Lotus F1 Team
Lotus deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi has dismissed the negative speculation surrounding the outfit, amid reports over its financial status.
Lotus has faced a High Court meeting over alleged unpaid bills, while it was embroiled in a dispute with former test driver Charles Pic last month.
Gastaldi insists that while Lotus has struggled this season, the situation is not as bleak as some quarters are making out.
"They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger" he said. "Things have certainly been tight and we’ve embraced the Japanese just-in-time philosophy a little too literally on occasions.
"All this has been necessary but we keep fighting the good fight. We believe in the team; we believe in Formula 1 and we believe we’ll still be here fighting for the rest of this season and beyond. Don’t believe any of the negative rumours you hear."
"Everything is under control. Certainly, this is a lean-running year and you wouldn’t want to attempt running much leaner.
"Thankfully we do have some fantastic partners, all of whom understand the situation and are tremendously supportive. I need to clarify some misunderstanding too, all our sponsors and partners have paid on time and some even ahead of time.
"We’re certainly a pretty long way from being flush with money – unlike some of our rival teams – but we’ve done what has been necessary to make the team far more efficient and viable going forward."
