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F1 Malaysia: More problems for Lotus in Sepang

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Khatir Soltani
Lotus’ drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado Friday endured a frustrating first day of the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit.

Grosjean managed to complete 14 laps of the circuit in the afternoon while Maldonado only lapped the track twice during both sessions.

F1 Lotus Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Maldonado, Lotus. (Photo: WRi2)

Several glitches reduced running for both drivers in the morning session, the most serious of which being an engine-related issue for Maldonado, the resultant engine change precluding him from running in the afternoon.

Grosjean’s afternoon saw a collection of problems too, with a wiring problem preventing the gearbox from working correctly.

F1 Lotus Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean, Lotus. (Photo: WRi2)

“Not a great day, quite far from it in fact. Both cars were delayed in the morning with mapping issues,” said Nick Chester, Lotus’ technical director.

“Pastor then suffered from a turbo-related problem with his car. This meant we needed to remove the engine and subsequently he was unable to run in the afternoon. Romain was able to get some more laps in the afternoon, however a wiring issue caused difficulties with his gearbox. More lessons learnt, and we’ll be focusing on getting as much mileage as possible tomorrow.”


Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
As a car enthusiast, he tests and compares vehicles from different categories through the eyes of the consumer, ensuring relevant and objective reviews.
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada