Lotus keen to upset establishment

[Blue_Tires]

Lotus technical head Mike Gascoyne feels the team are close to challenging established Formula 1 teams.

The team have yet to win a point this year, but Heikki Kovalainen lapped the other new teams in finishing 16th in Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix.

"It was a big step forward. Instead of trying to be the best of the new teams, we are trying to get on to the back of the established teams," Gascoyne said.

"That's exactly where we wanted to be at this stage of the season."

Like the other new Hispania and Virgin teams, Lotus have yet to register a top-10 finish, with Sauber's Pedro de la Rosa the only other driver still to open his account.

But as well as finishing ahead of the new teams, Kovalainen beat Renault's Vitaly Petrov and the two retired Saubers and it is those types of teams that Gascoyne wants to be racing.

"This weekend marked a big turning point for us as a new team," said Gascoyne.

"We nearly out-qualified one of the Renaults, we were racing throughout the race with the midfield teams.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8739969.stm