Boullier: Grosjean and Räikkönen on equal footing
Even though it has a former world champion, with Kimi Räikkönen, the Lotus team treats its two drivers equally, as stated by Eric Boullier, the director of the team based in Enstone.
Eric Boullier, the director of the Lotus F1 team, stated that the Enstone team decided to change its approach in 2012 by hiring two talented drivers, Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean. Unlike previous pairings, the French manager mentioned that neither of the two men would be favored by the team with the role of number 1.
In the past, Team Lotus (notably during the Renault era) had a number 1 driver, with Fernando Alonso or Robert Kubica, but that belongs to the past as Eric Boullier explained to the official Formula 1 website: «Historically, the team has always favored one driver – a defined leader. But that has clearly changed. It’s something that belongs to the past. I want two fast drivers because that’s how you can be at the top of the constructors’ standings. So our two drivers have the same status.»
Boullier acknowledges, however, that Räikkönen emerges as a leader within the Lotus team due to his experience, notably: «Of course, Kimi, with his experience, character, and personality, tends to have a certain degree of leadership. But in fact, it is not leadership but probably more attention. On the other hand, Romain is gradually making his place and he earns a lot of respect from the team every weekend. We must not forget that Kimi has done something like 160 Grand Prix while Romain has only completed his 12th Grand Prix this weekend.»
Asked about the atmosphere between the two men, the French manager indicates that it is good even if his two drivers are not necessarily close outside of the Grand Prix. But it is not something that worries him because he simply wants Grosjean and Räikkönen to have a good working relationship for the team: “They are different, and I don’t think they will ever go on vacation together. But they don’t need to be friends. That’s my only opinion. What I expect from them is to respect each other and never forget that they work for the team. They both know that we will never favor one over the other—depending on the strategy each is on. It’s up to them to qualify well and achieve a good result. We only provide them with the tools to succeed under the same conditions.”
Eric Boullier also spoke about the choice of Romain Grosjean and his performances since “his return” to F1 this season: He is very strong on one side and on the other, he is very sensitive. So you have to find a balance between these two parts of his personality. The last time he raced in F1, he was very young and not in the right place at the right time with the right support. This label stuck with him for a long time. But now he is in the right place at the right time with the right support and look at what he is capable of doing!
The director of the Lotus team also spoke about Kimi Räikkönen’s personality, and he revealed that he had no trouble managing “Iceman” because the team understands his desires and how he operates: “He’s a true driver, so he races to win and doesn’t care about the rest! Kimi is like a wild animal, and you have to let him run as he wants. We don’t have to tell him what to do because he’s a professional, and our first priority is for him to perform well on the track. That’s his goal. After that, there are a few obligations. Unfortunately for him, his personality makes him very popular with the fans, so he’s famous. He and we have to take into account the fact that he has so many fans, so he plays the game in a certain way. We limit his obligations to the minimum, and I see that suits him well.”
