Team Lotus chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne has denied that the Norfolk based outfit’s driver line-up is outdated.
The team, currently competing in their second season, hired the experienced Jarno Trulli and former-McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen to pilot their T127’s in 2010, whilst the line-up remained unchanged for the current year.
With the former competing in his 15th season, aged 36, concerns have been raised about his abilities compared to the younger generation of drivers, but Gascoyne disagrees.
“I am sure, and after Jarno’s storming drive in Spain I think it’s clear he still has that innate speed that has always made him one of the quickest guys out there,” he told the official F1 website.
“Jarno has obviously been around for a long time, but he hasn’t lost his ability to dial in a car quickly, put in the quick laps when the pressure is on and keep pushing the whole team forward.”
Gascoyne then continued, praising Kovalainen, whom he believes is experiencing one of his most competitive seasons ever.
“Heikki is only in his fifth season so there is no way he could be accused of being old, and he is clearly having a very strong season – perhaps one of the strongest on the whole grid.
“So no, I don’t think the line-up is outdated at all, quite the opposite. It’s experienced, reliable and, above all, quick.”
When asked if an experienced driver, paired with a young rookie would be a better option, the 48-year-old added: “Perhaps that is a luxury more established teams can afford.
“A rookie might bring hunger, but they don’t have the experience to tell the engineers how to improve the car, and they are more likely to make a mistake.
“Mistakes cost money and our money is best spent on making the car faster, not repairing it.”
