Romain Grosjean’s insistence that scoring a “few points” at the season opening race in Australia would be a good result, is probably a strong sign that Lotus aren’t quite where they want to be.
However that is Grosjean’s aim after he admitted they won’t be prepared by the time they reach the first race later this month.
“In terms of preparation, we are not quite ready,” he said after completing just 33 laps on Saturday.
“There are plenty of things we would like to try and do before we get to Melbourne, but tomorrow’s session is only a few hours and we’ll need to get on top as many things as we can.
“It’s not going to be perfect for Melbourne, or even Malaysia, but we will try our best to improve everything.”
When asked what they can expect in terms of a result in Australia, the Frenchman replied: “It will be nice if we can get a few points, but if we don’t, then we understand that it’s a chance to move forward.
“But honestly, it’s not going be a straightforward season for anyone.”