Grosjean: “Victory and pole possible at Hockenheim”

Romain Grosjean begins the week of the German GP with the knowledge that he can aspire to his first victory in F1, despite the penalty of five positions less on the grid due to the gearbox replacement.

With Lotus constantly on the rise and considered the most consistent car, many see the drivers of the Anglo-French team among the favorites for victory and pole at Hockenheim. Even if he will have to start outside the Top 5, Grosjean continues to be among the drivers eligible for success: “I like this track, one of my first car races took place here in Formula Renault 1,6 in 2003. Then I raced there eight times in Formula 3. I have good memories and I can't wait to return to Hockenheim, we will bring some innovations and I hope we will be able to take pole position, win and fastest lap, the perfect weekend”, explained the Frenchman. “I think the overtaking opportunities will be high, the races are always interesting. I'm sure we will have a good race and we can achieve a great result. The team works tirelessly to find the solution to improve our qualifying performance. It was cold and wet at Silverstone, but I got into Q3 without much difficulty, even though I was unable to participate due to the off-track exit. I'm sure we'll do even better in Hockenheim.".

Grosjean, however, was among the drivers most involved in accidents (along with Pastor Maldonado) and according to the German magazine Autop Motor und Sport he could have had 18 points more without those errors. However, Romain proved to be an excellent driver in the dry: “Frankly, I prefer weather like in Valencia, sun all day. It was a long weekend in England, very wet and then dry at the end. I had ups and downs, but I think it was one of my best races, together with Canada. Coming back to sixth place was fantastic. The car worked amazingly, we were the best with the tyres. I think we need to stay together and improve in qualifying, and by starting further up front the results will come.". Lotus does not hide that its performance derives largely from the excellent feeling with the tyres. “That's the secret, we have to try to ride fast without destroying the tyres. It is a mix of different factors including, among others, the car, and undoubtedly the driving style", continued the transalpine. “But I'm a perfectionist, I always want to do better. So I'm not 100% satisfied because things aren't going as I would like. But this is only my first full-time season in Formula 1 and I'm talking about my first victory after already achieving two podiums. There could have been three without mechanical problems, I give myself a seven and a half as a rating", concluded the Lotus standard bearer.

Lorena Bianchi