For Grosjean, Lotus will not perform worse than in 2012

Productive day for Romain Grosjean who completed 119 laps at the wheel of his Lotus yesterday. It’s a good day. I’m lucky, every time I get in the car everything goes well. Kimi is the one with the problems. We have been able to do a lot of laps, that’s what we need. We covered a race distance in the afternoon. It allows us to position ourselves a bit compared to others because we know who did a race simulation and who did not.

Tires are at the center of all discussions this week in Barcelona, and the topic was logically brought up with the French driver. « The tires degrade very quickly,” Grosjean confirms. « After two laps, I was saying on the radio ‘the tires are dead.’ There are 66 laps to do, so we try to do our best, to adapt our driving style. I also think that the conditions don’t help. It’s very cold, and that’s what prevents the tires from working. Last year we had problems at the rear. This year it’s also at the front. »

Even if it doesn’t make it easier to learn the new car, Romain Grosjean still believes that there’s something to be gained regarding the behavior of the Italian tires. « Everything we learn here can prove useful. Last year in China, we froze our butts off. »

In 2012, Lotus rejoined the leading pack, often being seen as a potential disruptor during Grand Prix weekends. The goal for 2013 is not only to confirm this but also to further reduce the gap and break into the Top 3 by the end of Interlagos. These ambitions seem realistic to the French driver: « The car looks good. We’re in the right group. We finished 4th in the championship last year, and I don’t see us being any further behind today. We are more confident because we have more laps [than in 2012], more knowledge, and with the team, we know more about where we are going. We’ll see after the qualifiers in Melbourne. »

At the end of last season, the team from Enstone was the last to opt for Coanda-style blown exhausts. The advantage is clear, and these exhausts are present on all 2013 single-seaters, including the Lotus, which can make better use of them. “It has been built around the Coanda effect exhausts, so it’s easier to drive, more stable, and more pleasant. Overall, it is a bit better everywhere,” reports Romain Grosjean.

Besides the performance of his car, there are also questions about his personal preparation for this new season after a 2012 campaign marked by some blunders. Again, the Frenchman remains optimistic and believes he has learned from the past, aiming for a better year where he will show more consistency. “It’s my second season in Formula 1 so it’s necessarily different. I know what I need to do. The speed is there but now we need to gain consistency. Last year I got in the car to be as fast as possible; today I’m trying to gather more information; what we can improve, what we need to work on. It’s a big difference.”

From our special correspondent in Barcelona.