Grosjean Accepts Palmer's Friday Practice Role at Lotus
Romain Grosjean says he is no longer frustrated about sitting out Friday practice sessions for Lotus in 2015, despite initial reservations.
Romain Grosjean has said he is not annoyed by Lotus’s decision to have Jolyon Palmer, the team’s reserve driver, take his car during Friday practice sessions throughout the 2015 Formula One season. The arrangement, driven by Palmer’s sponsorship backing, means Grosjean regularly sits out FP1 while teammate Pastor Maldonado, who brings PDVSA support, is contractually guaranteed every session.
Grosjean admitted he found the situation difficult to accept at first, but told RMC during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend that he had known about the plan since the start of the year. “I knew it would be me every time, so I was prepared. There are some circuits where it is better than others, but in general it is far from ideal,” he said. Asked directly if the arrangement was annoying, Grosjean replied, “No. It was a little hard to accept at first, but that’s the way it is. We have no choice, so we just have to handle the weekends a little differently and deal with it.”
Lotus’s competitive position in 2015
Lotus has shown clear improvement over its troubled 2014 campaign, but Grosjean acknowledged that closing the points gap to Williams and Red Bull remains challenging. He pointed out that Lotus lacks the budget to match rivals’ development pace, noting that Red Bull can bring new parts such as noses and front wings every two races, something Lotus cannot afford.
