Romain Grosjean confident Lotus can carry F1 test form into Australian GP

The Franco-Swiss driver insists that the team did not prioritise outright performance throughout testing despite both he and his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen regularly featuring near the top of the timesheets.

He believes that Red Bull and McLaren will set the pace and is eager to see where Lotus figures in the tight competitive order."We didn't try every time to get the best performance that we could, but it went well," said Grosjean. "So I'm optimistic.

"It is always difficult [to judge pace] when you are sharing days. Sometimes there is a lot of track evolution, sometimes there is less, but it was good for everybody to be more towards the front than the rear.

"It's hard to give a standing. There are two teams in front - McLaren and Red Bull, who seem very strong. Mercedes, I'm not sure about, but then it seems quite packed."

Grosjean added that he sees his comeback, after seven outings for the Lotus team in its Renault guise in 2009, as his first proper chance in F1.

Despite having only four days of running - plus the seven laps before the team abandoned the first Barcelona test - in the Lotus E20, he feels ready to deliver from the start of the season.

"I'm not an established driver yet, but neither am I a rookie because I've had seven grands prix," he said. "But let's say this is my first real chance in F1.

"I feel ready and I'm looking forward to free practice, qualifying and the race to see where everybody is and [to] know a bit more about the standings."

*To find out Grosjean's thoughts on his F1 rehabilitation, read Edd Straw's interview with the Lotus driver in AUTOSPORT Plus.