(Lotus F1 Team)
How much does the team look forward to racing in Bahrain?
Bahrain is a venue
we do like visiting. The circuit provides a good challenge and it’s a track
where we’ve performed well in the past. The paddock has a very social atmosphere
and we always receive a very warm welcome from everyone involved with the Grand
Prix. The weather is always very warm and since last year we’ve had the added
pleasure of an evening race. We’re certainly very happy to visit.
Is it good to have points now?
Attaining points is
what we’re here for and it’s something we should have achieved in the first two
races of the season; we are very mindful of this. Of course, it was fantastic for
everyone for Romain to get our championship campaign underway with his seventh-place
finish and it would have been a right pain if we hadn’t scored points in China.
Now we’ve got the ball rolling our next target is to get both cars in the
points in Bahrain.
What else do you feel is noteworthy from the Chinese Grand Prix?
Aside from a braking
issue on Pastor’s car in the race - which we’re addressing - the
E23 ran very
reliably in Shanghai. When you consider that this was only the third race into
our relationship with a new power unit supplier, it’s a fantastic reflection of
all the hard work going on behind the scenes at Enstone and Brixworth. This is
an area we’re playing particular attention to as we did have a number of frustrating
niggles at the first couple of races, both on our side and also our power unit
supplier’s. It is natural in motor sport for the road not to be smooth, especially
when embarking on an exciting new relationship, but what is also natural is for
us both to strive to get everything working perfectly. And that is – I’m happy
to say – exactly what we’re trying to do.
What are the commercial developments for the team?
There’s quite a lot
going on behind the scenes and we have a number of very exciting and interesting
conversations going on. Certainly, regular strong performances help with this
and that’s something we all know very well. We have some important races coming
up and we hope to be demanding more than our fair share of attention at these
races for positive reasons.
Romain delivered the points everyone wanted in China – how is he working
with the team these days?
Romain is a driver
who is very much at the top of his game. He’s been in a relationship with the
team for quite some time now so we know each other well; there are no arguments
about which side of the bed to sleep on! We know that Romain can jump in the
car and deliver. We know he won’t be happy when he has to give up his car for a
session, which is natural for a driver, but we also know he can deliver no
matter what the circumstances.
What is your take on Pastor’s eventful Grand Prix in
Shanghai?
Pastor’s
had a bit of an eventful start to his season and his car seems to have a target
painted on it for other drivers! Certainly in Shanghai he was having a superb
battle with Jenson Button which unfortunately resulted in contact. Pastor had
started his race fantastically and was very quick on race pace. Sadly he had a
braking issue coming into the pits and this put him on the back foot subsequently.
We could all see how hard he was pushing for the entire race and we’re sure the
points will come soon.
Jolyon’s in the car again in Bahrain, will this be a
regular occurrence in 2015?
Jolyon is
a great young talent and his programme is very much about him getting a
significant amount of track time over the course of the season so he’ll be a
regular sight in FP1 sessions. He did a great job in Shanghai, even if he gave
us a bit of a scare with a spin early in the session on a cold and green track!
© Ben Johnston 2015
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