Bravo Señor Räikkönen!

With a performance that captured the imagination of every motorsport fan around the world yesterday, the Lotus F1® Team rose to the occasion for the fifth round of the FIA 2013 Formula One® World Championship competition that played out under sunny Spanish skies at Barcelona’s Circuit de Cataluñya. The Enstone based black and gold troupe served the Lotus name proudly with Kimi delivering a P2 finish and a points haul that places him ever closer to the Championship title position, with only 4 points keeping him off the top spot. Not such a great race for Romain however, as rear suspension failure resulted in early retirement and a disappointing end for what could have been a promising race for the Frenchman.

Never-the-less, despite one man down, the team displayed a winning determination that saw Kimi manage tyre degradation under difficult circumstances, executing a 3-stop strategy that again displayed his consistency and championship talent.

A great finish for the team who also welcomes Nick Chester as Technical Director, following last week’s announcement of James Allison’s mid-season departure.

Kimi Räikkönen, P2, E21-03 “Unfortunately it’s second place again so it’s not time to celebrate too much. The car felt good and we did pretty much all we could today, but we didn’t have the pace to challenge Fernando [Alonso]. I drove to the maximum and it’s good for the championship that Sebastian finished behind us. It’s nice to be on the podium for me and the team; let’s see what we can do in Monaco.”

Romain Grosjean, DNF, E21-02 “I made a poor start but after that I was on the pace and we know we’re able to produce good race strategies, so there was potential for a strong result today. The car was feeling pretty good until we had an issue with the rear suspension which meant I had to return to the pits and retire from the race, which is a great shame. It’s always disappointing for everyone when something like this happens but there’s no-one to blame; it’s just a part of motor racing.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal “Firstly, we need to investigate what happened to Romain’s car. I feel sorry for him and for the team. Equally however, I’m delighted for the team to achieve another second place with Kimi. Once again he drove fantastically and we were able to give him a great car with a good strategy. We took points from Sebastian in the Drivers’ Championship, but we have lost out a bit in the Constructors’ Championship. It was a good job by the entire team.”

The sixth round of the competition takes place in Monaco 26th May 2013.

Press Release from Lotus

Moving Forward in Spain

Jarno Trulli Spanish Grand Prix 2010
After a very strong showing all weekend, race day in Barcelona saw Lotus Racing continue to move ahead, with Jarno Trulli finishing 17th and first of the new teams, whilst Heikki Kovalainen suffered a gearbox failure on the grid and had to be retired before the race had started. Despite the best efforts of his pit-crew Heikki was unable to join the race, but the team’s mood after the race was good, with Jarno achieving his first full race finish.

Jarno Trulli Spanish Grand Prix 2010
Jarno Trulli (Lotus Cosworth T127-03: 17th, fastest lap 1.29.564): “I’m pleased we finished comfortably ahead of Virgin even though the car felt a bit difficult to drive today. I don’t really know why but it didn’t feel the same as it did on Friday – despite that we achieved what we set out to today, showed good race pace and finished well.”

Jarno Trulli Spanish Grand Prix 2010
Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus Cosworth T127-01: Retired): “We had a gearbox problem while we were firing up on the grid. The gearbox selected two gears at once – there was some sort of software issue which caused it to fail. It’s unfortunate, because we have had such a good weekend, but these things happen. Next up it’s Monaco, and I know we’ll be stronger again there, so we can focus on the next race and hope the luck returns.”

Jarno Trulli Spanish Grand Prix 2010
Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: “It was a bit of a disappointing afternoon because we had a difficult race where we weren’t really able to show our true pace. We had a gearbox problem on the grid with Heikki, which was caused by a procedural issue, not a reliability problem. That’s frustrating as I think he would have had a strong race. Jarno made a great start, he had some contact going down into the first corner and throughout the race was struggling with the rear of the car. It was difficult for him in traffic, but he did a good job to bring the car home and get his first real race finish. Now we’ll just have to go to Monaco next week and show what we know we can do.”

Jarno Trulli Spanish Grand Prix 2010
Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: “It was a good day at the office today – disappointing for Heikki but on the positive side the reliability looks good and we had no hydraulic issues at all. We continue to have at least one car finish ahead of all the other new teams which has always been one of the goals and we learnt a lot again today. It’s a shame Heikki wasn’t there as it makes a big difference when we only have one car on track – both of them can help push us further ahead. We’re all now looking forward to Monte Carlo and Turkey where we’ll have all our upgrades together on both cars and build on the performance we put in during qualifying here.”

