Lotus Proves Repaired Chassis with Fastest Time in Practice

Lotus had a lot to prove after pulling out of Formula 1 practice last week due to a major flaw in the chassis, but it showed today that the team still had some fight in it by Romain Grosjean setting the fastest time in the first day of the third round of Formula 1 testing. 

Last week, Lotus was first allowed and then denied an extra day of testing due to the lost several days in the second round. Grosjean's fastest time goes a long way to renewing the team's spirits. 

"We will never catch back these four days we lost, but we need to make the best of these four days coming up in front of us to make sure that we do well," said Lotus Team Boss Eric Boullier.

Lotus had good performances at the first test in Jerez doing fifth or better each day of testing. 

Nico Rosberg did the most laps of the day after many long stints on the track. 

The teams are predicting closer competition this year compared to in previous seasons due to the large number of ex-World Champions.

"We should look forward to a good year. No one here can be certain on who is quickest, especially because there are teams bringing big upgrades. With number of world championship drivers we have and the competitive pace from teams so far, we should have a first quarter that is really close," said McLaren managing director Johnathon Neale. 

The Pirelli tires have also been tuned to offer increased grip and a longer performance peak. Pirelli is estimating teams to have to change tires two to three times per race this season.

Source: Autosport (times), Autosport (Lotus) and Autosport (Competition)