Lotus favorite among the new teams

Positioned between 18th and 20th place in the two free practice sessions, the drivers of the Malaysian team proved that the Lotuses were faster than Hispania Racing and Virgin Racing. The cars from these teams will not have managed to get ahead of the green single-seaters today.

The team with its legendary colors is satisfied with the changes made to its single-seaters during the break, Mike Gascoyne first and foremost. “ It was a good day,” confirms the technical director. “ Pilots are satisfied with the changes made to the car and we made some adjustments so that these developments look optimal on the car. The whole team worked very hard to achieve this result. All we have to do is continue in this direction tomorrow and see where we will be placed at the end of the qualifications. ».

Drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen are also enthusiastic about the changes. “ Finally the return of F1 in Europe », Says the Italian pilot. “ I am very happy with the progress of the car. Even if there are still areas for improvement, there is significant room for improvement compared to China. We've resolved quite a few issues we had and are now moving in the right direction. I am really happy for the whole team who are making immense efforts to improve our position in the standings. »

The Italian continues by commenting on his tests where he places his car 19th in both sessions with a best time of 1'24"209. “ We continued our tests this afternoon and everything worked well, both with the hard and soft tires. All we need now for the race is to have a little luck and not have any problems. »

As for the Finn, who managed to place his car 18th in the first session with a best time of 1'24"984, his impressions are similar. “ I am particularly happy to return to Europe on this Barcelona circuit. How nice is it to see Finnish flags in the stands? » comments Kovalainen. “ The morning session was satisfactory and I am also satisfied with the developments made to the T127. They worked exactly as I hoped. The car handles better, particularly in terms of its stability at high speeds. The afternoon session also went well. We still have some work to do on the car but it performs well on both types of tires. »

The two cars therefore seem well prepared for tomorrow's qualifying session. All that remains for the Lotus drivers is to set a good time to obtain a satisfactory place in the peloton.