Lotus are confident they can fight McLaren for third place after dropping behind the Woking outfit at last weekend’s German Grand Prix.
The duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean have driven consistently to collect 159 points despite not winning a single race, whilst McLaren have won two, but there up and down season means they’re just a single point ahead and 17 behind Ferrari in second.
Team principal Eric Boullier is hopeful that upgrades and developments currently in the pipeline will at least allow them to stay within the hunt of a top spot in the Constructors’ standings.
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose third place, but it’s very, very tight and we’ve built a gap over the fifth-placed team,” said the Frenchman.
“However, we are hungry for success and we do want more. If we can keep bringing the developments and updates we have been planning and make them work on track then I think we should be able to defend our current position.
“I am not sure about third or fourth by the end of the year, as everything is very close, but I am pretty convinced that we will be in the fight for one of the prime places in the Constructors’ Championship.”
Despite the loss of third, Boullier is more than pleased with the teams progress. When asked how much happier is now than at this point in 2011 when the team had 66 points (compared to 159 now), he replied: “Significantly; if I had to take a number, let’s say 1000%!”
