SEPANG SHOWDOWN: ALL-IMPORTANT POINTS FOR LOTUS AMID A TAUT ON-TRACK THRILLER
25.03.2013.- The drama came thick and fast yesterday, as the second round of the 2013 FIA F1 championship took place at the Sepang International Grand Prix circuit, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Lotus gained vital early-season points in a race that finished with Romain Grosjean in sixth and Iceman stablemate Kimi Räikönnen in seventh place.
With Kimi starting in P10 and Romain P11, both battled hard from the off in an assault that saw them slice their way up the grid. Tense wheel to wheel grappling and sure-footed dicery made for some gripping moves on what was a slippery surface during the first half of the race. The team retains its second position in the constructors championship, with Kimi also second in the drivers standings.
Kimi Räikkönen, P7, E21-03 “Although the car felt very good on Friday, yesterday and today have been pretty difficult. Since Saturday morning it has not been behaving as we expected for some reason, especially in the wet where we really struggled for grip. It was a tough race and I lost part of my front wing at the start which didn’t help, but at least we scored a few points which is better than coming away with nothing. If we can get the car back to how it was in Australia then I’m sure we’ll be at the front again.”
Romain Grosjean, P6, E21-01 “I think we can be quite happy with the result today. It was a tough race, starting wet and finishing dry, but that’s what you expect in Malaysia. I spent a lot of time stuck behind Felipe [Massa] in the middle phase of the race and I’m sure if I could have passed him earlier then I would have stayed ahead, but by the end my tyres were finished so it was best just to let him through. It’s not the result we would have wanted at the beginning of the weekend, but at the end of the day it’s more points for the team and we’ll try to come back stronger in Shanghai.”
Eric Boullier, Team Principal “It’s not been the best day for us, but when you take into account our qualifying positions and the difficult start for both drivers I think the points we take for sixth and seventh is a solid result. Unfortunately with the conditions today we didn’t see the full potential of the car, and the time we lost at the start was always going to be difficult to catch up. To finish within a reasonable distance of the leaders was a good effort from both drivers and also the team in terms of our strategy. With a normal weekend I’m sure we can expect some stronger results.”
About Lotus
Group Lotus plc, is based in Norfolk, UK, and has three operating divisions: Lotus Cars, Lotus Engineering and Lotus Racing.
Lotus Cars builds world class, high performance sports cars including the award-winning Evora, the iconic Elise and the stunning Exige.
Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world’s OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy. Global facilities include those in the US, China and offices in Germany and Japan. Lotus is a global high-tech company, committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.
Lotus Racing is the motorsport division of Group Lotus Plc. It builds and develops vehicles for GT racing with the Evora GX, GTC, GT4, and GTS, in addition to racing vehicles such as the Exige V6 Cup and Elise Cup cars. PETRONAS is the Official Lubricants Partner for Lotus Racing vehicles competing in various high profile international GT categories. Lotus also competes in F1® with the Lotus F1 Team, racing in the iconic Black and Gold Livery.
Lotus Originals is the retail operation for all of Lotus’ non-car products. A diverse collection of luxury apparel, luggage, gifts, toys and limited edition collectables can be bought online at www.lotusoriginals.com or at any of the dedicated Lotus Originals outlets including the flagship Regent Street store in London’s Piccadilly.
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Text and photograph: Lotus.
