Alan Permane on the programme of work on the tests in Barcelona. . .

Before the beginning of the second series of winter tests, starting tomorrow in Barcelona, chief operating officer of Lotus F1 Team Alan Permane told about the tasks that lie ahead for the team...
Question: What are the challenges facing the team in the first part of the tests in Barcelona?
Alan PermaneWe expect to work long series of circles to better understand the behavior of rubber on the track used during the season. In addition, we hope to perform a complete simulation of the race with pit stops, shifts tires - even with forming a circle and start. We will work with the machine, and imitation of the race to ensure its reliability.
Question: How do you assess the results of the first tests of a new car in Jerez?
Alan Permane: We are pleased that we were able to do in Jerez. Ideally, I would like to travel a greater distance, but this is only the first tests E21, and we focused on two important aspects - evaluation of a new car and Pirelli rubber.
Unfortunately, due to the abrasive surface of the track we were not able to objectively evaluate the characteristics of rubber, so we're still at the beginning, but Sherry has its advantages - in this time of year there's always consistently good weather, and we did not have to interrupt the program. In the end, we come quite a distance, evaluated the effectiveness of E21 and gathered first information about rubber.
Question: How to split test work to assess the effectiveness of new parts and the search for the optimal balance of the car?
Alan Permane: To some extent these programs are interrelated. The first tests in Barcelona our goal is to make progress in comparison with the tests in Jerez. We will focus on items that did not work properly - the team prepared a few minor updates that should improve the reliability, manageability, therefore, to evaluate their effectiveness to be parallel.
Question: What will be the task for the second test in Barcelona?
Alan Permane: When a similar program we try out a few aerodynamic innovations, including a new rear wing and the bottom, most of the decisions that are preparing for the stage in Melbourne. In the second test we will focus on the efficiency and speed of the machine and the work on reliability will continue - it is every time the vehicle leaves the track.
Question: If all goes according to plan, by the end of the test you will be well enough to evaluate E21 and Pirelli tires?
Alan Permane: We would still be in the early stages of learning, especially if we talk about tires. Track temp and air in Barcelona will certainly be lower than in Melbourne, especially in Sepang. In Barcelona track temp will be 20-25 degrees, and in Sepang it may exceed +45C, which will significantly affect the rubber.
We can assess the level of tire wear on E21, including relative to other teams in specific temperature conditions. We try to extrapolate these data to the temperature of the asphalt that awaits us in the first races, using the information from last year's tests and the first Grand Prix, but in the beginning of the season teams will continue to learn to work with rubber, so that the first race can be very interesting for the fans. I hope we will be able to make them jittery.