- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Lotus
Grosjean sure he'd have been P3 but for gearbox problem
Romain Grosjean says he would have qualified in third place for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix but for a gearbox problem.
After being quickest in FP1, Grosjean has been struck by reliability issues throughout the rest of the weekend and eventually qualified in seventh place. However, Grosjean was the slowest car in Q3 through the middle sector - which includes two long straights - and lost over half a second to the pace-setting Red Bulls.
"We are quick in the corners but we lost gearbox sync so straight line was a disaster," Grosjean said. "[A lack of straight-line speed] is part of the set-up; we have been quite slow in a straight line for a few races now but it seems to work pretty well with our car so we try to make time in the corners.
"It's not an easy one to start from P7 but you never know. Anything is possible; after qualy in India I was not very optimistic for the race and then in India I was on the podium so that had an even better taste! But for sure if you look at lap time we should have been P3, so somewhere there would have been easier."
However, Grosjean is still aiming for the podium as he feels the gearbox problem can be fixed, adding: "I think [the gearbox problem] is just a sensor thing."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
