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Constructor name | Lotus-Renault |
---|---|
Long name | Team Lotus |
Logo | |
Base | Hingham, Norfolk, United Kingdom |
Principal | Tony Fernandes |
Engineering head | Riad Asmat |
Engineering head position | CEO |
Director | Mike Gascoyne |
2011 drivers | 20. Heikki Kovalainen21. Jarno Trulli |
2011 test drivers | Karun Chandhok Luiz Razia Davide Valsecchi Ricardo Teixeira |
2011 chassis | Lotus T128 |
2011 engine | Renault RS27-2011 |
2011 tyres | Pirelli |
2011 fuel | Total |
Debut | 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix |
Final | |
Races | 26 |
Cons champ | 0 |
Drivers champ | 0 |
Wins | 0 |
Podiums | 0 |
Poles | 0 |
Fastest laps | 0 |
Last season | 2010 |
Last position | 10th (0 points) |
The team gained its entry after BMW announced they would withdraw from Formula One at the end of the season. They joined Virgin Racing and Hispania Racing as new teams for 2010.
Fernandes, founder and CEO of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, owner of the AirAsia airline, is the team principal. Having initially planned to stand down from the role after the season begins, he later indicated that he would carry on in this position. The team's technical director is Mike Gascoyne,
Riad Asmat was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of 1Malaysia F1 Team Sdn. Bhd.
The team is based at the RTN (Racing Technology Norfolk Ltd.) facility in Norfolk, UK, from the Lotus Cars factory. The team’s future design, R&D;, manufacturing and technical centre was initially to be a purpose-built facility at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit,
Following the team's late acceptance into F1 following BMW Sauber's departure Gascoyne said "We've got a great heritage that we've got to live up to". He also said they wanted to rival the debut of Brawn GP but said that would be a greater challenge as the Brawn team already had a car ready for racing all they needed was financing. He also mentioned the main objective was to have a car on the grid in Bahrain at 2010.
Development of the 2010 car started late, due to the late acceptance of the team's entry. Working with Fondtech on aerodynamics, the team used engines supplied by Cosworth, The design was revealed in October 2009 at the start of the wind tunnel programme. On 17 November, Gascoyne and Fernandes gave a joint interview saying they're "feeling the pressure of the famous name".
On 14 December 2009, the team announced their drivers for their debut season as former Toyota driver Jarno Trulli and McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen. Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy was also confirmed as the team's test and reserve driver.
The 2010 car, named the T127, was given a private shakedown at Silverstone by Fauzy on 9 February 2010. The car was then officially launched in London on 12 February 2010.
Lotus Racing made their debut at the , with both Kovalainen and Trulli being classified as finishers in 15th and 17th respectively, even though Trulli retired with hydraulics issues on the final lap. On 27 June 2010, the team marked the 500th race in the Lotus marque's history. During the it became known that Lotus were nearing a deal to use Renault engines for the 2011 Formula One season, as well as a formal renaming of the team to Team Lotus.
Despite not scoring any points, Lotus finished the 2010 season tenth in the final constructors' standings, courtesy of a 12th place finish from Kovalainen at the , beating fellow new teams Hispania and Virgin.
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On 30 November 2010, the FIA released the entry list for the 2011 season in which Lotus Racing were listed under the "Team Lotus" name. Chief executive Riad Asmat announced that he expected the car to be a genuine midfield runner and challenge for point-scoring positions. Jarno Trulli said that the Lotus-sponsored Renault team had given Team Lotus plenty of motivation to perform more consistently. Lotus announced that they were going to launch their new car, the Lotus T128 – online, instead of a physical launch, and was unveiled online on 31 January 2011.
On 11 March 2011, it was confirmed that Luiz Razia and Davide Valsecchi – drivers for Lotus' sister outfit Team AirAsia in the GP2 Series – would join the team as third driver and test driver respectively, and will take part in a number of Friday practice sessions during the season. Ricardo Teixeira also joined as a second test driver. On 22 March 2011, Karun Chandhok also joined as the team's reserve driver.
On 27 September, Proton issued a statement saying that Group Lotus owned all rights to the Lotus name in the automotive sector, including Formula One, and that Fernandes has no rights to use the brand in the 2011 season.
On 23 December 2010, Clive Chapman – the son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman – released, on behalf of the Chapman family – including Colin's widow, Hazel – a statement expressing their unequivocal support for Group Lotus in the ongoing dispute over the use of the Lotus name in Formula One and declaring that the family would "prefer that the Team Lotus name should not be used in Formula One."
(Lotus Renault GP) leads Kovalainen (Team Lotus) in the 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix.]]
On 24 January 2011, a judge at the High Court of Justice in London set a trial date over the naming dispute for 21 March, which means that two teams – Team Lotus and the Group Lotus-sponsored Renault outfit – will begin the season with Lotus signage. The case does not revolve around the ownership of the name, but rather over the termination of the contract between Fernandes and Group Lotus. Lotus Racing completed the 2010 season with a name used under licence from Group Lotus. The licence was terminated after one year, with Group Lotus claiming that Fernandes had breached the terms of the contract in using the name and image of Lotus Cars, and so were free to terminate it; Fernandes, on the other hand, claimed that Group Lotus had wrongfully terminated the contract. The purpose of the March hearing is to determine whether or not the licencing contract was wrongfully terminated. The hearing over the ownership of the Team Lotus name will take place later in the year.
At the launch of the Renault R31 in Valencia, Spain, Renault GP owner Gerard Lopez expressed frustration over the situation and suggested that the dispute was not over the rights to a team name or the heritage of the Lotus name, but over the television rights paid out annually to the teams by Formula One Management. Commentators suggest that Fernandes and his team would be eligible for as much as $36 million for finishing tenth in the 2010 World Constructors' Championship standings, which they would stand to lose if they changed their name.
On the eve of the High Court hearing in March 2011, David Hunt claimed that Tony Fernandes had refused to honour his contractual obligations in purchasing the Team Lotus name and was attempting to renegotiate the contract with terms that Hunt described as "ludicrous". Hunt issued an ultimatum, stating that if Fernandes did not honour the original contract, then Hunt would not support him in his case against Group Lotus, which he claimed had "[some] potentially serious holes". On 27 May 2011, the High Court ruled that the team would be able to continue using the Lotus name in Formula One and confirmed Fernandes as the owner of the Team Lotus name having bought the rights to the name from Hunt; they also have the right to call their cars "Lotus", under the terms of a 1985 agreement between Group Lotus and Team Lotus. It also ruled Group Lotus cannot enter Formula One using the name Lotus for a team name, but Team Lotus was told to pay damages after they were found to be in breach of the licensing agreement made with Group Lotus.
Category:Formula One constructors Category:Formula One entrants Category:Formula One constructor results Category:Malaysian auto racing teams Category:Lotus Cars
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