Mark Webber fully expects the Lotus duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to be in the mix for the race win in Malaysia this weekend.
Lotus looked strong during practice and proved their one-lap pace during qualifying with Grosjean securing third, ahead of both Red Bull cars.
Whilst Kimi Raikkonen qualified much lower in 17th, he managed to climb up to P7 by the time the checkered flag fell, yet again confirming the E20 has what it takes to challenge at the front.
Webber believes the team will be ones to watch in Malaysia, as the circuit should suit their car.
“Malaysia is quite an aerodynamically demanding track and the Lotus looks good in that area, so I’d also expect a challenge from Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean in Sepang,” he wrote in his BBC column.
“I think it will be a cracking grand prix and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be fascinating to see how the next few grands prix go.”
With McLaren ahead in qualifying trim, Webber hopes the nature of Sepang, which encourages overtaking, will enhance his chances of winning.
“There’s clearly a lot more chance to overtake there, too – Melbourne is a tricky place to get past anyone, but Malaysia’s not like that,” he said. “If you have a pace advantage, you tend to be able to get through.”
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