Eric Boullier defends Romain Grosjean after Monaco

As the Monaco Grand Prix approached, the Lotus F1 Team wasn’t particularly expecting to shine in the Monaco event. Yet, by the end of last Thursday’s free practice, the Enstone team was all smiles as Romain Grosjean, in his Formula One debut in Monaco, made a splash by setting the second-fastest time in each of the first two free practice sessions: « I am disappointed [that Lotus could not fight at the front]. After two good Grand Prix races, we didn’t know what to expect with the speeds at Monaco, so it was a pleasant surprise to see one of our drivers fighting at the front » says Eric Boullier according to Autosport.

However, in Monaco, for the second time in his career after the 2009 Belgium Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean retired on the first lap of the race following a collision. But this season, the Frenchman was also quickly forced to retire in Australia and Malaysia, after colliding with Pastor Maldonado and Michael Schumacher, respectively. In Spain, fifteen days ago, the Geneva driver had a scuffle at the first corner with Sergio Pérez’s Sauber, losing a piece of front wing in the process. Despite everything, Eric Boullier wants to remind that the Frenchman only has 13 Grand Prix to his name, compared to drivers who have nearly 100 starts and, in some cases, up to over 300: « Regarding Romain, there is no excuse, but just a fact: all the drivers around him have done millions of kilometers of testing and numerous races beforehand. He is still in his first year, so he has the right to make mistakes. »

The director of the Lotus team does not want to criticize the French driver who is delivering encouraging performances, even outshining his experienced teammate, the Finn Kimi Räikkönen, during the Monaco race: « I think he is doing an incredible job for a rookie driver, and no one on the grid today, who started their career without any test and directly got into an F1, has done as well as he has. »