Lotus will be at second Jerez test

Lotus seems to be right on schetoule if not even better and accorting to Chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne and they will make there appearense at the second test in Jerez.

Here is his what he said:
"We are actually a week ahead of schedule. When we got the entry on September 12, our schedule said we would fire up on February 12 - and we are now scheduled to fire up on February 5.

"After that, we will be at the second Jerez test and then the final one at Barcelona. That will be the first time the world will see the car in action - and we are hoping that chassis two will run for the last two days of the Barcelona test.

"Being a week ahead of schedule is pretty good considering it is modern F1. To get an entry on September 12 and to be there in good shape is not a bad effort"

"We've said we want to be the best of the new teams, and start not far off the back of the established teams," he said. "I still think that is possible - especially because there has been more and more disruption to some established teams.

"We said, if you are the best of the new teams then, with eight cars going out in Q1, you've only got to pick up one or two stragglers to get both cars into Q2 - and immediately you are a midfield team. That's if all the teams are there – which I hope they are because it helps us."

"We started wind-tunnel testing in October so, by the time we finalise the car, sort of around now for the first race spec, we will have had two months of wind tunnel testing.

"By the time we are in at the first race, we have had five or six months of wind tunnel testing, so the spec we are going to bring to Barcelona is going to be based on a hell of a lot more work than we have been able to do now.

"We have made pretty rapid progress, and if we can maintain that then we will be in pretty good shape come Barcelona mid-season - and that is really where you have to target where you've got to be.

"Yes, there is the getting there – but we've done the getting there now, we are going to be there, and we are going to be in professional shape and we are going to be okay.

"Now it is about where are you mid-season, where are you end of season, and I want to end the season beating Force Indias and Toro Rossos and whoever is struggling – maybe Saubers. I want to be picking them off."

Well he seems quite ambitious and they already plan on big upgrades on the car during the season. But can they really hope to win anyone except the other new teams? Hard to believe, with a car made in so little time. But who knows maybe Lotus could be a small surprise this season.