Sunday: Räikkönen in the points, Grosjean out again
The Lotus F1 team was expecting a good result today in Malaysia with both of its drivers in the top 10 on the grid. While Kimi Räikkönen achieved his goal by finishing 5th, Romain Grosjean disappointed once again. The French driver, who started in 6th place, quickly found himself in 3rd place, but a mistake and an off-track excursion eventually ended his race.
Kimi Räikkönen – 5th
« It was a somewhat difficult day. It was my first time with Pirelli rain tires and I didn’t know how the intermediates or the rain tires were going to react – I had only done a single installation lap with them until now. I just tried to stay on the track and push as soon as I felt comfortable. When I switched to slicks, it took a few laps to get them up to temperature, and my visor was rather dirty, so it was hard to clearly see the dry line. Once I found my rhythm, I was able to attack more. It was tough having another weather-affected weekend. The conditions changed a lot today, so it was always about adapting and finding the grip. Overall, we seem to have had a good package again this weekend, so I am pleased. Finishing 5th today is good, but we are always hoping to do better. »
Romain Grosjean – Retirement
This seemed like a perfect start off-track: I got a good start and with the KERS, I managed to slip between the cars in front without touching anyone. Coming out of the first two corners, I was third, which was an amazing feeling. At turn 4, Mark (Webber) managed to keep a bit more speed to get ahead. Michael (Schumacher) tried to follow him, but there wasn’t enough space and we touched, and I spun. From there, things got difficult. Visibility was low so I couldn’t see anything ahead of me. We made the decision to stay on the track with the intermediates, but the rain intensified and there was too much water. I had a lot of aquaplaning at turn 5 and unfortunately, it ended up in the gravel.
Eric Boullier – Team Director
The result today is a bit frustrating. It’s a good thing to have a car in the top 5 after starting from 10th place in such tricky conditions, but we can’t help but think we could have done even more. Obviously, it’s disappointing for Romain, as it’s another early race retirement. He has never raced in the rain with these intermediates, so we have to take that into account. He had a very good start off the racing line, but the contact with Michael ruined his race. In the second start, we were able to recover positions, and the positive side is that the car seemed strong once again. Kimi drove a perfect race. He was very consistent in all conditions, and his fastest lap shows what could have happened without that penalty. I’m sure that with a normal weekend – without bad weather, penalties, or interruptions – we can achieve great things.
