Lotus F1 Team
Lotus driver Pastor Maldonado says he is hoping to end his points drought at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.
Maldonado has not finished in the top 10 of a race since the Hungarian Grand Prix last July, but the Venezuelan - who was unable to start in Monaco due to a fuel pump failure - is hopeful of ending that barren run.
"I think it would be good to have a trouble free weekend and finish the race strongly in the points," he said. "With the variable weather we’ve seen there in the past, anything can happen in Montréal, however I would like to see us bringing home some good points for the team.
"It will be tough as it’s going to be such a tricky track for us, however if we can put in a solid performance and get the most out of the car then I think we could be in a good position."
Maldonado, who is expecting the E22 to be more competitive at high-downforce circuits, says that Lotus's current struggles will make the team stronger in the future.
"When you have a hard time it is vital to be completely focused on trying to solve the problems," he said.
"I’m trying to do better from my side and also to help the engineers improve the car. This is a crucial moment for the team, approaching the middle of the season. We need to push very hard to recover what we lost at the beginning.
"We always knew it was going to be tough to start with, but the key is not to panic, we’ll just keep our heads down and quietly work harder, do more and do better to catch up, and overtake the other teams. We’re capable of it, there’s no doubt about that, and while it’s always frustrating not to be on the podium where we belong, this is part of the story.
"It’s very easy to just give up, but I think it will make us stronger in the end."
