F1: New Lotus Seems To Be Competitive, Says Allison

Formula 1

F1: New Lotus Seems To Be Competitive, Says Allison

Lotus technical director finds car to be reliable...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted February 08, 2013 Jerez, ES

Lotus Technical Director James Allison at the Circuito de Jerez in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. (Photo: Getty Images)

Lotus technical director James Allison admits that the E21 appears to be competitive after Kimi Raikkonen topped the times today.

The car also proved to be one of the most reliable of the expected frontrunners, along with the Red Bull RB9.

“After the orgy of work at the factory to prepare the car over the winter months it is always a welcome relief once the testing campaign finally kicks off,” said Allison. “Not because the pressure backs off, but because we get a chance - finally - to see what we have been working on. It is tremendously exciting for the whole team, but very nerve wracking as well.

“We desperately want the performance to be good, but we are all aware of the thousands of potential traps in bringing a complex car to the track for the first time.

“The car seems competitive, and while there is always a background hubbub of problems to be solved, we are delighted with the basic reliability of the E21. With Jerez now behind us, our thoughts have already turned to Barcelona in ten days’ time. There is a mountain of work ahead, but we are looking forward to our next opportunity to run the car.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 28th season as a racing journalist in 2012. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.