The Montreal Grand Prix will welcome the F1 spectacle this weekend and for Lotus it will be a chance to put their troubles behind them. The team are still chasing the elusive race finishes, something which has frustrated them all season. For the rest of the pack it might sound ridiculous but for a team in their first season bringing both cars home in a race weekend is a vital sign of progression, something which Lotus have lacked.

The confidence in the squad will also be an issue with both cars retiring in Istanbul it means further pressure on the drivers to perform well in Canada. Whilst race results have been rather disappointing, the team’s optimism and enthusiasm throughout the race weekend has produced some promising qualifying results with Kovalainen and Trulli both performing well.

This determination from the drivers will be invaluable during the race weekend in Canada, particularly during the race when the team will need to perform. The Canadian Grand Prix makes a welcome return to the championship after it was temporarily axed from the calendar in 2009.

The street circuit will produce an interesting test for the squad, particularly when it comes to reliability during the race as the circuit is a car and occasionally a man breaker. Mixing a blend of low speed corners and tight chicanes and hairpins with a long, fast sweeping straight should guarantee some close racing between the drivers.

The race will undoubtedly be an opportunity for Lotus to prove they have the determination to stay in the sport as a long term competitor as well as suggesting whether the team have developed the car after the mechanical woes which blighted the drivers in Turkey.

The overall future of Lotus in Formula One will also be defined by their success away from the track amidst allegations from Force India that the design of the current T127 chassis is a copy of the current VJM03 chassis.

It is another setback in what has been a difficult opening year for the team and it will mean that instead of concentrating on next season the team might have a court case to fight.

For the other teams in the championship the season has been something of a roller coaster ride with plenty of ups and downs, but in Lotus’ case it seems like there has been the expectancy of a high but it has never arrived. The team have always appeared to hold a belief in the abilities of what they can achieve together but the results speak for themselves.

Although the team have suffered only one orthodox crash with Jarno Trulli in Monaco they have also suffered repeated failures and mechanical retirements, particularly with the hydraulics. The repeat problems on track and the allegations off it could spell the end of the Lotus journey in Formula One before it has gathered pace.

The Canadian Grand Prix has the potential to be a season defining race for Lotus, if the team can produce a race finish from the drivers it could bring some light at the end of the tunnel. However if the team are still blighted by the problems on and off the track it could signal more woe as the season continues.

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