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Drivers chat in rain as Lotus locked out of Suzuka paddock
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LOTUS’S woes took an embarrassing new twist yesterday as the cash-strapped Formula One team was locked out of paddock hospitality in Suzuka and left anxiously waiting for its engines in a row over payments.
Other freight was also delayed and instead of being interviewed in the team’s on-site suite, French driver Romain Grosjean was left chatting in the rain to reporters huddled under umbrellas.
Equipment which had arrived for this week’s Japanese Grand Prix was stacked up outside under a protective sheet, with team officials blaming the time difference with Europe for delaying payments to track authorities.
“It doesn’t mean we can’t fight for the podium,” said Grosjean. “At Spa we had bailiffs in the garage and we ended up on the podium,” added the Frenchman, who finished third in Belgium last month.
“As long as they catch up by tomorrow, I’m happy. It is a situation which is very tricky. We’re waiting for answers but the spirit is still there. The guys are going to do their best as always.”
As its preparations for Japan were badly hit, Lotus mechanics prepared to burn the midnight oil to set up the cars for today’s practice.
“We are here,” said Grosjean, who is tipped to leave Lotus for the new American-owned Haas team next season.
“The most important thing is that we are ready to race.”
Troubled Lotus hopes to be taken over by former owner Renault but as negotiations continue, the threat of court cases and administration has added to a growing sense of uncertainty about the team’s future.
Team lawyers have a date in the London High Court on Monday as they fight going into administration in a lawsuit brought by the British tax authorities.
As Lotus’s financial plight worsened last month, bailiffs arrived at the Spa paddock to impound the team’s equipment as its rivals were packing up to go home.
Meanwhile, Britain’s Jenson Button said his sense of joy had disappeared from Formula One amid rumors the former world champion is set to retire from the sport. Refusing to be drawn on the speculation that he had failed to secure a contract extension with underperforming McLaren, Button told reporters, “I don’t like finishing 14th, I don’t like finishing 10th. That’s not what excites me.”
The 35-year-old, who captured the world title in 2009, has endured a hugely frustrating season because of his car’s unreliable Honda engine, and was forced to retire in Singapore last weekend.
“I don’t think any driver has joy when they’re not fighting for victories,” said Button before this week’s race in Suzuka.
“That’s what we’re here for, that’s what we love — the challenge of fighting at the front.”
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