Friday: Lotus and Grosjean have a lot, a lot of work
At Lotus, the situation is hardly bright: with fewer than fifteen laps completed by its two drivers during the day's two free practice sessions, optimism is far from the pit of the English team. Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado will have work ahead of them.
Romain Grosjean (no. 8) – no time and 18th
After a dull day, with only a dozen laps covered for the Frenchman over two sessions, there aren’t many reasons for satisfaction: If we look on the bright side, we can say that we succeeded in a few start simulations, and we have proven that Renault had done a good job.
For the rest, a mountain stands in the way of the man with nine podiums: « It is certain that we have a lot of work ahead of us and we always need to learn about the tires, the brakes, and find the right setup. We make progress little by little every time we go on track and, obviously, we will get to where we want to be. »
The Franco-Swiss driver experienced a braking issue and went off track, damaging his Lotus E22 at the end of Free Practice 2.
Pastor Maldonado (No. 13) – no time
The Venezuelan had a particularly difficult day: having spun twice in FP1, he had to finish coasting after a battery issue which then prevented him from running in FP2. A situation that invites irony: “I feel really ready for tomorrow. I spent a lot of time waiting to get in the car because we had a few problems, which I think are always normal so early in the season with these new cars.”
The work required is substantial for the Enstone structure, even if according to Maldonado, everyone must work: « It was clear that we were not the only ones suffering on the track and we must work very hard, and perhaps harder than others, to try to come back and be ready for tomorrow. » An emergency situation that should call for a modification of the planned program: « We need to sit down with the engineers and review our program for free practice. »
