Gerard Lopez, the Lotus team owner, has played down suggestions the Enstone squad is still grappling with financial problems. The team's problems of late last year, when Kimi Raikkonen went unpaid and crucial negotiations with the Quantum group faltered, are well known. But Lopez said that the decision not to test the new car at Jerez recently is not because Lotus had no money. "We said that there would be some (technical) trouble and it was actually the case," the Luxembourger, referring to the Red Bull-Renault crisis, told France's Infosport Plus. "I know we had a lot of criticism, people said we lack the budget but that is wrong because it cost us the same to go (to Jerez)...
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