Q&A with Alan Permane (Lotus)

Having had time to reflect on an action-packed Hungarian Grand Prix, Trackside Operations Director Alan Permane gives us the lowdown from the pit wall.

If you could summarise the Hungarian Grand Prix in one sentence, what would it be?

Two great drives and a very strong car, culminating in a result which – whilst perhaps not the absolute maximum achievable in different circumstances – has left the factory buzzing as we head into the break.

How did you rate Kimi’s performance at the Hungaroring?

Kimi had a difficult weekend to start off with. He wasn’t quite feeling at home with the tyres straight away and it really took him right through both Friday and Saturday to get comfortable, which was evident in qualifying where he was cast a little bit adrift. The race of course was a different matter. In true Kimi style he worked everything out and came through with a great drive to second place. It really did look ever so easy and controlled from him; managing the tyres beautifully and fending off Sebastian [Vettel] towards the end without ever really looking under threat. He delivered exactly the pace we needed at the appropriate time and was rewarded by returning to second in the Drivers’ Championship, which is very much deserved.

And Romain?

I feel really sorry for Romain after what appeared to be a very harsh penalty for a fantastic overtaking move on Felipe Massa. Yes, he ran off the track, but he had nowhere else to go. It certainly seemed like good racing to me and were it not for the drive-through penalty I’m certain we would have had two cars on the podium again. We spoke at length with the stewards after the race and ultimately agreed to disagree, but of course their word in final so we learn and move on. Having said that, I would say that the penalty applied for the earlier incident with Jenson [Button] was fair. There was nothing malicious in it – he just made a mistake – but there was contact. Aside from that minor blemish I cannot fault Romain’s performance all weekend; he was on top of the car and the tyres from the off, qualified exceptionally well and raced superbly bar that one moment. A very good performance all round.

We’ve reached the half-way point in the season; how does your half term report card read?

Overall I’d say it’s been a pretty good start to the year. It’s frustrating to sometimes come away from a weekend knowing we haven’t quite got the most from the car, but at the past few events we’ve brought some successful updates that are working very well. Out of ten rounds so far we’ve had eight podium finishes – including a victory at the opening round – so it’s certainly not been too shabby. Of course, we always want to win more races – we’re here to fight for World Championships – but second in the Drivers’ Championship and a very close fourth in the Constructors’ battle – within touching distance of second and with a healthy gap behind – is a good position to be in. We’re battling with teams that have arguably got a lot more resources at their disposal, so I think we’re doing a very good job with what we have here at Enstone.

Source: www.lotusf1team.com