight from the Lotus F1® Team, the Canadian 2014 Grand Prix failed to unfold as hoped for by the black and gold troupe with both Lotus F1® Team drivers forced to retire before the end of the 70-lap race. Pastor began from P17 and despite ascending to P8, he had little choice but to retire in lap 21 when power unit issues proved insurmountable for the Venezuelan. Romain who had begun from P14 fared little better and suffered rear wing damage cutting short his race and he retired in lap 59. Romain Grosjean DNF E22-03: “Today was not great in terms of pace for me, however there are some positives looking forwards. We can see that a Renault Sport F1 team can win a race so we have a target there, especially when the win came at a circuit that is not thought to be one of the stronger ones for them. Congratulations to Daniel for his win which I watched in the garage. The rear wing of my car broke, so it was safer to retire than risk a potentially dangerous situation. We have a lot of work to do, so it's time to go home and try to understand our problems and come back stronger in the next races." Pastor Maldonado DNF E22-01: “We had a similar problem to yesterday where we lost a lot of power. It's a shame as the race was going very well, and we had an excellent pace - to be honest I was quite surprised by the car. The strategy was good, as we were looking for one stop whereas all the other cars were planning two stops, so we were looking very strong today and even without stopping we were on a similar pace with the other teams. We just need to look into exactly what happened and work hard to fix the problems we are having. We’ve shown we can be competitive." Federico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: "Today saw a great Formula 1 race and we must say congratulations to Daniel Ricciardo for his first win. For us, it was certainly not our finest moment. Pastor was driving very strongly with a good strategy which should have seen him finish strongly in the points. He had an issue related to his power unit from the start of the race and eventually he had to retire because of this. This is frustrating for all involved and we will do everything we can to eradicate issues like this in the future. Romain had a tough race where he pushed all the way, but there was a problem with his rear wing. Again, not ideal and something we need to understand and rectify. We have a busy few weeks before Austria.” The team now look forward to the next round of the competition that takes place in Austria on 22nd June.
  21. Lotus F1® Team driver Romain Grosjean, drives the team into its first points finish of the 2014 F1® season, whilst teammate Pastor Maldonado climbs 7 places up the grid, to finish in P15. Celebrating his 50th Grand Prix race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Cataluñya, for the Spanish Grand Prix, Lotus F1® Team driver, Romain Grosjean claimed vital first season points which had previously eluded the Lotus F1® Team. A superb, yet taut qualifying saw the Frenchman begin from P5, the highest grand prix start of the season, whereas stablemate Pastor Maldonado kept his head up, disappointed at having to start from the back of the pack in P22, thanks to a run-off in Q1. During the 66-laps of the race however, both drivers delivered for the team. Romain held onto his P5 slot for as long as possible keeping his adversaries in his rear view. Power unit issues mid-race however meant he slipped from P5 but still maintained a top ten position to finally take the flag in P8. Pastor on the other hand was consistently climbing but unfortunately got slapped early on with a 5-second stop/go penalty. Never-the-less he recovered quickly to advance some 7 places, coming home in P15. Romain Grosjean P8 E22-03: “It’s been a tough battle for us to get points this season and that was certainly one of the hardest races I’ve contested in a long time. I did everything I could to drive around the power unit issues, which really made things difficult when battling the other cars. It’s good for all the crew at the track and at Enstone to finally get a reward for all their hard work. There are still a lot of areas where we can improve and certainly the car wasn’t as quick today as it was yesterday, with the different track conditions as well as the other issue. It’s Mothers’ Day in Switzerland so this one’s for my mum!" Pastor Maldonado P15 E22-01: “We made a step forward in terms of pace with the car this weekend, it was much more competitive than 15th but the lack of top speed meant we weren’t able to attack even if we had a quicker car than others around us. We need to keep working on that and to be faster on the straights. Today’s result is a bit disappointing but my race had been already compromised by starting at the back the grid. At least we saw the chequered flag and collected more data for the team to keep on developing the car." Frederico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: "We are very pleased for the team and for Romain to have scored our first points today. It’s certainly been a long road to get to this place. It’s not all a sweet taste as we were expecting to have finished further up the grid. We had some issues with the power unit again so we need to keep working with Renault Sport F1 to ensure we can keep fighting for as many points as possible. We have two days of testing coming up and our target is to carry on making improvements in performance and reliability.” Now as we continue into the European leg of the season, the team prepare for the following round of the competition that takes place in Monaco on the 25th May 2014.
