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Lotus F1 Team is pleased to announce that Romain Grosjean will continue
to drive for the team in 2015 as it embarks on its first season with
Mercedes-Benz power. Romain will continue to partner Pastor Maldonado,
who was confirmed for 2015 earlier this year.
Romain has driven for Lotus F1 Team continuously since the start of the
2011 season as well as driving for the team’s previous iteration of
Renault for the latter part of the 2009 season. He was previously part
of Enstone’s long-standing young driver programme.
Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team driver:
“It’s fantastic for me to be continuing with Lotus F1 Team for 2015 and
it’s superb to have the support of everyone at Enstone. It’s no secret
that we’ve had a really tough season this year, but the team has
remained focused and we’re all determined to return to regular
points-scoring in 2015. I have been spending a lot of time recently at
Enstone and I’m feeling very positive about the potential of the E23,
which should represent a return to form for the team. We have one race
left in 2014 so I’ll be pushing to do the best job possible in Abu Dhabi
before my focus switches fully to 2015.”
Gérard Lopez, co-Chairman and Team Principal, Lotus F1 Team:
“It is with great pleasure that we can formally confirm that Romain
Grosjean will continue with Lotus F1 Team alongside Pastor Maldonado
next season. You really learn something about a driver when they have
the chips against them and Romain has delivered impeccably in 2014
despite the very big challenges he has faced. We know that Romain will
always get the most out of the car at his disposal, which is why we
can’t wait to harness his potential with Mercedes-Benz power in 2015.”
(image: Lotus F1 Team)
Romain gives his insight on his future with Lotus F1 Team
On the day of his confirmation as driving for Lotus F1 Team for 2015,
Romain Grosjean answers the questions and gives a little insight into
the hows, wheres and whys of his future with the team.
How does it feel to finally announce your 2015 plans?
We’ve been waiting to announce it for a while now so it’s really
good to finally confirm that I will be staying with the team next season.
My finger’s been poised over the tweet button for quite a while and
there might even have been a little jump-start! Fortunately, there’s no
stop and go penalty!
Why Lotus F1 Team?
I think we make a great combination. We’ve been working together for a
long time now and I certainly didn’t want to leave on a performance low
like we’ve seen in 2014 as we’ve enjoyed some beautiful moments together.
It would have just felt wrong to say goodbye in a tough patch like we
have had in 2014, because I know what everyone at Enstone is capable of.
Moments like this can either make you stronger or destroy you and I’m
sure that the team is only going to learn from what has been a hard year.
We’ve seen (and heard!) some frustration from you in 2014, but what’s
your vibe looking to the future?
I’m very pleased, happy and proud to be part of Lotus F1 Team for
next year and excited at the prospect of being powered by the Mercedes
engine which has looked so strong this year. The E23 should be a good
step forward, building on all the lessons from 2014. I’ve spent a lot of
time at the factory working with everyone, and the relationship I have
with the team is very strong. We’ve had some good moments and tough ones
and we always stay together, which makes it even more attractive for the
future.
After what has been a trying season, do you expect the team to come
back stronger next year?
It’s easier to say than to do, but I firmly believe that you always
learn much more from difficult rather than easy situations. Not only has
the team learnt an enormous amount this season, but I think I’ve also
improved massively. Two years ago I’d probably have dealt with this
situation completely differently but I’ve managed to stay composed. I’m
looking forward to seeing us work hard and develop during the winter. We
all now have a much clearer picture of what we are focusing on and
avoiding in terms of plans for the E23. We’ve been working on it for
quite some time and things seem positive, so I really hope when I get in
the car at pre-season testing I get that special feeling when you know
it’s going to be a good season. I’m not saying we will be back at our
2013 levels when we were extraordinarily good for the size of our budget
that we had. Personally, I am hoping we can challenge the front runners,
score a few podiums and points and get back into the top five in the
Constructors’ Championship and I want to taste champagne with the team
again!
How deep have you had to dig this season, how tough has it been?
News like this helps me a lot to forget about the difficult moments.
Of course when you’re out on track it’s not always easy and sometimes I
show my passion to succeed on the radio as we’ve had quite a bit of
frustration this year. Equally, every time we go in to the engineers’
office we sit and learn. For 2015 we have many lessons we can put into
practice.
How much contact will you have with the factory during the off-season?
I live around 45 minutes away from the factory so I’ll be popping in
regularly to see how things are going and how development on the car is
progressing. If ever the team needs me, they just call me and I’ll come
down and see if I can help, although some of my fabrication skills are
probably best not employed on a Formula 1 car!
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