Maldonado keen for Grosjean to stay

Pastor Maldonado thinks Lotus should keep Romain Grosjean for the 2015 F1 season
(L to R): Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 Team and team mate Romain Grosjean (FRA) Lotus F1 Team as
(L to R): Pastor Maldonado (VEN) Lotus F1 Team and team mate Romain…
© PHOTO 4

Pastor Maldonado believes there is "no reason" for Lotus not to retain its current driver line-up for next season.

Romain Grosjean's future is uncertain as his contract expires at the end of the year and Lotus is enduring a tough 2014. However, Maldonado - who signed a new one-year contract extension at the German Grand Prix - said the pair work well together and would be happy for the line-up to remain unchanged.

"We've been trying to do our best," Maldonado said. "It's good that he has the same feelings that I have in the car. This is good to push the team forward in the right direction."

"It's difficult to say [what the team should do] as a driver, to have an opinion. Romain is a good driver, for sure. He's shown that in the past and there's no reason not to keep him in my opinion."

Having signed his own new deal, Maldonado believes it would have been silly to move elsewhere before having fully settled at Lotus.

"It's always difficult to get in to a team and only be there for one year and change every year. At least two years is the minimum in my opinion just because the first year is just to start to know each other and to start to adapt the car and the team for yourself for the next season."

And Maldonado says his decision to stay came with knowledge of the progress being made on the 2015 car back at the factory in Enstone.

"From the beginning of the season there was a department at the factory fully focused on next year's car. To be honest it's very difficult to give you something revolutionary because the rules are very tight and similar to what we have now.

"For sure we will change the nose - as you know - and many small particulars but the car will look quite similar."

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