[press release from Lotus Racing]

Lotus Racing Barcelona Preview

Two weeks is a short time in F1, but that’s how long Lotus Racing has had to fit in several months of hard work. Since China, the team has, in order, beaten the Icelandic ash cloud, unpacked and repacked 34 tonnes of freight, run an intensive series of tests on Chassis T127-02, fitted an entire upgrade package to the race cars, taken delivery of its newly painted race trailers (in a matching colour scheme to the race cars) and flown the race team back to Barcelona.

Lotus F1 Racing team hauler trailer

Mike Gascoyne “Now the first four flyaway races are behind us and we’re into the European season. All the teams will have upgrades for Barcelona, but we’re hoping that ours is even more significant than our rivals because we received our entry so late and had to freeze the initial specification of the car very early in the design process. We do expect it to be reasonably significant – we have an aero package with revised sidepods, front wings and brake ducts, and a number of mechanical changes, but obviously we’ll have to wait and see what step forward our rivals will also make. Straight after Barcelona we go to Monaco which is a totally different challenge. It’s a unique place in terms of its configuration. Everyone runs maximum downforce and obviously it’s a very tight, bumpy street circuit, but the experience our two drivers bring, combined with the progress we’ve made at the factory and on track, gives me confidence we’ll put in a good showing at both races.”

Lotus T127 F1 nose cone paint prep

Returning to the Lotus Racing factory in Hingham, Mike has seen a transformation in the team’s UK base. “It’s very gratifying to see the whole factory in full operation, with every department now nearly fully staffed but starting to work to their full potential. This means we can now look at more long-term development and R&D programmes, and start thinking about future cars. We’re through the hardest part of the team’s growth and we’re on a very good footing for the future.”

Lotus F1 racing team factory transport prep

Heikki Kovalainen is now looking forward to the start of the European season having returned from China with the team on AirAsia: “I spent two nights at home in Switzerland then flew to Finland to see my family for the first time since Christmas. I’ve been doing various bits of work with my Finnish partners, relaxing a little and of course training like usual. I had some new golf clubs fitted by Nike Finland and have been practicing with them too, so my golf’s definitely improving.”

Looking ahead to the forthcoming races themselves he said: “It’s always good to get to Barcelona as it’s where most of the teams bring their first big updates. It’s a very fast track and all the teams spend a lot of time there in pre-season, so we know it very well, but it’s the complete opposite to racing in Monte Carlo. In Barcelona there are more chances to overtake but nowhere else has the same glamour or prestige as Monaco. It’s so busy there on track there’s no time to relax, and there are no run off areas so you pay heavily for any mistakes. I really like street circuits – you are rewarded for good car control so I’m looking forward to getting on track and seeing what steps forward we’ve taken with the updates.”

Jarno Trulli is also excited about returning to Spain, and Monaco, the circuit where he wrote himself into the history books by winning in 2004. “I made it back home from China with a number of the other drivers, but we got back safely and I’ve been home with my family since then. I’ve managed to fit in a number of good training sessions, and am looking forward to getting back in the car. I think I’ve had a fair bit of bad luck so far, but I’m looking to put that behind me and see how much further forward we can go with the updates. I’ve kept in close touch with the team about the tests they’ve put the car through, and am encouraged by the results they’ve had. I think we’ll take a good step forward in Spain.

“I like Barcelona – we all know every bit of it very well as we test there a lot, and have raced there for years. Monaco is obviously a very special place for me – a lot of my fans will be out in force, and I love going back to where I’ve won, so that’ll be a busy, but good week.”

Team Principal Tony Fernandes has been thinking about how the team has established itself, both on track and in the hearts and minds of F1 fans: “We’re back in Europe and I couldn’t be more pleased with the position we arrive in. The first phase of Lotus Racing’s life is now behind us, and the next challenge starts here. We’ve proved all the doubters wrong, and have shown that the hard work everyone in the team puts is making the dream we share come true. I remember the immense pride I had when I first saw the cars run in the pre-season tests in Spain, and in Barcelona we’re back, ahead of the other new teams and with a new package that will help us push on closer to the next goal, which is to take on the midfield. Ultimately it’s about taking Lotus Racing to the front of the grid and this marks the next step in that journey.

“On a personal level I’ve always loved coming to Spain, and with Monaco straight afterwards I’m very excited about seeing how our fanbase is growing into the traditional heartland of Formula One™. We’ve broken new ground in Australia, Asia and China and now we’re back at the scene of some of the most famous moments in the Lotus history.”

[press release from Lotus Racing]