Grosjean believes victory is possible for Lotus in 2012

In Bahrain, by stepping onto the third step of the podium, Romain Grosjean silenced his critics after a season start marked by two prematurely ended races. After scoring his first career points in Shanghai, the Geneva native became the first Frenchman since Jean Alesi to stand on a Grand Prix podium. In the post-race press conference, the Lotus driver acknowledged that victory was the next step for him: “I think we can be very happy with what we’ve done and, personally, I’m very, very happy to be on my first podium. I must say it’s a pleasant feeling! I was aiming for points, then a Top 5 and the podium, but I skipped a step. The victory will be next, but it’s going to take some time,” admitted the Franco-Swiss.

In a video interview published on the official Lotus F1 Team website, Romain Grosjean reflects on his season start and reveals that a win is possible for his team by November: « The winter tests showed that the car was very good. During the first qualifying session in Melbourne, it was incredible to be third on the grid, but we couldn’t capitalize in the following races, as we deserved. But we knew we had a good car, and the team is working hard to bring developments to the car because that will be the key this season. We knew we had something in our hands that works very well, so now we are working hard to make the most of it in the upcoming races, and if we do everything right, maybe we can win by the end of the season. »

However, the Genevan reaffirms that the goal of the team based in Enstone is not to fight for the title: « The season is going to be very tight and the title is not our goal. Of course, we want to do our best, but our objective is fourth place in the constructors’ championship. We seem to be doing quite well, but we know there is still work to be done to bring everything together to become world champions. […] Of course, I would like to be part of this experience and be world champion with this team. We are working hard to achieve that. »

With McLaren-Mercedes, Lotus is now the only team to have reached the podium with each of its drivers, while Romain Grosjean does not currently have to blush in comparison with his world champion teammate. The Frenchman also assured that there was a good atmosphere within the team. Thus, when Sky Sports asked him if Kimi Räikkönen should be worried, Romain Grosjean invited them to ask the question to the Finn: « For the moment, the atmosphere is good. We are doing our best for the team, but having a world champion as a teammate is always good because it helps you progress faster. The car is performing well and fighting with the big guys in the championship certainly gives more experience than fighting behind them. »