Pastor Maldonado: Lotus Formula 1 switch the 'best decision ever'

The unique twin-tusked E22 wasn't finished in time to make the first pre-season test at Jerez and suffered a spate of serious reliability issues during the back-to-back tests in Bahrain recently.

Maldonado joined the Enstone team after an acrimonious split with Williams at the end of last season.

The Venezuelan's former employer has enjoyed a superb pre-season, running reliably and setting the outright pace in the Middle East, but the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix winner does not think he made the wrong choice in switching teams.

"In my opinion it's the best decision ever," he said. "I saw the car first in the windtunnel and it was fantastic.

"It's completely a different car, the most interesting car in the paddock, the most beautiful car, aggressive. I think they've done a really good job in terms of design.

"Using the rules and looking at the small particulars of the car, the design looks impressive and we hope to have a good car during the season."

Though the squad heads to Melbourne as arguably the least prepared on the grid - with Romain Grosjean labelling it the slowest of the Renault-powered cars - Maldonado believes its performance at the Australian Grand Prix should not be used to judge whether the switch was the correct one.

"I don't know if [my decision to move teams] is good or worse for the results, we need to race first," he added.

"The season is long, we will see."

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