The 29-year-old was able to keep pace with some of the more established teams in Spain last week and his 1:21.632 on the final day was good enough for P6.Kovalainen admits he's impressed with the team's 2011 challenger and feels they've reached another level.
"When it comes to speed, the car is much better shape in comparison to last year," he told Finland's Turun Sanomat.
He added: "The balance is much better. It has more grip and it can be driven harder. The chassis is also a lot more modern and the engine, gearbox and hydraulic system were completely modified and we are now at the level that a modern F1 car should be.
"When comparing the mood in the garage and the team's progress from a year ago, it's like night and day. I'm really happy with it."
Lotus' impressive times in Jerez have raised expectations about a possible midfield finish, but Kovalainen is not thinking about that just yet.
"I'm not thinking about whether or not we are going to catch up with Toro Rosso, Force India or Sauber, but my personal goal is to score points."
Source: Planet-F1
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