Grosjean: The gap is not that big

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Romain Grosjean reckons an improved performance in Saturday’s qualifying will result in Lotus challenging for race wins come Sundays…

Romain Grosjean reckons an improved performance in Saturday’s qualifying will result in Lotus challenging for race wins come Sundays.

The Frenchman finished an impressive second in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix where he opted for a one-stop strategy, putting his second set of tyres through a grueling 49-lap stint.

With a second top three finish of the season to his name, Grosjean believes Lotus’ first grand prix victory for the year is not far off, they just need to do better on a Saturday afternoon.

“The gap is not that big,” the 26-year-old said. “We need to qualify better, that is not our strength this season but we are working on it.

“I think Friday and Saturday were quite difficult for us but we have been learning a lot about the car so it’s good that we now have that in our pocket for the next races.

“Then you never know.”

Grosjean added that Sunday’s access, which saw him overtake double World Champion Fernando Alonso on his way to the podium, proves his early success in the season was not just a once-off.

“It means quite a lot. It means that we’re in good shape for working with the team who are improving every time.

“We had a bad Friday with quite different conditions compared to today and having to learn the track and the set-up of the car wasn’t easy and I’m sure we could have achieved better but we know it for the rest of the season.

“We are working quite well, so I’m pretty pleased with this podium. It means that we are still here after seven races and it was not one shot that we could get in Bahrain.

“We are still fighting at the front with good performance and the team is doing well with the Lotus E20.”