A 17G impact with the Eau Rouge kerbs caused damage to Pastor Maldonado’s clutch control system and thus ensured the Venezuelan retired from the Belgian Grand Prix two weeks ago. The Lotus F1 Team driver was forced to call it a day and watch team-mate Romain Grosjean secure the first podium finish for Lotus since the 2013 United States Grand Prix, with Technical Director Nick Chester believing the team could have had both cars inside the top five but for the incident at Eau Rouge. “We are still checking all the parts but he had a big excursion at Eau Rouge and hit some curbs very hard which gave the chassis a 17G impact,” revealed Chester. “That looks to have effectively knocked...
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