Grosjean satisfied with new Pirelli tires
Following his first laps with the new tires introduced by Pirelli this weekend in Hungary, Romain Grosjean was quite pleased. The Frenchman's Lotus performed well with these new compounds, making him optimistic.
Last year, Romain Grosjean managed to finish on the podium in Hungary, but with the tire change decided by Pirelli and the FIA, the Frenchman was on the defensive after not being able to drive at Silverstone with these new tires.
But ultimately, for his debut with these new tires, everything went well for the Lotus driver, as he told journalists in the Hungaroring paddock: “Yes, ultimately, it’s true that the day went smoothly, the tire change wasn’t as drastic as I thought it would be, so that was rather a good thing, it allowed us not to have to redo everything. Now, we’re going to try to see how to improve the car’s settings a little, the best compromises between the two types of tires brought by Pirelli here, and then get a first idea of tire degradation to prepare Sunday’s strategy.”
Grosjean was close to the two Red Bull drivers this afternoon, and while some believe he might fight for victory, the Frenchman hopes rather to outpace teams like Ferrari and Mercedes in order to catch up with them in the constructors’ championship: « It’s always important to score a lot of points. In the team championship, they [Red Bull] already have a good lead, so we’re not looking at that. We’re trying to focus more on the 2nd and 3rd places, which aren’t necessarily very far. It’s quite tight. We’ll see on Sunday night when we count the points. »
It was hot today at the Hungaroring and it’s going to be even hotter tomorrow and Sunday, but this doesn’t bother the Lotus driver much, as he humorously shared: “We have a convertible, when we’re driving, we’re never hot, but when we stop… The worst is during the qualifiers, to be honest. Once we’re moving, once we’re launched in the car, it goes on all the time.”
From our special correspondent at the Hungaroring