  22. The third round of the F1® 2014 World Championship competition sees Lotus F1® Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado taking the flag in P12 and P14 As the sun set on the desert kingdom of Bahrain, The Lotus F1® Team went to battle, and a challenge it was. With Romain starting 16th on the grid and Pastor 17th, it was never going to be an easy task. Yet, once again the team unified, and attacked the job with gusto. Staving off competition, they managed to gain several places and halfway through the 57-lap race, Romain was running in P15 and Pastor in P12. A later collision for Pastor Maldonado saw him pick up a 10 second stop and go penalty and a 5 place grid penalty which will be applied during the next round of the 2014 F1 Championship, in China. A disappointing end for the team, as both cars took the chequered flag this time around. Romain finished in P12 and Pastor P14.Romain Grosjean P12 E22-03: “It's good that we didn't have any problems during the weekend and we were able to finish the race with both cars. It's not easy racing - what with the fuel management and energy recovery system – so there’s certainly more mental work going on in the cockpit. At certain points of the race we were quite quick, but then at other points we were really struggling with the rear grip. Fortunately, we now have two days of testing at Bahrain so we’ll be able to try a lot of different set-ups to try to get the car more as we want it."Pastor Maldonado P14 E22-01: “As we expected the pace was much better in the race than it was in qualifying. We were using quite an interesting strategy and were running on two stops which was working well until the incident. We will need to have a look again at what happened as Esteban seemed to be off his line coming into turn one - maybe he missed his braking point, I don't know – and by then I was in the corner with nowhere to go. For sure it's difficult to understand and I was coming out from the pits and with cold tyres. I think he was very unlucky and it’s good he jumped straight out of the car. As a team it’s a plus that we finished with two cars which is very important and now we need to learn from this race and push hard for Shanghai."Frederico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: "Both drivers kept their heads down and kept pushing today. It’s clear we still have to unlock a lot of pace from this car, but we were much better with reliability here and our relative pace has improved too. It was good to see both cars at the finish of the race as this is what we need to improve the car and make it faster.” The team now head to China for the fourth round of the competition which takes place at the Shanghai circuit on the 20th April 2014.
  23. Romain Grosjean delivers a steady and progressive race in Sepang, whilst power issues for Pastor Maldonado forces a tough decision to retire Round two of the 2014 F1® season got underway today, and it was a bag of mixed fortunes for the Lotus F1® Team. Starting in P15 and P16, Lotus F1® Team drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado made good progress off the grid until a loss of power for Pastor during the first lap, cut short the Venezuelan’s race who took the tough decision to safeguard his engine and retire. Romain however kept the black and gold flag flying high and advanced quickly, accelerating two places and sliding into P13 during the fourth lap. He then maintained his pace, overtaking Caterham’s Kobayashi to claim P12 during lap 32. Continuing his steady fight forwards and providing valuable data for the team, he further ascended into P11 and was forced to furiously defend his place in the last laps of the race thanks to a spirited challenge from teammate of old, Kimi Räikkönen. The Räikkönen charge did not break Romain’s lock down and he successfully crossed the line, his P11 finish in hand. Romain Grosjean P11 E22-03: “Eleventh place is good for all the guys at Enstone and at the track, and it's good for me too. Finishing the race was our first objective and then we wanted to see where we were with our car. It's not perfect yet but it's good to be where we are at this stage. I had a big loss of downforce around eight laps to the end especially in the rear of the car which made things difficult, especially when I had to defend. Without that issue, I’m sure we could have finished higher. It's good to be back and close to the points so it's a positive for all of us. It was a good battle at the end. I kept remembering our past battles to make sure Kimi couldn't go through!" Pastor Maldonado DNF E22-01: “After the start we were losing a lot of power so we'll have to investigate later to see what the issue is and analyse the data. This problem meant I had to retire in order to protect the engine. Despite that, this weekend has been clearly a step forwards. Since Saturday, we've been able to run far more with the car and Romain was able to finish the race. Today obviously was not so good for me, but we're not the only ones with issues so early in the season. This is all related to all the complex packages in the car, but we have learnt a lot this weekend and will make progress for the next.” Frederico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: “Today Romain drove a great race to be in with a shout of points and finish the team’s first race of 2014. That he was able to defend his position for the last eight laps despite his rear diffuser not working properly shows his determination. This determination is shared by the entire team as we now look to extract more performance from the E22. Pastor was very unfortunate with an issue which could have damaged his engine. We needed to retire him so that we can ensure better performance later in the year. We head to Bahrain as determined as ever to find more improvements in performance and reliability.” The next round of the competition takes place at the Sakhir Circuit in Bahrain on the 6th April.
