PlanetF1

Things look promising for Lotus

Wednesday 13-February-2013 13:38

With the first pre-season test of 2012 done and dusted, Lotus are feeling pretty upbeat about their 2013 challenger.

The team impressed in Jerez with Romain Grosjean topping the timesheets on day two in Spain and Kimi Raikkonen setting the fastest time on the fourth and final day.

It is no surprise then that the feedback the duo have given to team principal Eric Boullier has been generally positive.

"I would say there are a couple of things," Boullier told the official Lotus website. "First of all, the feedback from the drivers after their first few laps is always very important; if you see them step out with a smile on their face you know the baseline of the car should be good and it was pleasing to see that from both Kimi and Romain.

"On top of that, we managed to complete some decent mileage which is always encouraging when you bring a brand new car to the track for the first time.

"Finally, the general pace of the car looked promising with each of our drivers. Of course, lap times are not representative of the order at this early stage of the season, but to be at the front of the pack without deliberately setting out to do so is always a plus.

"It doesn't mean we will be World Champions, but we know the car works well and that's a big credit to everyone involved."

The show now moves onto Barcelona and the team had some problems there during last year's test when they were forced to withdraw on day one due to suspension problems.

Needless to say the team will be focusing on the reliability of the new E21 next week.

"One of the main priorities now is to ensure that the reliability of the car matches up to the demands of the season ahead," Boullier said.

"Barcelona is much more similar to the kind of format we will see throughout the year, so the information we gather here will be more relevant to our requirements at the different circuits on the calendar.

"Another focus for the team will be to continue our analysis of the 2013 tyres to give us the best possible understanding of how the car will work with them."