Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsLotus F1

Lotus told ‘not to swagger about’

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Lotus team principal Gerard Lopez has warned his team “not to swagger about” heading in to the 2015 season despite expecting a big improvement on last year.

Lotus has been buoyed by a switch to the Mercedes power unit as well as an encouraging opening pre-season test which has seen Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado note the steps forward with the new E23. However, coming off the back of a season in which Lotus scored just 10 points, Lopez has told the team that it can’t get carried away with its belief that 2015 will be significantly better, insisting only hard work will ensure that is the case.

“Two years ago, we claimed one win and secured 13 podiums,” Lopez told AutoHebdo. “We were right up there with Red Bull and challenged Mercedes and Ferrari for a top-three finish in the Constructors’ championship, while edging out McLaren, Force India, and Williams. Only to suffer a massive drop the following year.

“After such a tough season, I think it’s wiser not to swagger about. Let’s keep a low profile, stay humble in the face of the hardships we experienced, and remain careful not to hit the repeat button.

“First, let’s work very hard to recover and return to our 2013 form. Only then can we talk about aiming higher. All I can say is that we did not finish where we belong in 2014. Let’s reclaim our rightful place first and revise our targets next.”

Feature: A closer look at the Lotus E23

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.