Romain Grosjean says he has high hopes for Lotus’s new car when the Formula 1 season roars into life at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.

Grosjean, who is heading into his fourth full season with the Enstone-based team, is feeling confident after some impressive pre-season testing in the Mercedes-powered car.

“This season will be very much about reminding people how good Lotus and Romain Grosjean can be!” he said.

“People have very short memories in Formula 1 and it’s true we had a tough fight for results in 2014 so some people have forgotten the performance we showed in 2013 and 2012.

“We have a lot more potential for strong results this season so we’ll be pushing to show that at every race.”

He added: “I’m in a good place. Everything’s been going well in the pre-season build-up.

“This time last year we were nowhere, so this year is particularly positive.

“For sure, we still have work to do and our car’s not perfect, but we have a great platform from which to build and I’m sure we’ll have lots of good developments to come with it.”

Teammate Pastor Maldonado, who endured a disappointing 2014, is also relishing the new campaign.

He said: “I can’t wait to start racing again. We have a new car, it’s a new season, I’m fitter than I’ve ever been, so we’re eager to get back to action.

“I’m happy with what we’ve learnt this winter, and it’s a completely different situation from last year.

“We’re much stronger and better prepared for 2015. We’ve done more than 4500km in testing so it’s interesting what we’ve learnt and we’ll be able to put everything into practice in Australia and with the development of the car.”

Maldonado added: “My feeling is this car is much better than last year’s, not just in one area, but with every aspect of the car.

“Obviously, it’s been good to work with the Mercedes power unit, but that’s just one part as the whole package is very promising.

“Certainly we’ll be in the fight! There should be a good mix of Williams, Red Bull, Ferrari and us which should make things interesting.”