Lotus F1 wants to fight with Ferrari
After a catastrophic start to the 2014 season, Lotus F1 can consider the Spanish Grand Prix as the real start of their season, with their first points scored. However, at Enstone, the ambition is to compete with Scuderia Ferrari.
The Lotus team is convinced it can finish on the podium in the constructors’ championship, ahead of the Ferrari team. The British formation seems to have been reassured by the Catalan weekend where Romain Grosjean finished in eighth position, bringing the first points of the season to Enstone.
Gerard Lopez, the team principal, spoke to Autosport about the racing conditions of this weekend, providing an overview of their situation in the championship: « We have said from the beginning of the season that we have a very good car; the start of the season was difficult due to the issues we had. »
« In Spain, there was an electronic issue with Romain’s car, which cost us points in the fight with Ferrari […] We had managed to distance ourselves from Kimi and Fernando. The final result might have been different; we could have fought for 5th or 6th place, » he explained.
« Of course, in theory, we are far behind the Mercedes; obviously, everyone is behind the Mercedes. We are closer to the Red Bulls, even if we can compete with any car currently ». The English team is 62 points behind the team led by Marco Mattiacci.
The leader of Genii Capital clearly states his ambitions: « We want to fight for the third or fourth place in the championship. Currently, a quarter of the championship has passed, with teams close in points, nothing is easy except for Mercedes. We must keep working. We started 5th on the grid at the last GP, we could have finished 5th or 6th, the car is good, it’s up to us to persevere. ».
