Grosjean resumed test duties in the Lotus E23 Hybrid at Barcelona

Romain Grosjean resumed test duties in the E23 Hybrid for the first day of the second pre-season test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Romain completed 75 laps over the course of a programme of set-up evaluations and performance simulations, in particular evaluating a new front suspension geometry. Romain’s best lap was a 1min 26.177secs.

Track: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain, 4.7km
Chassis: E23-02
Weather: Cool, cloudy, occasional rain, changeable. Ambient 8°C - 17°C
Programme: Front suspension geometry evaluation, set-up assessments
Laps Completed: 75
Classification: P5, 1:26.177
Interruptions: Aero evaluation equipment removal.

What's Next? Pastor Maldonado will take to the wheel of the E23 tomorrow.

Romain Grosjean: “We tried a lot of different set-ups today so there was a lot of returning to the garage for different things to be changed, which is all part of testing. The car’s been reliable again and we’ve gone through quite a bit of work even if the lap count isn’t as high as some other days – it’s all part of the learning process at a test. I’m looking forward to watching further progress with the car tomorrow then getting back out on track myself on Saturday.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “We had a productive morning evaluating a new front suspension geometry, then we spent more time trying different set-ups in the afternoon. The E23 was once more reliable and we’ve collected plenty of data and good feedback from Romain. The track was damp for a while, so we avoided too much time on the circuit in those conditions as it’s not productive to be on circuit at those times for test purposes. We’re all set for another full day tomorrow with Pastor in the car.”

Lotus F1 Team