Lotus have announced that driver Romain Grosjean will remain with the Formula One team for the 2015 season.
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The Frenchman, who joined the team in 2012, has had a disappointing campaign picking up just eight points heading into this weekend’s final race in Abu Dhabi.
It is a long way from the six podium finishes and 132 points he accumulated in 2013 to help Lotus finish fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
However the 28-year-old is determined to come back strongly in 2015 for a Lotus team who are hoping for better fortune after electing to move from Renault power units to Mercedes.
“I’m very pleased, happy and proud to be part of Lotus F1 Team for next year and excited at the prospect of being powered by the Mercedes engine which has looked so strong this year,” Grosjean said on the Lotus website.
“I think we make a great combination. We’ve been working together for a long time now and I certainly didn’t want to leave on a performance low like we’ve seen in 2014 as we’ve enjoyed some beautiful moments together.
“It would have just felt wrong to say goodbye in a tough patch like we have had in 2014, because I know what everyone at Enstone (Lotus’ base) is capable of.
“Moments like this can either make you stronger or destroy you and I’m sure that the team is only going to learn from what has been a hard year. Not only has the team learnt an enormous amount this season, but I think I’ve also improved massively.”
Lotus confirmed some time ago that Pastor Maldonado, who himself has registered only two points this season, will be with the team next season.
Gerard Lopez, team principal at Lotus, said: “You really learn something about a driver when they have the chips against them and Romain has delivered impeccably in 2014, despite the very big challenges he has faced.”