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Pastor Maldonado and
Romain Grosjean were both forced to retire from today’s Belgian Grand
Prix. Pastor was ordered to make an early retirement as a result of
suspected exhaust failure, whilst Romain’s race was comprised due to
damage on track.
Though it wasn’t result the Lotus F1 Team was hoping for, Romain’s E22
had a strong race at Spa, delivering impressive pace on the medium
compound tyres despite the loss of downforce.
“The car was pretty good; the pace was much better than expected, which
is encouraging. Unfortunately the race was compromised early on,” said
Romain.
First lap damage to Romain’s car forced a pit stop for a new front wing
and new medium compound tyres, though it was damaged following his final
pit-stop that caused the retirement.
“Unfortunately, he picked up some damage after his final pit stop which
made his car a real handful for him – he radioed in that the car was
dangerous, so the only sensible thing to do was retire,” Trackside
Operations Director, Alan Permane explained.
Pastor displayed a positive outlook on the day as reflected of what
could have been at Spa.
“We were expecting a tough weekend – both here and Monza are challenging
tracks for us – although the car seemed competitive and consistent today.
“It might have been possible to fight with Sauber and Force India during
the race.”
Looking on the brighter side of life, Romain is optimistic for the
following races.
“We’re moving forward every weekend and learning a lot, though Monza is
likely to be challenging too. Singapore should suit us a lot better.”
It was always going to be a tough race at Spa-Francorchamps, but in true
Enstone style, the team are undeterred by today’s result.
“We will regroup between now and Monza of course, and do everything we
can to improve further. We’ll also keep looking for that pot of good
luck,” surmised Deputy Team Principle, Federico Gastaldi.
Onward to Italy.
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