Austrian Grand Prix 20/21/22 June 2014 Spielberg
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AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 20/21/22 JUNE 2014 SPIELBERG www.lotusf1team.com Tough Calls Deputy Team Principal Federico Gastaldi heralds the potential excitement as Formula 1 returns to Austria as well as giving a frank assessment of the state of play following a double retirement in Canada What’s the outlook heading to Austria? What do you think about Formula 1 returning Where do you position Lotus F1 Team in the We have potential which is still to be fulfilled. Canada to Austria? current order of teams? It’s good to see another was a kick where it hurts for everyone at the team but It’s good to see another race on the calendar and It’s a difficult question. We are only seven races we took stock, identified the issues and have taken it exposes our sponsors and partners to another in to the biggest rule changes we have seen for a race on the calendar and it action to avoid any repeats. The last thing you want market. For the drivers and engineers it presents a generation so we’re all finding our place. Certainly, exposes our sponsors and is both cars sat in the garage at the end of a race, different challenge. It’s quite a short track, but one we’re learning a lot. I don’t think it’s fair to judge us but that’s what we had. Thankfully it is very rare for with plenty to think about. The racing could well be purely on our results so far this year, and fortunately partners to another market. us. A rear wing issue for Romain was something very good. the championship is 19 races long. Monaco and unforeseen. We’ve analysed what went wrong, found Montréal were both races which didn’t play to our a fix and it won’t happen again. A power unit issue What do you make of one company having two strengths and additionally we had reliability problems for Pastor was not something new so we’re spending Formula 1 teams and one Grand Prix? at both of them. Austria looks to be more positive in more time with Renault Sport F1 to do everything It’s an interesting situation which shows the terms of its potential for us, as well as the next few possible to avoid a repeat of this. It was an issue commitment of one multi-national organisation to races too. We’re making improvements all the time with a power unit sensor. Just a small thing, but the sport. It’s been a little while since we had a new so we can tackle all the aspects which cause us a something that had terminal repercussions. European race on the calendar so that is great to see. challenge. We’ve seen organisations own more than one team Do you think a return to more conventional before, so that’s nothing new. permanent tracks this summer will tap in to the latent potential of the E22? Canada was quite an exciting race? Yes that is the objective. We saw that on a level There was certainly a lot going on and Canada has playing field at Barcelona we can be fighting for big produced excitement so many times over the years. points. The E22 when running cleanly can be a potent It’s great that Felipe [Massa] and Sergio [Perez] were proposition but the bugs must be ironed out and we fine after their incident at the end of the race, and have to start scoring points with both cars to move only natural that there would be many differences our way up the points table to where we think we of opinions about how this came about. For Daniel should be. [Ricciardo] it was a wonderful day and he richly deserves that victory. For the championship, there was an exciting battle at the front of the race which wasn’t without a little controversy. This is what Formula 1 is about. FEDERICO GASTALDI DEPUTY TEAM PRINCIPAL Positive Spin Romain Grosjean previews the Austrian Grand Prix, looking forward to a circuit he’s never driven before, hoping to harness the progress made with the E22. We’re definitely making What’s your outlook heading to Austria? How do you prepare going to a track that’s new there was an issue with the rear wing. It’s another lesson strong progress. I am positive. Even though the end result in Canada for you? learnt and we will come back stronger for Austria and might not show it, we’ve actually made good progress There’s a lot you can do with simulators, watching on beyond. with the car and it’s starting to feel like a real racer in board laps from other people and going through data and how it handles and how all the systems feel. This is very predictions with your engineers as well as driving the How competitive do you think you can be in important to me as it helps you get the most out of the track on the Xbox! That said, nothing beats getting in the Austria? car through every corner to make the most of every lap. car and actually driving it for real. I’ll be pretty excited at We won’t know for sure until we’ve been out on track, but Certainly at the start of the season this new generation of the start of FP1 as that’s when I’ll really know what sort I don’t think the circuit should be as much of a challenge car was not the easiest or the most pleasurable thing to of track it is. to us as Monaco or Montréal. Certainly there are fewer drive, but I’m being won round! The feel of the car is an low speed corners which seem to have been more difficult important aspect of the improvements being made so it’s How do you work on set-up at the same time as for us this season and the downforce level could suit us another piece in the jigsaw. learning a new track? better too. You very quickly know what you want from the car and Have you driven the Spielberg circuit before? how to put together all the corners which make a circuit How has it been working with a new team-mate Competing in the Grand Prix will be my first experience that’s new to you. The objective for learning a track and now you have a good number of races together? there, which is a pretty cool way to get to know a track! setting up the car is to go as fast as possible so for both Pastor’s a great guy and easy to work with. We’re both It looks like quite a fun lap with some high speed sections it’s all the same goal. positive and proactive and know what we want from the and not too much low speed stuff – which hasn’t suited car and the team. He’s fast too so it keeps me on my toes our car so far this year. The track has a bit of undulation How frustrating was it to retire from the to beat him! too, which is always fun as a driver. A downhill approach Canadian Grand Prix? to a corner means you have to drive it quite a bit You never want to stop racing so it wasn’t the best. That What are your thoughts on revising the weekend differently than if it’s an uphill approach and Spielberg said, it was a pretty exciting end to the race so it was good format for Grands Prix? has both of those. It should be fun. to watch it as it happened! Our target is to be part of the As long as there’s a Grand Prix and qualifying session, battle of fighting for points positions so we need to ensure that’s the main thing! Whatever happens, it will be the we don’t have any more problems with the car. We’re same for everyone. I quite like the idea of a practice making definite progress with pace, how the car feels and session late on Friday as it means I won’t have to get up generally with reliability too, so it was frustrating that so early! Let’s see what happens. ROMAIN GROSJEAN RACE DRIVER #8 Welcome Return After seeing his first points for Lotus slip away in Canada, Pastor Maldonado is happy to be heading back to Austria for F1’s first visit since 2003… What are your thoughts ahead of Austria? How is your morale after two tough races? How is the relationship with the team? I would race on the I know the track, but it was maybe ten years ago when I am very motivated. I think we have some good weekends We all know what we have to do and we are all pushing I last raced there and it will be new for me in an F1 car. ahead of us and there are still so many races to go. The hard. Yes, we can all get frustrated, but ultimately we all moon if there was a I think it should be quite good for the E22. It looks like the European part of the season is very important for us, so want to achieve success so we remain positive. We can see race track there! circuit doesn’t have too many low speed corners and the let’s push hard, do our best and for sure we will be in the how much improvement there has been with pace from the downforce and set-up is similar to Barcelona, which should points soon.