FP1 & FP2 - Russian GP report: Lotus Mercedes

Lotus F1 Team conducted a limited run programme for the first day of the Russian Grand Prix at Sochi. A pre-session fluid spill and its subsequent clear-up meant the morning session was delayed, then the track surface was still abnormally slippery once cars took to the track. For the afternoon, rainfall was the foe and the team opted not to run. Pastor and Jolyon ran in the morning; Pastor and Romain were poised to run in the afternoon.

Jolyon Palmer

"It was good to get a taste of the Sochi Autodrom in a Formula 1 car even if our session was disrupted. It was certainly pretty difficult conditions for the laps we did do but nevertheless it was valuable for me."

Romain Grosjean

"I learnt very little today, except that it’s nice to have a warm and well catered hospitality building. For the morning I was a spectator, then in the afternoon the weather meant I was a spectator too. Our workload tomorrow will be much higher than usual, so we’ll be kept busy. I’m certainly looking forward to getting some laps in."

Pastor Maldonado

"In the morning the track was very slippery because of the spill and its clear-up, which was unfortunate. In the afternoon the track was very slippery because of the rain, again unfortunate. We’ve had a pretty relaxed day so we’ll get on and do everything we can tomorrow when we expect better weather, with hopefully no spills on the circuit."

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director

"Today was pretty much a write-off except for being able to shakedown the cars and get a handful of laps in the morning. It’s the same circumstances for everyone, so we can expect pretty full workloads for FP3 ahead of Saturday’s qualifying."