Sunday: Grosjean the only survivor at Lotus
Romain Grosjean hoped to fight for the podium today in Abu Dhabi, but the Frenchman had to settle for 4th place. Kimi Räikkönen hoped to recover following his disqualification after the qualifying session, but the Finn saw his race end after only two corners.
Kimi Räikkönen – Retirement
« There were contacts in front of me at the first corner, so I stayed on the inside, but unfortunately one of the Caterhams hit my front wheel and it broke. It wasn’t a very strong impact, but the angle made things worse. It’s never easy starting from the back of the grid, but after the penalty, it was the best choice for our race chances rather than starting from the pit lane. After a difficult start to the weekend, we were good yesterday, so it’s really a shame not to be able to start from our qualifying position, but these things sometimes happen; it’s just bad luck. »
Romain Grosjean – 4th:
« It was a long race. I had a good start, gained two places in the first corners, but then I lost a lot of time behind the Force India. I could pass him with the DRS, but he had a much better top speed and could overtake me right away at the next straight. This second stint cost us a chance to be on the podium, and with our pace, we might have even been able to attack Mark for 2nd place, but that’s how things go sometimes. It’s a shame not to secure a 4th consecutive podium, but leaving with 4th place after a few challenging days is a good result. »
