Speaking to The National during an operation in Dubai to announce the extension of the team’s sponsorship deal with property developer Emaar, Lopez said: “We got caught on the back-foot. The first race was like a half-length testing session for us. The car is nowhere near where it should be and yet, even then, had we finished the race with an adequate performance level, we could have been in the top 10. That is not catastrophic, but it is also not where we want to be.”

He continuu: “Like everyone else, we had a major switch in technology and engines this year. At the next two races, we will do everything we can to do a good performance, but we are also very cautious about what to expect. We will first try to finish, then score points, then score podiums. We know the car is competitive, so as soon as the engine is ready we should be back to where we believe we should be.”

“We are definitely still looking to take podiums eventually, but we appreciate that it could take some time,” concluded Lopez.