Reuters/London
Last year’s race winners Lotus are braced for a tough start to the Formula One season in Australia on Sunday, with their immediate target being just reaching the finish after a difficult time in testing.
French driver Romain Grosjean, who was regularly challenging for podium places last year, accepted the first few races would be hard but was optimistic the team would make up lost ground.
“We’re not in a nice situation but it doesn’t mean that it’s game over,” he said in a team preview for the race in Melbourne.
“For us, the weekend will be maximising the time on track, aiming to finish the race and getting the best result possible,” added Grosjean, who has a new team mate in Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado.
Lotus finished fourth overall last season and won in Australia with Kimi Raikkonen, who has since departed for Ferrari.
The British-based team struggled financially towards the end of last year and missed the first test of the season because their car was not ready in time.
