Boullier: It’s our last chance for points

After quite some season for the Enstone outfit, Lotus F1 Team Principal Eric Boullier looks forward to the final race of 2013.

It’s been quite some year; how are you approaching the final race of 2013?

It’s the ‘Last Chance Saloon’ to score points and we want every single one we can get. We head to the race in fourth position in the Constructors’ Championship but with third still mathematically possible. You never know what can happen in this sport, so we’re going all out to score everything we can.

What do you think of Interlagos?

If you look back over the years we have seen some fantastic races at Interlagos and the fans are always very enthusiastic. The circuit is unique and it seems to always deliver something special. We hope we can offer something to all the teams’ fans to end the season on a high.

What was the Team Principal’s opinion of the weekend in Austin?

Well, we were certainly kept busy! Even though it’s only the second time we have visited the venue it was a really popular event. From a team perspective, we had to get everything ready for Heikki to join us at short notice and to ensure that we gave him the best opportunity possible to perform. He did a great job over the weekend and kept focused even when there were problems in the race. Over on the other side of the garage, Romain delivered one of his best Grand Prix performances to beat one of the Red Bulls on track and take second position. We really couldn’t have asked more of him.

What have been the highlights of the year?

There have been many highlights. Winning the opening race of the season was a fantastic accomplishment; especially compared to the previous season where we’d looked close to victory but kept having it slip out of our fingers until we finally nailed it in Abu Dhabi. This year the E21 has been such a superb car and a testament to the hard work of everyone at Enstone. We’ve been able to sustain our pace and development and were also able to adapt well to the mid-season tyre changes; allowing us to keep punching above our weight relative to the opposition, which has been exceptionally satisfying. Our recent run of podium finishes really shows what a fantastic group of people exist at Enstone. To have been able to produce and develop such a car under conditions that are not always perfect is a great achievement. Finally, one of the definite highlights has been how Romain has matured as a Formula 1 driver. He keeps delivering exactly what we want from him and is really a force to be reckoned with against anyone on the grid.

What’s the latest news about Kimi?

We know he’s had his operation and that it went successfully, so that’s great to hear. He now has a process of recovery; for which everyone at Enstone wishes him well.

What happens next for the team?

After Brazil there will be a little bit of time to celebrate our performance this season and to thank everyone in the team – both on track and back at Enstone – for putting in such dedicated efforts this year. Then of course our focus will be fully turned to 2014. Our car for this monumental change to the regulations has been something we’ve been working on for around two years now. So much of our recent investment at Enstone – our improved CFD facility, our 60% wind tunnel, our gearbox dyno and our simulator – have been commissioned with the knowledge that there is the immense challenge of building the 2014 car. We hope to be able to be fighting at the front again once the new season gets underway.