Lotus travel to Spain with significant update package

Heading to Round 5 of the 2015 Formula 1 world championship, there is a feeling in the paddock that Lotus have yet to unlock the full potential of their E23 in the hands of Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado, but Barcelona could be the place where a raft of upgrades could push them up the pecking order.

Speaking ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, technical director Nick Chester revealed, "It will be an interesting weekend as many teams will bring decent upgrades to the first European race of the season and we are working on bringing a reasonably significant package in terms of bodywork upgrades ourselves."

"There’s a certain amount of anticipation to see what everyone turns up with. In terms of our expectations, there’s nothing to say that we shouldn’t have another strong race in Barcelona, just as we did in China and Bahrain," he added.

Lotus deputy principal Federico Gastaldi said, "We’ve been working hard on improving the E23 and how we use it, whether through the progress made in our technical debriefs, or the parts being fabricated here in Enstone.

"There’s potential for some things which could open some eyes in Barcelona and then at the next race in Monaco too. It’s fair to say it’s busy times at Enstone," added Gastaldi somewhat cryptically.