Boullier: This is not Kimi’s team

Last year, Romain Grosjean had a series of accidents – notably at Spa and Suzuka, sparking the anger of Mark Webber – and despite the Frenchman making it to the podium three times, some doubts persisted about the possibility of him retaining a place at Lotus alongside Kimi Räikkönen for the upcoming season.

The announcement that R. Grosjean wanted to hear has finally come, he will remain with Lotus for an additional year, but Eric Boullier admits that he hadn’t seriously considered replacing him. “To be honest, I had discussions with possible replacements because they were running after me, but I never pushed these talks too far,” he revealed on the official F1 website. “I firmly believe that the pair formed by Kimi and Romain is good.”

We must be patient, but not for three or ten years. I think he has one of the best one-lap speeds, now he needs to learn to do the rest. Then, I think he will be one of the best drivers. You can do everything you can – building his environment, protecting him, supporting him – everything we can do to make him feel good. But, ultimately, it is up to him, and him alone, to build himself and grow.

The director of Lotus adds that he believes the team can be in the top 3 this year if they manage to turn the Franco-Swiss’s enthusiasm into results, with many points at stake. The majority of the points that allowed Lotus to secure 4th place in last year’s constructors’ championship were obtained by K. Räikkönen, yet it is R. Grosjean who has been chosen to give the E21 its first two days of racing during the pre-season tests.

On the rumors that the second Lotus driver did not provide good feedback, Boullier commented: « It was the engineers’ choice and I don’t want to interfere with their decision. There was no real strategy behind it. Both drivers got an equal share of days over the three test sessions. »

When asked whether the decision to have Grosjean run during the two opening days was in accordance with Räikkönen’s demands to receive a car that had already been worked on, Boullier insisted that there was no preferential treatment in the team. « The car is ready, but this doesn’t give any preference to Kimi, it just seemed more logical »

Regarding the unique character of Iceman, Boullier clarified that a clear line needed to be drawn: « To be honest, he is not difficult to manage, but it is necessary to make the engineers understand his way of thinking and acting. He delivers great performances and therefore easily earns respect ».

« I probably preferred to set the team to Kimi’s style, but at the same time, I don’t want to have a spoiled character who could lead the team in the wrong direction. We are not here to cater to his moods. We are trying to ensure that he can be himself. That’s a big difference. »