  24. A tough season opener and a difficult start to the 2014 F1® season for The Lotus F1® Team down-under. They always said it was going to be a dramatic first race in this new era of F1® and dramatic it was. Merlbourne’s Albert Park 3.3 mile circuit provided the stage for top-flight motorsport entertainment that saw Lotus put up a positive assault in what was always going to be a tough race for the black and gold team. Disappointing qualifying for both drivers meant whilst Pastor Maldonado began at the very back of the grid, Romain Grosjean began from the pit-lane and was then further slapped with a drive-through penalty for leaving the pit garage early. Never-the-less, after lights out Maldonado was soon on the march and ascended to P11 before difficulties with the new turbo recovery unit hampered his fight resulting in his retirement in lap 29. Grosjean faired marginally better in spite of the odds. A consistent battle from lights out saw him needle through the back of the field ascending to P12. However, with just 12 laps to go KERS failure for Romain Grosjean determined his retirement also. Romain Grosjean DNF E22-03: “In a way, it was a pretty positive day. I expected to do around 15 to 20 laps in the race after all the issues we’ve had this weekend, and we managed 45! We’ve learnt a lot today and all the changes made to the car have been positive. We still have a long way to go, but at least I know more about tyre usage, all my engineers know where we need to improve with the chassis, and we’ve learnt a lot about aero balance and fuel consumption. Of course there's more to do with the energy management and recovery and some work yet with the braking. We’ve still got lots of work to do, but we’re definitely heading in the right direction.” Pastor Maldonado DNF E22-01: “It was obviously very disappointing, but if you look at the positives we did more laps than in the pre-season which is quite encouraging as we have more data which is very important for making progress. We had a very negative free practice but we did plenty of laps during the race which is very positive for the team. I'm looking forward to the next race and we'll keep pushing.” Frederico Gastaldi, Deputy Team Principal: “Though the results do not show it, everyone in the team has done a fantastic job in very challenging circumstances. Both our cars finished with problems related to the same MGU-K component so we and Renault F1 Sport both know where we have to focus for our improvements heading to Malaysia. It’s clear we also have other improvements to make, but the team spirit and resolve has not diminished. We know what we have to do and we will do it.” The next round of the competition see’s the team head to Malaysia and to the Sepang circuit in Kuala Lumpur on the 30th March.
  25. Pastor Maldonado ended the first day of this week’s Bahrain test with 31 laps completed after an exhaust issue shortened the day’s running for Lotus F1 Team. Pastor set a lap time of 1min 40.599secs as the team conducted evaluations of new parts, including an updated exhaust. The team will revert to the earlier specification of exhaust for tomorrow’s running. Fast Facts: Track: Bahrain International Circuit, Bahrain, 5.4km Chassis: E22-01 Weather: Sunny and cloudy ambient 23-30°C, track 25-39°C Programme: Evaluation of new parts. Laps Completed: 31 Classification: P10, 1:40.599 Interruptions: Software updates and exhaust failure. What’s Next? Pastor Maldonado will drive tomorrow for his final day of pre-season testing at Bahrain International Circuit. Pastor Maldonado: “For sure it wasn’t what we wanted today, but we are all working very hard to make progress and I’m sure we’ll have solutions quite soon as a team, and it’s clear we have good potential and the car is not bad. We have had some problems but we are fixing them and we are making improvements with electronics and software every day we run.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “Today started well and we evaluated new aero parts in the morning. Unfortunately, our new specification exhaust system failed, causing a small amount of damage to the surrounding area of the car. This stopped us running early due to the rectification work required. For tomorrow, we will run with our previous specification of exhaust and we do not expect to see any similar problems to those we saw today.”
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