Allison: Just a little more patience

Kimi Räikkönen was able to score a podium at the Chinese Grand Prix before collapsing in the standings in the final laps of the race. Lotus had planned to bring developments for China but it should finally install them this weekend in Bahrain. “I'm sure people are tired of saying we're close to? but the last weekend only reinforced the feeling that this car has real potential », confirms James Allison. “We will start scoring big points very soon. Both cars performed well in the race and our two drivers were competitive. We were well beaten by Mercedes but this is the case for everyone. »

The Bahrain Grand Prix will pose a new challenge for the teams as the paddock lacks data following the scrapping of the last edition in 2011. The desert heat will also be another challenge. “We go to Bahrain knowing that we will have a more consistent tire temperature”, adds James Allison. “This will allow us to test our new package in better conditions. We will have several new elements on the car such as a new link bar. This will be the first real test of our braking system this season. We are not afraid of any problems but we will still have to be careful. This circuit also requires good traction. We noted that the E20 needs to make progress in slow corners. »

Discover the analysis of the Chinese Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in the new issue of AUTOhebdo, available today in digital version on iPad and tomorrow on newsstands.