Lotus boss reckons under fire Romain Grosjean now back on track

After intense scrutiny of his driving in recent weeks from the Italian Grand Prix, Grosjean was under intense pressure not to suffer another incident this time out.

He duly stayed out of trouble, despite some frantic battles at times during the race, and Lotus team principal Eric Boullier was happy with what he saw.

"When you see the, the pressure on his shoulders was very, very high, so definitely it is a big relief for him and us," Boullier told AUTOSPORT.

"To see him make a clean start, and manage the traffic, it was not that easy, but he did it. He had a decent race but also a conservative race because he needs to rebuild himself.

"But he did exactly what we expected him to do, so I am happy for him and you can see him smiling again."

Boullier is not hiding from the fact that Grosjean is facing a stressful time in his career. But he reckons that it is exactly the kind of situation that all top sportsmen face at some point.

"You have to handle this pressure, and be capable to come back from the worst moments," he said.

"You know everybody is watching you and you have been warned you cannot do it again, so it is hard. But the way he handled it proved he could do it and that he has strength to do it. Now can be rebuild his fighting spirit quietly."

Read Tony Dodgins thoughts on the criticism levelled at Grosjean in recent weeks in his latest column