Maldonado agrees with the other F1 drivers that Mercedes will be the team to beat come the Australian GP on 15 March 2015. However, although it is generally accepted that behind the 2014 champions lies a tight squabble between Williams, Ferrari and Red Bull, Maldonado believes that Lotus will also be ‘in the fight’ for best of the rest:
“The difference between them [Mercedes] and the rest of the field looks quite big after pre-season testing, but behind them the group is getting more compact. There should be a good mix of Williams, Red Bull, Ferrari and us which should make things interesting.” Maldonado explained.
The Venezuelan has clearly gained a boost in confidence from the good reliability of his Lotus E23 car, which he considers has given the team the opportunity to develop in the right direction:
“I’m happy with what we’ve learnt this winter, and it’s a completely different situation from last year. We’re much stronger and better prepared for 2015. We’ve done more than 4500km in testing so it’s interesting what we’ve learnt and we’ll be able to put everything into practice in Australia and with the development of the car.”
It appears that changing to a Mercedes engine is already paying dividends for the 2015 season and has been an important decision to ensure a more competitive car compared to the woeful season the team had endured last year.
Amir Hussain
