Davide Valsecchi says he is "strong enough" to race in Formula One after putting in the laps at Barcelona on Saturday morning.
Standing in for the unwell Kimi Raikkonen, Valsecchi completed 16 laps with a best time of 1:23.448. He also brought out the red flags when a technical glitch caused his E21 to ground to a halt.
But despite only minimal running, the GP2 Champion insists he has what it takes to race against the best in Formula One.
"This morning gave me the confidence that I'm strong enough to be in the group, but I would like to be strong enough to try to win races - that is the aim.
"Lotus is a top team and Raikkonen is strong enough to win the Championship so I would like to be like him. If Kimi finishes third, I am ready enough to finish sixth.
"What I know is that in the normal conditions with fuel and all that stuff, the car is competitive. Me doing two runs and being immediately in the group means the car is fast.
"I wasn't at my maximum and there was a big margin so it means Lotus, and also Valsecchi, can put Lotus on top. It means that the car is fast, from my point of view."
This season, though, Valsecchi will have to contend with a test driver role at Lotus after revealing that every other offer he received involved him having to pay for the opportunity to race in F1.
"We received calls but they were asking me [for sponsors] and the only thing I have is a Fiat Punto - in red!
"In Italy the economy is not so strong at the moment and we cannot compete in terms of sponsorship. We cannot compete with Brazil and Mexico and South America, and in the calls that I received they always asked me for something I didn't have.
"The only team that called me and proposed something to me was Lotus. So if one day I become the best driver in the world, for sure I will remember it."
