Lotus team Principal Eric Boullier says Kimi Raikkonen could have won at Hungaroring – Formula 1
Lotus team principal Eric Boullier has said that Kimi Raikkonen had the opportunity to win the Hungarian Grand Prix but the complex nature of the track made overtaking.
Raikkonen and his teammate Romain Grosjean did very well at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as both the drivers finished in the top five at the qualifying and then finished at second, third places respectively on the race day.
The team has been trying hard to get a win in the season and the Hungarian Grand Prix provided a good opportunity for that, yet the team was unable to achieve their goal as McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton went on to win the race.
“It's a good complaint to have both drivers on the podium and unhappy!” Boullier said. “Qualifying for us could have been better and every part of the weekend. It's good to be in a position to start fifth and be chasing the leader for nearly twenty laps.
We knew here it is difficult to overtake, but if the same scenario had happened in Spa or one of the races after then definitely we would win the race.”
Boullier admitted that the team has come close to winning on several occasions and have not been able to do complete the task, but said that it has not dampened the motivation of the team to keep on working hard in the remainder of the season.
The month long summer break is going to be crucial for the team. It will give them some time to relax and come back fresh to challenge other teams for the win.
He added, “It's definitely not frustrating, definitely encouraging. Because on a different track layout Romain was capable of overtaking Lewis in the first stint and Kimi would have been able to overtake Lewis in the second stint and a one-two was possible.”
It will be interesting to see how the team fares as the season progresses after the summer break. Right now Lotus is placed third in the Constructors Championship only a point behind McLaren.
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