Lotus duo take early bath

It was an early end to the Italian Grand Prix for the cash-strapped Lotus team, with both drivers being eliminated after a first corner crash between four cars.

It was seen instantly that Pastor Maldonado went wide at the first corner, he went over the large sleeping policeman humps used to stop drivers from cutting the first turn. He was out at that point, with Grosjean continuing also stopping later through the lap with a broken rear suspension.

Finishing the day early, Romain Grosjean said, “We had the potential of a good race ahead of us. I made a strong start but got hit by a car from behind in turn one which broke my rear suspension so that was it for us. It was a too optimistic move from Nasr who hit me which meant my race was over.

“It’s been a tough weekend but everyone has made the most of the opportunities we have and the spirit of the team and the support from the F1 world has been amazing.

“The E23 still feels good so we head to the next races optimistic of more good results to come.”

Pastor Maldonado, who was also a victim of the first corner accident said, “It’s been a tough weekend and this is racing sometimes. We keep united and keep pushing as there are still seven Grands Prix to go so time to recover and keep fighting.

“I had contact in turn one where the Force India came into the side of me and took out my front-right suspension and that was the end of my race. We were looking for a strong finish and we had potential for that.

“Everyone knows that turn one at Monza can be tough and that’s what we saw today.”

*Image ©Mark Haggan*

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