bigbadbrother
06-27-2014, 04:45 PM
Luke Smith
After a difficult two-race run, Lotus deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi is hoping that the nature of the circuit at the British Grand Prix will allow the team to bounce back next weekend.
Lotus has struggled at the beginning of the 2014 season after a financially-troublesome winter. The team was downsized by 20%, and the arrival of Pastor Maldonado and his backers, PDVSA, has aided matters. However, the on-track displays in testing and the first few races were still very poor.
In Spain though, the team seemed to have found its feet as Romain Grosjean scored points. He did once again in Monaco, albeit thanks to a race of attrition, and Gastaldi hopes that the form from this period can be re-found in Britain.
“The momentum we got from the Spanish Grand Prix and the test afterwards was forgotten slightly after the tough three races since then,” he said. “But we know that at a track like Silverstone we should be able to see similar performance and exploit the capabilities of the E22 and the powertrain package with the help of Renault Sport F1.
“It is always nice to come to Silverstone, first and foremost because it is the home event for the factory and we get so much support. It is also good to race at iconic venues like Silverstone which has been hosting world championship grands prix since the start in 1950.
“It is very important to keep the heritage and history of circuits like Silverstone, Monza and Monaco going. It is part of the fabric and lifeblood of the sport.
The team was hit hard in Austria by Renault’s lack of engine power compared to its rivals, meaning that Lotus was never in the running to score some points. At Silverstone, it could harm the team once again, but the track should suit the E22 car better, meaning that points could be in the offing for Grosjean and Maldonado.
After a difficult two-race run, Lotus deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi is hoping that the nature of the circuit at the British Grand Prix will allow the team to bounce back next weekend.
Lotus has struggled at the beginning of the 2014 season after a financially-troublesome winter. The team was downsized by 20%, and the arrival of Pastor Maldonado and his backers, PDVSA, has aided matters. However, the on-track displays in testing and the first few races were still very poor.
In Spain though, the team seemed to have found its feet as Romain Grosjean scored points. He did once again in Monaco, albeit thanks to a race of attrition, and Gastaldi hopes that the form from this period can be re-found in Britain.
“The momentum we got from the Spanish Grand Prix and the test afterwards was forgotten slightly after the tough three races since then,” he said. “But we know that at a track like Silverstone we should be able to see similar performance and exploit the capabilities of the E22 and the powertrain package with the help of Renault Sport F1.
“It is always nice to come to Silverstone, first and foremost because it is the home event for the factory and we get so much support. It is also good to race at iconic venues like Silverstone which has been hosting world championship grands prix since the start in 1950.
“It is very important to keep the heritage and history of circuits like Silverstone, Monza and Monaco going. It is part of the fabric and lifeblood of the sport.
The team was hit hard in Austria by Renault’s lack of engine power compared to its rivals, meaning that Lotus was never in the running to score some points. At Silverstone, it could harm the team once again, but the track should suit the E22 car better, meaning that points could be in the offing for Grosjean and Maldonado.