Lotus team principal Eric Boullier is aware that Pastor Maldonado requires some “fine-tuning” before he’s capable of matching the sports best, but he believes Lotus is the team that can help him realise his potential.
The Venezuelan, known for his on-track clashes, will partner Romain Grosjean next season, who himself was branded ‘crash-kid’ last year following a string of crashes which even resulted in a one-race ban.
However Grosjean has matured greatly over the past year, taking four podiums in the final six races to outscore everyone but Sebastian Vettel.
Lotus are hopeful they can mould Maldonado in a similar fashion.
“He’s a friendly guy, he’s a fast guy,” Boullier told Sky Sports. “He won a race in Formula One and it was on merit – it was not gained from some lottery.
“I think we just need to make sure he can keep his focus – actually similar issues we had with Romain last year – keep his focus on track.
“I’m sure that with the proper support and team around him, we can do something nice with Pastor,” he added.
“Maybe there is still some fine-tuning to do with him. And I think one of the most important parts, having talked to him already, is obviously feeling the support of the team behind him.”
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