Jean Alesi: Bruno did honor to the Senna name

The former Formula One driver believes that Bruno Senna’s Belgian performance did honor to his uncle’s name, despite mistakes that the Avignon native considers understandable.

In an interview published on the official Lotus Cars website, Jean Alesi, brand ambassador, commented on Bruno Senna’s performance: Overall, I think he should be satisfied with his weekend. I’m sure he regretted braking too late at the first corner and colliding with Jaime Alguersuari, but he did a phenomenal job in qualifying to secure 7th position on the grid.

The Frenchman also defends the Brazilian driver: « The first corner, La Source, is always difficult because it is very close to the starting line, so everyone arrives in a pack with cold tires, and it’s very tight. There are always accidents; you have to be very careful, and Bruno was not the only one to make a mistake. Fortunately, he was able to continue, and even though he finished outside the points, in 13th position, he still completed the race distance, which is important. »

The native of Sao Paulo was indeed starting from 7th place on the grid for his return to a Grand Prix start after an underwhelming stint with HRT last year and could have even hoped for better if he had activated his DRS on the Kemmel straight. He would probably have been two-tenths faster even though it wouldn’t have changed his grid position. But qualifying ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari and the Lotus Renault of his teammate was a great achievement, after having had so little time with the car. Bruno was under a lot of pressure and handled it very well. He honored the Senna name, says Jean Alesi.

The Avignonnais also believes that the overall result of the Belgian Grand Prix demonstrates Lotus Renault GP’s resurgence in form. On a circuit like Spa-Francorchamps, the driver counts for a lot, perhaps more than on any other circuit, but nevertheless, as a former Formula One driver, I must admit that the car does most of the work. It’s very clear that LRGP has made a big step forward compared to where they were in recent races. In fact, the performance we saw this weekend was more like what we had at the start of the season. Qualifying both cars in the Top 10 has nothing to do with luck and it’s the place we deserve, assures Alesi.