For Boullier, consistency is more valuable than a single Lotus victory

Third in the constructors’ standings, just one point behind McLaren, the Lotus F1 Team remains the only team in the Top 5 not to have won a single race in 2012. The British team, however, shows great consistency and, above all, a relatively homogeneous driver duo. Thus, Lotus shares the first place with McLaren in terms of podiums achieved this season (8), finishing four times in second place and four times in third place. “I think we can all be satisfied with what we have accomplished during the first half of the season, especially after a difficult 2011,” says Eric Boullier, director of the English team. “It is a testament to the skills and determination of everyone at Enstone who have produced a great car that seems to be getting better as the season progresses, and we hope that continues.”

Finally, only the victory still eludes the British team even though there have been many opportunities: « I cannot ignore the points we have lost in various ways and that there is a great margin for improvement for the rest of the season. A victory would be great, there’s no doubt about it. Being more or less on the mark on so many different circuits is, however, a very good thing concerning the championship and certainly better than a single isolated victory. Of course, we continue our efforts to make the car faster. We were in a very good position in Budapest where we finished in second and third positions: if there had been more opportunities for overtaking, then the top step of the podium would have been a possibility. »

But the Frenchman gives his drivers what belongs to them and warns Lotus’s rival teams: « I can understand that other teams are interested, Kimi [Räikkönen] and Romain [Grosjean] are very competitive this season. As for Kimi, it’s like he never left. Romain is a raw talent and he is improving very quickly. It’s great to see the interest other teams have in them, but to be honest, they are probably wasting their time: there is no reason for Kimi and Romain to leave and I think they will both have a successful future with us. »

It could start as early as next week, at Spa, where the Finn and the Frenchman should finally have the Double-DRS, evaluated by Lotus over several Grand Prix. Kimi Räikkönen does not hide his desires for a fifth victory in the Belgian Ardennes, while Romain Grosjean does not conceal his ambition to add his name to Lotus’s list of winners, alongside that of Ayrton Senna, the last winner to drive one of the black and gold single-seaters.