Lotus retains Grosjean for 2013

Romain Grosjean will stay on at Lotus for the 2013 Formula 1 season after being confirmed by the team on Monday.

Frenchman Grosjean, who completed his first full Formula 1 season this year with the team, was widely expected to be retained following a promising but erratic year, during which he finished on the podium three times.

The 26-year-old had made his grand prix debut mid-season in 2009 with Renault before spending two years in GP2.

He claimed both the GP2 and the GP2 Asia series titles in 2011 before returning to Formula 1 as Kimi Raikkonen's team-mate at Lotus.

The former GP2 champion managed 96 points on his way to eighth place in the standings.

He was however given a one-race ban after his crash at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix.

"It's fantastic for me to be continuing with Lotus for 2013," he said. "It's superb to have the support of everyone at Enstone. I'm really looking forward to rewarding their faith when we take to the track in Australia.

"I learnt a lot in my first full season in Formula 1 and my aim is to put these lessons into practice with stronger and more consistent performance on track next year.

"There are a lot of exciting developments occurring behind the scenes at Enstone and I am very excited with the prospect of the E21."

Team boss Eric Boullier added: "Romain is a great talent and we are pleased that he is continuing with us for a second season.

"With the continuity of two exceptional drivers like Romain and Kimi we are well placed to build on our strong 2012 with even better results in the year ahead.

"Both drivers worked very well together in their first year as team-mates, and I think there is the potential of even better things from the season ahead. We were regular visitors to podiums in 2012 and we certainly intend to continue with this trend in 2013."

The news means only Caterham, Force India and Marussia are yet to finalise their 2013 line-ups.