Boullier: Lotus must continue to progress

On the occasion of the presentation of the Lotus E20, Eric Boullier, the director of the team based in Enstone, reiterated the objective set by the Lotus F1 team: to become world champions within 2 to 3 years. The French manager reflected on the changes made within the team – both in terms of team management, engineers, and drivers, with the arrival of Räikkönen and Grosjean for 2012.

« We have been conducting a process that is long-term and in-depth since 2010. You cannot become world champion again in one day or one month. It takes time. We have completely revised our methods and our structure. 2012 will be the final step in building an ambitious and winning team. A clear objective for 2013 and also after 2014, » explains Eric Boullier in an interview published on the Lotus F1 website.

2012 must be a better season than 2011 for Boullier. The entire team wants to turn the page after a difficult season, which saw a driver change during the season, with Bruno Senna replacing Nick Heidfeld. But the most challenging aspect to manage was the front-blowing exhaust concept, as it was not a success.

Obviously, we welcome 2012 with pleasure after a year 2011 that was both bad and busy. Clearly, we maintain our ambition in the field and we want to continue the process of restructuring, progress, and change that we started a year ago. We now have a well-defined objective.

The Lotus team therefore wants to continue evolving in 2012, and after finishing in 5th place in the constructors’ championship behind Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes, Eric Boullier hopes to see his men fight for 4th place.

We know that we can count on strong involvement from our shareholders and also that we want to be a top team and be regarded as such. 2012 will be the year of the final adjustments to be fully operational from 2013, with an ambitious project. This year, we believe we are in a position to fight for the fourth place in the championship.

Despite the lack of reference points that Räikkönen might have compared to his rivals, given his two-year absence from F1, Eric Boullier believes that the Finnish driver is the kind of man the team needed.

I believe that our driver training reflects the ambition of this company and this team. Kimi’s return – beyond the excellent media operation – is obviously beneficial. We need a driver of Kimi’s caliber to fight for the top spots.

The arrival of Romain Grosjean alongside the 2007 world champion is also a good thing for the team according to Boullier, as the French driver represents the future – he is only 25 years old compared to Räikkönen’s 32.

It is also very good to see Romain join the team because he has clearly demonstrated his worth, talent, and speed over the last 18 months. He is now mature and ready. And he is perfect for the French market, for Total, and for Renault. It’s good to have him with us. He represents our future.

But beyond the contribution of the drivers, the modifications made within the team since 2011 should bear fruit according to Eric Boullier. The use of the new wind tunnel and the new simulator should allow the team to take another step forward. This also demonstrates the team’s seriousness in attempting to achieve its objectives.

« Our new wind tunnel at 60%, operational since last year, has greatly contributed to the development of the E20. We use this tool as much as possible to push the development of the car. Starting in April, we should benefit from our “Driver in the loop” simulator, which is another great tool to assist our engineers in development. These are two areas that show our intentions, » added the French manager.