Grosjean: Lotus not a bad place for 2015

Romain Grosjean concedes Lotus are unlikely to challenge for titles next year, but he feels it won’t be a bad place to be following changes.

The Enstone squad have endured a nightmare 2014 campaign so far, but many believe most of their woes are due to the Renault engines. Things will be different in 2015 as the team will switch to Mercedes power units.

Lotus have already confirmed Pasto Maldonado for next year, but Grosjean’s future remains unclear as most of the drivers are waiting on Fernando Alonso to confirm his new team.

The merry-go-round, though, was trigged by Sebastian Vettel announcing he is leaving Red Bull and Grosjean admits he didn’t see it coming.

“I was not expecting that one,” Grosjean is quoted as saying by ESPNF1. “It changed quite a lot of things. So far things are now moving very, very quick and I do still believe Alonso is a big part of the market. It depends on if he goes to McLaren or not or goes away for one year and comes back.

“I don’t know, but there are big changes happening here [at Lotus] next year and it’s not a bad place to be. It’s not a place to be World Champion in 2015, but I think we can score points and be on the podium a few times. If that’s the case then we can work on 2016.”

Despite their current issues, Lotus’ bosses are confident they will challenge further up the track next year again due to the engine switch and Grosjean is also confident they will improve.

“It certainly helps the whole team. We know Mercedes has the strongest power unit on the grid and we know they will probably keep a good advantage next year, so that helps Lotus a lot,” he said.

“It certainly makes things look more attractive around here. I’ve said for quite a while that it is not a bad place to be. It’s not a team that is going to be world champions, but it certainly can do a good car and be a good surprise like Williams is this year. They were nowhere last year, but with a good engine and a good car they are capable of being at the front this year. That could be the case [for Lotus in 2015].”