"There haven't been any major problems with Senna so far. I'm disappointed that public opinion has portrayed Senna as a "superstar" and De Angelis as a "reasonable" driver. In Rio, I started ahead of him, and in the first laps of the race, he did everything he could to keep me from passing. In Portugal, I was much faster in the morning warm-up, but then, on three wheels, everything becomes difficult. In Imola and Monaco, he focused on putting on a show, and I focused on finishing the races. It's often been said that with Mansell, I had a convenient teammate: now with Senna, who many consider the new star, I don't feel like I'm going any slower...
When I learned that Senna was coming to Lotus with a contractual situation similar to mine, I didn't like it at all, and it seems logical, considering all the years I'd dedicated to Lotus, especially during difficult times. Big teams have the strength to field two drivers, but we don't have the financial resources to do so. Our budget is lower than that of some teams in the mid-table. Last year We wanted to juggle two cars for three-quarters of the season, and the best result was third place in the championship. If it wants to aim for the title, an average team like Lotus must focus on just one driver; it's a choice they'll have to make sooner or later. So far, the team has been very good at dividing the material between the two, but I don't know if this will be possible in the future, both in terms of the number of tests and engine development. At Spa, we'll have EF 15s on both cars, but I'm not very confident about the future."
Old interview with Elio De Angelis, taken from Autosprint issue 22, 1985
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