Jarno Trulli has admitted that the Lotus car has made a 'huge' step in the good direction with its new T128 car. He insists, however, that there is an immediate need for more reliability.
"If I have to compare to last year, it's day and night. It's a huge step forward, and everybody has been working really hard," Trulli told Autosport.
"We have one of the best rear ends you can have in the paddock, because the gearbox is amazing, as well as the engine. Everything fits perfectly. The car looks good, and it looks quick as well.
The veteran driver says the team is short on mileage after various reliability issues in pre-season testing.
"It might be difficult at the beginning, but maybe then we can get on top. Looking at the lap times it's difficult to get a clear idea, but we can probably chase Force India and maybe Sauber. Obviously we are ahead of Virgin and HRT. This at the moment is the picture that we have," he added.
"If I have to compare to last year, it's day and night. It's a huge step forward, and everybody has been working really hard," Trulli told Autosport.
"We have one of the best rear ends you can have in the paddock, because the gearbox is amazing, as well as the engine. Everything fits perfectly. The car looks good, and it looks quick as well.
The veteran driver says the team is short on mileage after various reliability issues in pre-season testing.
"It might be difficult at the beginning, but maybe then we can get on top. Looking at the lap times it's difficult to get a clear idea, but we can probably chase Force India and maybe Sauber. Obviously we are ahead of Virgin and HRT. This at the moment is the picture that we have," he added.