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'E20 will be even quicker now' - Boullier

Romain Grosjean set the quickest time of the Mugello test last week © Sutton Images

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• Race:
• Spanish Grand Prix

• Drivers:
• Eric Boullier

• Teams:
• Lotus F1

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier is certain that the E20 will be quicker in Barcelona than it was in Bahrain following the mid-season Mugello test and a wind tunnel session.

As well as setting the fastest time of the week at Mugello, Lotus has been out completing a full-scale wind tunnel session at the Windshear facility in the United States. Boullier said that the data gathered in Italy coupled with the "positive results" in America meant the car has definitely improved, but by how much compared to the rest of the field is impossible to tell.

"Even when the weather wasn't great (in Mugello), we were able to try some combinations that we would not normally go for during a race weekend, as they take quite a lot of time to set up," Boullier said. "We've learned a lot about the car. Also, our Windshear session had given a lot of positive results. We know that the E20 will be even quicker now. But performance is a relative concept. Let's wait and see how our opponents have improved."

Looking ahead to Barcelona, Boullier was optimistic that the car would handle its tyres better than most of the field, but is concerned that temperatures may not be hot enough for the E20 to perform at its best.

"We've been able to look after our tyres quite well during the races so far but the Barcelona track is very abrasive, especially for the front left tyre. Maybe we'll do a better job than our rivals in this area. The only question mark is our performance relative to the temperature. A pattern started to emerge over the first four races, where we seemed to be more and more competitive in hot conditions. We'll see."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.