The opportunity to have a Mercedes engine in the back of their car next season was too good of a deal to pass on according to Lotus’s Gerard Lopez.
The outfit will switch from Renault to rival unit Mercedes next year after inking a multi-year deal. The team will become the German marque’s third customer, replacing McLaren which will switch to Honda power.
Speaking to Autosport, Lopez believes Mercedes will still be the best option next year, though he expects rivals including Renault to have caught up a little.
“Clearly Mercedes has the engine; we expect them to continue having it – they’ve just done a better job,” he said.
“We were one of the rare independent teams that could have access to that engine,” explained Lopez. “I think for the team it was the right choice.”
Lopez highlighted Renault’s focus on Red Bull and Toro Rosso as a good reason to jump ship as they have very little say in how the unit is developed and what areas are focused on.
“Renault has struggled clearly this season. I don’t think they will struggle as much next year, but neither do I think they will catch up to Mercedes that fast, and so for us it was a pure performance decision.
“I think Renault has already been focusing quite a bit on one team, or at least two teams, in terms of rolling road testing and so on.
“It’s the way it is and for sure [the switch] is good for us.”
