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Grosjean confirmed at Lotus for 2013

Romain Grosjean will stay at Lotus in 2013 © Sutton Images

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• Drivers:
• Romain Grosjean

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• Lotus F1

Romain Grosjean will stay at Lotus in 2013 after the team confirmed he will partner Kimi Raikkonen again next year.

A delay in an official announcement had aroused some suspicion that Grosjean might be replaced, but on Monday evening the team confirmed that the Frenchman would stay next season.

"Romain is a great talent and we are pleased that he is continuing with us for a second season," team principal Eric Boullier said. "With the continuity of two exceptional drivers like Romain and Kimi we are well placed to build on our strong 2012 with even better results in the year ahead. Both drivers worked very well together in their first year as team-mates, and I think there is the potential of even better things from the season ahead. We were regular visitors to podiums in 2012 and we certainly intend to continue with this trend in 2013."

Grosjean scored three podiums and 96 points in 2012, although he was banned from the Italian Grand Prix after causing a start-line accident at Spa-Francorchamps. He said he was looking forward to repaying his team's faith in him in 2013.

"It's fantastic for me to be continuing with Lotus F1 Team for 2013. It's superb to have the support of everyone at Enstone. I'm really looking forward to rewarding their faith when we take to the track in Australia. I learnt a lot in my first full season in Formula One and my aim is to put these lessons into practice with stronger and more consistent performance on track next year.

"There are a lot of exciting developments occurring behind the scenes at Enstone and I am very excited with the prospect of the E21. I've already had my seat fitting and spoken with all the personnel involved with the build of the new car; I just can't wait to get behind the wheel."

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