- Indian Grand Prix
Grosjean 'wouldn't have bet a peanut' on scoring a podium
Romain Grosjean says he would not have bet "a peanut" on finishing on the podium at the Indian Grand Prix after he started from 17th on the grid.
Grosjean came through the field on a one-stop strategy, pitting from soft tyres to mediums on lap 13 and completing a 47-lap stint until the end of the race. He said the best he had hoped for ahead of the race was fourth place and he also struggled with traffic on his way through the field.
"I'm very, very happy," he said. "Honestly, starting 17th, I did not have very big hopes. The best strategy on the computer that we had was P4, but that was with a very good start. We did not have a very good start, I lost quite a lot of time behind [Esteban] Gutierrez in the middle of the race, who was quite defensive, let's put it that way. Then I didn't know where the tyres were, so being third today, I wouldn't have bet a peanut on it."
Grosjean also got caught up in a battle with Lotus team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who was on medium tyres seven laps older than his own. Raikkonen held up Grosjean, which could have backed him into Felipe Massa behind.
"Kimi was in a difficult situation and I went for the outside and he didn't see that point," Grosjean said. "I knew I had to be careful to my engine and that I had much fresher tyres behind so I didn't want to lose time, but I lost a little bit of time, but never mind. The good point is that we are in the podium and we still have a very strong car for the upcoming races."
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
