F1 News
Date: 29/January/2013
Lotus became the first team to unveil
its 2013 F1 challenger in the form of a live online launch.
Drivers’ World Champions under the
Benetton (Michael Schumacher) and then Renault (Fernando Alonso) banner, the
Enstone-based outfit took on the Lotus moniker for 2011.
The team then secured a major coup
by tempting former Champion Kimi Raikkonen out of retirement for 2012, the Finn
seizing seven podiums - including one win - and third overall in his comeback
season.
Raikkonen, 33, said “I’m feeling pretty good… I’m sure it
will be an exciting season and I’m sure there’ll be lots to talk about. For me,
I will continue to do the best I can; let’s see how good our car is, and how
good the cars of the opposition are too.”
But while the potential of the new
car is unknown, Raikkonen has no doubts about the quality of his team.
“It’s clear from working with them
that they are racers, and you can see in their history that they’ve won
championships,” declared the former Ferrari, McLaren and Sauber driver.
“Nothing I saw last year made me
think that another championship was impossible in the future.
“Of course, there is some pretty
tough competition and everyone wants to win. The team have beaten everyone
before and there’s nothing to say they can’t do it again.”
Raikkonen will continue alongside
Romain Grosjean.
The Frenchman, 26, delivered a
fast but flawed first full season in F1, claiming three podiums but suffering
numerous opening-lap incidents - leading to a ban from the Monza round.
Grosjean said: “I think everyone
is waiting to see if I’m able to be consistent, which is where I was lacking a
little bit last year. I know it and I’ll do everything I can to prove to people
that I’m able to achieve this goal.”
The lack of any major technical
rule changes means the new car looks very similar to last year’s design.
“After a string of quite eventful
rule changes and interpretations in the years since 2009 it looks as if 2013 is
going to be a year of regulatory stability,” confirmed Technical Director James
Allison.
The new Lotus still contains the
‘duck-bill’ nose and Allison believes most teams will turn down the new
possibility of fitting a cover to hide the step.
“We will now be permitted to fit a
non-structural ‘vanity panel’ on the upper surface of the nose as a means of
avoiding the duck-bill style designs that we saw in 2012,” he confirmed.
“However, such a panel is optional
and I would not be surprised if the majority of the grid chose not to make use
of it. The panel will add a few grammes of weight and so is only likely to run
on the car if a team can find a performance benefit for doing so.”
Allison added that the team always
sets out to build the fastest car on the grid, but conceded that the official
target is “a minimum of third place in the Constructors’ Championship.”
Lotus finished fourth in last
year’s standings, one place higher than in 2011 but having scored three times
as many points.
Team Principal Eric Boullier said
Lotus is very much a team on the up.
“I think it is fair to say that
great things are possible,” Boullier said. “The leap we made from 2011 to 2012
showed what we are capable of. Add to this the continuity and potential of our
driver line-up and we have a very powerful cocktail for the season ahead.
“Our ambitious plan to turn
ourselves into one of the top teams in Formula 1 is coming to fruition and now
we need to harness this with strong and regular podium results.”
Although not unveiled at the
launch, US manufacturing and technology company Honeywell continues to be
linked with title sponsorship at Lotus this year.
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