The future of Grosjean not known before the end of the season?
Romain Grosjean may have an option to stay with Lotus next season, but the official announcement of his contract renewal might be delayed, possibly until the end of the current championship.
Will the transfer market still have a few surprises in store for us? While the future of Kimi Räikkönen will be known on October 17th – a future that should continue with the Lotus team – that of Romain Grosjean will likely be revealed later, probably after Interlagos.
After having a first experience in F1 in 2009, the Franco-Swiss driver is back on the starting grid this year. With 3 podiums and regularly faster than his teammate in qualifying, Romain Grosjean has demonstrated that he has the speed to be a mainstay in the top category of motorsport. However, alongside these skills, the 26-year-old driver also accumulates penalty points with seven incidents at the start or in the early laps of the 14 races he has participated in. After his exclusion following the Spa-Francorchamps accident, Grosjean found himself once again at the center of criticism in Suzuka for colliding with Mark Webber’s Red Bull.
In an interview with the English channel Sky Sports F1, Eric Boullier discusses the case of Grosjean and talks about the end of the season and the future of the GP2 champion within the Lotus team: « I think he has the speed, and if you look at the overall results and you address the starting issues, he has done a good job and deserves another chance in F1. We are now a few races from the end of the season, and we need to ensure that he understands the message and realizes what we expect from him at the start. »
There are five Grand Prix remaining in the 2012 season, and Romain Grosjean will have to avoid incidents if he wants to be renewed for next year, but Boullier remains optimistic because the driver’s attitude has already changed significantly since his collision with Webber last weekend. « I must say that since Suzuka, or even before, Romain has changed a lot and is now more mature, » highlights the Frenchman on the microphone of Sky Sports.
Qualified seventh on the starting grid of the South Korean Grand Prix, Grosjean will have to be wary of his opponents at the first, delicate braking point of this Yeongam circuit. “Obviously, a lot of people will be watching my start tomorrow. I know my goals and I know I am capable of a good result,” he stated after the qualifying session.
