It's official - Grosjean to stay at Lotus in 2015

(Alastair Staley for the Lotus F1 Team)

The Lotus F1 Team have confirmed that Romain Grosjean will remain with the Enstone outfit for a fourth consecutive season having put pen to paper on his 2015 contract.

The news comes as the team prepare for this weekend's Formula One season finale the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit. The Frenchman has endured a difficult season with the team this season following a successful campaign in 2013 however despite this he has scored the bulk of the teams ten points this season and has remained positive throughout the season.

The announcement means that the team will field an unchanged line-up for 2015 with Pastor Maldonado for a second season in a row after the Venezuelan was confirmed at the team earlier this season.

This is great news for team as they embark on a new era with a supply of Mercedes power units after being with Renault since they were Benetton. Speaking about the announcement, Grosjean said:

'It’s fantastic for me to be continuing with Lotus F1 Team for 2015 and it’s superb to have the support of everyone at Enstone. It’s no secret that we’ve had a really tough season this year, but the team has remained focused and we’re all determined to return to regular points-scoring in 2015. 

I have been spending a lot of time recently at Enstone and I’m feeling very positive about the potential of the E23, which should represent a return to form for the team. We have one race left in 2014 so I’ll be pushing to do the best job possible in Abu Dhabi before my focus switches fully to 2015.'

Lotus F1 Team Chairman and team principal Gerard Lopez commented on the announcement saying:

'It is with great pleasure that we can formally confirm that Romain Grosjean will continue with Lotus F1 Team alongside Pastor Maldonado next season. 

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. We know that Romain will always get the most out of the car at his disposal, which is why we can’t wait to harness his potential with Mercedes-Benz power in 2015.'

© Ben Johnston 2014