Mixed day for Lotus in Belgium after Maldonado’s crash
This first day of the weekend at Spa-Francorchamps was not ideal for Lotus, which had to deal with another off-track excursion by Pastor Maldonado. As for Romain Grosjean, he once again had to give up his seat to Jolyon Palmer during the first session.
It’s a tradition that Pastor Maldonado and his team could do without: every year, the Venezuelan driver hits the barriers at Spa-Francorchamps. This year was no exception, with his off-track excursion during the first session on Friday morning.
Nick Chester, the team’s technical director, could only regret it as it deprived the team of valuable running time: « *It was not an easy day on track for us after the summer break. Unfortunately, Pastor went off track in FP1, which badly damaged the car. Repairs continued during FP2, which compromised his day.* »
In its misfortune, Lotus was lucky as the driver only hit the front of his single-seater while testing the new rear wing. The development work on the front wing was done by Jolyon Palmer, then by Romain Grosjean.
The Frenchman declared himself satisfied with the changes made during the afternoon: « This was a good session for me. My initial stints were not ideal, and it was clear that we needed to make changes to the car’s settings. Once we made them, the car handled much better, and I felt it drove the way I wanted. »
Romain Grosjean can therefore hold onto hopes after his fine 7th place this Friday afternoon, even though he had to stop on the track at the end of the session.
From our special correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps
