By: Jonathan Noble, Formula 1 Editor
Lotus believes it can fight for the podium again at the Italian Grand Prix after its surprise result in Belgium last weekend.
Romain Grosjean pulled off a brilliant third place finish at Spa-Francorchamps on a weekend where his team faced mounting off-track financial troubles.
Just hours after the race, bailiffs arrived to temporarily impound the team’s equipment and trucks as it tried to settle legal issues.
But while the off-track matters are ongoing, on circuit the team has faith that the low-downforce characteristics of Monza, allied to its power demands, will help it challengeFerrari and Williams behind Mercedes once more.
When asked what he thought was possible for the Italian GP, Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane said: “Same again. We can be as quick. We were quick in Montreal, we were quick as Spa.
“There is no reason why we will not be in Italy, and the podium would be a dream again. There is no reason why we cannot be well into Q3 and have a good race.”
Core car impressive
Although Lotus has not had any money to develop the car, it has been able to maintain its competitiveness due to its original design being so strong.
“It is a very, very good car,” said Permane. “It seems to work well on low downforce levels, so places like Spa and Austria – with lower drag level settings.
“This is why hopefully Monza will be kind for us.”
Front wing return
Lotus trialled a new front wing in Belgium, but elected not to race it because it did not deliver as a big a step forward as anticipated.
However, when further tweaks are made, it is likely the design will return to action.
Permane added: “We tested it, and it was very similar [in performance]. There are further updates to bring it on and it will be the way to go.”
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