FORMULA One supremo Bernie Ecclestone's criticism of struggling new teams does not affect Lotus Racing.
Lotus team principal Datuk Seri Dr Tony Fernandes described Eccletone's statement in British motor racing magazine Autosport as a shot-in-the-arm for the team, as he had singled out Lotus Racing as a worthwhile addition to the series.
"It isn't easy, but we have to keep on making improvements. To have Ecclestone make such statements about the team just goes to show we've come a long way in just seven months," said Fernandes.
In the article on Wednesday, Ecclestone hinted that some of the new teams may not make it to the end of the season and they wouldn't be missed should they drop out.
Ecclestone added it was costly for the organisers to pay for the teams to compete without them making much of an impact.
He, however, branded Lotus as a good name to have in the sport, and that while the International Automobile Federation will soon decide on applications to fill the slot initially allocated for USF1 (supposed to be the fourth new team this season), he personally wouldn't mind Formula One going back to a 10-team grid, but with more quality.
"We didn't over-promise and we didn't under-achieve. We met all our targets so far.
"People said we weren't going to make it to the grid at the start of the season and we were there.
"Then we targeted being the best of the new teams and we are there," said Fernandes.
"Now we're clawing our way closer to the established teams and we're about a mere second behind Toro Rosso already. Things will fall into place. We have the belief, a good team and we're already working on next year's car."
On another note, Fernandes said Malaysian test driver Fairuz Fauzy's future is now up to him to shape it, with the team lining up more regular Friday sessions for him.
"Of course, we want him to achieve his dream (of being in a race seat), but he has to show that he is ready and can be competitive. So far, in the Friday sessions that he has done, everything has been positive.
"The team are very impressed with the professionalism that he has shown," said Fernandes.
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