Lotus F1 Team
Lotus technical director Nick Chester has admitted that the team might not be competitive until the Spanish Grand Prix.
Lotus drivers Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado failed to finish at last weekend's Australian Grand Prix and Chester has conceded that the team faces making only 'small steps' before the sport reconvenes in Europe.
"It is difficult to make a strong prediction after the weekend we have just had in Australia, especially with the limited mileage under our belt," said Chester.
"I’m certainly hoping for an improvement for Malaysia and then some more in Bahrain, although as they are back to back it is likely to be small steps. It may well be Barcelona before we are in a more stable position and compete at the level we want to be at. One thing’s for certain, we’re not sitting back; we’re pushing all the way with the focus on extracting the maximum from the E22."
Chester insists that Lotus remains positive with regards to the potential of the E22.
"From what we have seen on the chassis in terms of measurements, particularly on the aero side, it still looks very strong," he said of the E22. "There is nothing fundamental on the car that will stop it being competitive but we need to get to a sufficient level of mapping and operating the car so that the drivers can extract the maximum from the E22.
"There are clear, identifiable areas where we can find big chunks of time. Once we have more mileage under our belt and worked on the balance of the car then the drivers will feel more comfortable and we will make good progress."
