F1 Boullier: sniff of victory driving us forward

Lotus boss Eric Boullier has promised that his team won't be resting on its laurels following the recent podiums in Spain and Bahrain. Lotus have been on form of late and thanks to the efforts of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean are now third in the Constructors' with 84 points on the board, placing them 21 up on Ferrari and leaving them just 14 shy of McLaren. Speaking ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, the sixth round in the 2012 F1 World Championship, Boullier conceded there might be a need now to revise their pre-season target of fourth in the Constructors', although he is also well aware that the year is still young. “After a difficult first few races – where our pace on track did not convert to results at the chequered flag – it's true to say we have had two strong results and if we continue to score like this we may have to revise our expectations,” Boullier stated. “That said, nothing stands still in F1 and we would be foolhardy to underestimate the opposition. “We have had two good results, yes, but we have not scored a win. Things change very quickly so we won't be resting on our laurels.” Looking specifically to Monaco, Boullier warned that their 500th race could actually be a tough one: “Historically Enstone teams have shown good pace in Monaco, but last year's car wasn't strong in slow speed corners so we may have some work to do,” he explained. “In terms of the team and our drivers though, we're all ready for a win. We're looking at every aspect of the car and how we run it and we're all focused tremendously on achieving our goals. “Both our drivers are improving with every race as they had both been away for two years. We've seen how good they are with their results, but they are both getting better all the time. It's fantastic that they are both so close on pace, in qualifying and in the races. “Car development is of course an ongoing project and we have plenty of developments and refinements for what is a very good starting point with the E20. “This time last year we also had some good feelings from podiums in Australia and Malaysia, but we had a design concept which would frustrate our potential. This year we have had a great sniff of victory and that is driving everyone forwards, making us all work harder. We're hungry and we know what we want,” Boullier concluded.