The Lotus might be less at ease in Monaco

The Monaco Grand Prix will be the 500th Formula One Grand Prix for the Lotus F1 team and Eric Boullier, the team’s director, would love to mark this milestone with a good result – and why not a victory: « We will celebrate our 500th Grand Prix in Monaco, so the story would be beautiful! Monaco is unique, it’s the jewel in the Formula 1 crown. Historically, the Enstone teams have often done well in Monaco. But last year, the car was not comfortable in the slow corners, so we may have some work to do. Concerning the team and the drivers, we are ready to win. We pay attention to every aspect of the car, to how to manage it, and we are all focused on our goal. A victory would be fabulous! »

Even if victory is a goal this season for Lotus, it might not happen in Monaco, as the E20 may not be as comfortable as the previous Enstone team’s cars, as explained by James Allison: « If you take Barcelona, we were very strong in the first two sectors which are the liveliest parts of the circuit, and relatively less well in the last sector, the slowest and twistiest. Perhaps, looking further back, the place where we were least impressive was China. A circuit with relatively few fast corners and many slow sections. So, currently, we are led to think that Monaco might not suit the strengths of our car. But other things are entirely different in Monaco and they are more challenging to gauge. »

The technical director of Team Lotus also knows that the driver plays an even more important role than usual in Monaco, a circuit unlike any other: « To begin with, the corners are so slow that the quality we have seen in very fast curves cannot serve as a reference in Monaco’s winding streets. Additionally, the driver’s talent plays a more significant role in Monaco than on most other circuits, and we are fortunate to have a good pair of aces. Finally, a large part of success in Monaco lies in the driver’s confidence. The confidence he has in the car knowing it will not let him down. So far, the E20 has proven to be predictable and very straightforward in its behavior, a quality it shares with the R30. So I hope they can rely on that. We’ll see. »

Kimi Räikkönen knows that the Monaco track is an unusual circuit, but he remains confident: « Monaco is a bit different (from Barcelona) and it’s hard to say how it will go there. The team has worked well so far, but we still have room to improve. So far, everything is going well and I am happy. Okay, not 100% satisfied because we’re still missing the victory, but that’s very normal and I’m happy for the team. »

Romain Grosjean will discover Monaco at the wheel of an F1 and he doesn’t really know what to expect even though he hopes to be competitive in the streets of the Principality: « Monaco is a circuit for specialists and it’s difficult to say whether a car will perform well there or not. The straights are bumpy and the surface offers little grip. All this means that you never know what to expect. On a traditional circuit, you know a little more. I hope we’ll have a good surprise and that the car will adapt to the particular challenges of Monaco. That would be perfect. »

The Frenchman knows he will have to be patient in Monaco and learn little by little because the slightest mistake is costly between the rails: « I think Monaco will be a fantastic challenge. For me, of course, it’s a special race. There will certainly be a lot of French supporters and I am looking forward to seeing them. The event is special in itself anyways. And the atmosphere is quite crazy! As a driver, you have to stay calm, relaxed, and try to do your job. This circuit does not allow the slightest error. You have to respect it, that’s the key here. I hope I can get another good result there. »

His Finnish teammate is eager to race in Monaco because it’s a challenge he enjoys: It’s pointless to categorize races differently because they are all important to me. Nevertheless, nothing compares to Monaco. There’s nothing better than succeeding here. Racing through the streets of Monte Carlo is truly different from anything else. It’s a challenge I look forward to every year. It’s very, very difficult to have a perfect weekend here.

The Finnish driver only managed to win once on the Rock, it was in 2005 with McLaren: « I only managed once to put everything in order, it’s the most beautiful feeling imaginable to win here. I rank my 2005 victory here as the most unforgettable. Winning again would be very special. »

Räikkönen knows that the Monaco circuit is a track where it’s difficult to overtake, so qualifying will be even more crucial than usual: « The circuit is so narrow and twisty! You have to be extremely precise and focused at every meter here. Overtaking was practically impossible in the past, so to enjoy the race here, you have to be in front. »

This is actually a point on which he hopes to improve this weekend because between the rails, overtaking is very difficult, so a good starting position on the grid can be synonymous with a good final result: « I must focus on qualifying. Racing here is difficult, it’s very narrow, and overtakes are almost impossible. In 2009, I was stuck behind Rubens (Barrichello) and we had KERS at the time, but I could never get past him. We need to check how the tires behave here and if it’s possible to come up with good strategies. But the most important thing is to nail our qualifying. It is hard to predict if a car will be good at Monaco because you cannot simulate its characteristics, at least not like on other circuits we’ve been to before. I can say that the E20 has been fast everywhere else, so I hope it will be quick at Monaco too. »

To ensure that the Lotus E20s of Grosjean and Räikkönen perform better this weekend, the Lotus F1 team has planned some new features, as James Allison stated: “We will have a bigger rear wing because we need more downforce in Monaco than anywhere else. If you look closely or are an avid fan of bodywork modifications, you will see that the area around the sidepods and the rear drums is different.”

Monaco also involves some specific modifications to the cars: « We need to make suspension modifications to get through the Loews hairpin and La Rascasse. We have also made changes, for Kimi in particular, to make the steering a bit more responsive for Monaco. »

Another important aspect of Monaco is the atmosphere throughout the weekend, as Räikkönen modestly shares: “Monaco is always special. It’s an interesting place to know, with a lot of fans and a lot of parties, well, from what I’m told. It’s a completely different atmosphere from other places.”