Oriol Servia says he has no concerns about Lotus' IndyCar engine program, despite the manufacturer running several months behind its rivals in terms of preparation.
A Lotus-powered car hit the track for the first time just over a week ago, with Simona de Silvestro and HVM Racing undertaking the early test duties. Rival engine suppliers Chevrolet and Honda have been testing on track since late September last year.
Servia, who will use Lotus engines at Dreyer & Reinbold this year, will get his first taste of the new powerplant early next week. But despite the late start, he is confident that Lotus can have a strong preseason and be ready for the first race in St. Petersburg on March 25.
"It's not like Lotus is late because they've been delayed," Servia told IndyCar.com. "They're late because they started six months after everybody else, but they've followed their time schedule 100 percent until now.
"The plan started fine with Simona doing laps. It's encouraging that the engine seemed to be reliable, which is the first thing in developing the car.
"There's no question we're behind the other manufacturers, so that's why we have to make sure every step we take is in the right direction. If we do, then we'll be fine by St. Pete."
Dreyer & Reinbold is hoping to add a second full-time car to run alongside Servia this year, but the Spaniard believes that the sharing of information between the Lotus teams means that having an in-house teammate is not essential.
"It's not as bad as it would have been in previous years because we'll be working together with the other Lotus teams to share data and information," he said. "We are smaller and starting behind the powerhouses, but that's how Lotus won in the past. In the '60s, they won by doing things just a little bit better. All the pieces seem to be falling in the right place."