Saturday: Complicated day for Lotus
Not very at ease during a qualifying session disrupted by rain, the Lotus team had to face a penalty imposed on Kimi Räikkönen, which pushed the Finn back three places on the grid, as well as a strategic error that stuck Romain Grosjean in Q2.
Kimi Räikkönen – 5th and 7th [10th on the grid]:
« We weren’t fast enough on intermediates, so I don’t think we could have found more time in the wet today. Of course, I wanted more, but that’s how it is, and I hope we do well on Sunday. It’s obviously disappointing to lose three places on the grid, but we’ll see what happens in the race. I have no idea what the weather will be like, but it will be the same for everyone.
**Romain Grosjean – 14th and 11th:**
« The car was better today, for sure, and we seemed good after the third free practice session. We should have easily had both cars in the top 10, but unfortunately, the sky clouded over at just the wrong moment for me. My first Q2 stint was on worn tires, and when I came back to put on new ones, it started raining, so at least they stayed new. It’s a shame, but there’s a long race ahead for us tomorrow, and now we have extra sets of fresh tires in our pockets, so I hope we can make good use of them. »
