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Lotus in the Peak |
| 28th - 30th June 2024 |
Lotus F1 Team
Lotus F1 Team Racing news and discussion
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LRGP opened its 2011 account in fine style as Vitaly scored his first podium in just his 20th Formula 1 race. • Both Nick and Vitaly adopted two-stop strategies: soft / soft / hard • Nick stopped on laps 15 and 30, while Vitaly made his stops on laps 16 and 36. • Vitaly set his best time on lap 55, while defending his third place from Fernando Alonso • Vitaly makes history as the first Russian to stand on a Formula 1 podium Vitaly Petrov, P3, R31-03 I’m delighted to be here on the podium, especially after the winter that we had as a team, which was very tough. Even during testing we didn’t really know where we were compared with the others, but we co…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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James, the tyres – what have we seen so far here in Melbourne regarding both the hard and the soft tyres? JA: Both sets of tyres, hard and soft, were really quite consistent and durable, which is very much against the trend we saw during winter testing. Although the degradation here is much improved compared to pre-season, there is still a really big performance step between the hard and the soft. What do you think we’ve learnt as a team since the winter tests, what has come out of the time that the team had in Barcelona? JA: Like all the teams, our winter test programme was about establishing the reliability of the car and learning the characteristics of…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Talking about the weather in each of these blogs is getting far too British, so I’ll refrain from talking about Melbourne’s renowned ‘four seasons in one day’ - apart from to tell you that once again it has been cloudy today - and instead I’ll focus on the atmosphere steadily building here at Albert Park, as we draw closer to tomorrow’s starting grid. The paddock was buzzing, and swarming with camera crews seeking a quick interview with the drivers as they walked around in between the final practice session (P3) and qualifying. Rumours were circulating that the paddock’s guests included a Pussycat Doll (rumour confirmed), former Westlife singer Bryan McFadde…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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It was a day of mixed fortunes for LRGP as Vitaly qualified on the third row, while Nick missed out on a place in Q1 after getting caught up in traffic. Vitaly Petrov, P6, R31-03, 1:25.212 “After all the hard work during a very tough winter for the whole team, it feels great to come here and qualify on the third row. There was a lot of pressure in Q3 because I only had one run, right at the end of the session. So there were no second chances and I’m glad I was able to deliver the lap. The car has felt good right from the start of practice and we’ve improved it constantly during each session. I think we are in a great position for the race and that we can fi…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Nick and Vitaly kicked off their 2011 campaigns today as free practice got underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park. Alan Permane, Chief Engineer - Technical programme notes - The track was very green to begin with and we didn’t do a great amount of running in the first session. We used one set of hard tyres per driver and it all went as planned. - We used flow viz paint on both cars to assess the performance of the DRS (drag reduction system). We also practiced using KERS in both sessions. - We ran both the hard and soft tyres in the second session and did some high fuel work on the soft tyre. - We have evaluated some new aerodynamic parts and they …
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Vitaly, we’re here in Melbourne. It’s the start of the 2011 F1 season. Are you excited? Of course, yes. It’s always nice to come back here. I like this country, the only problem is it’s quite far from anywhere, so you need a day to fly, but it’s good to be here. I like this circuit. It’s quite interesting and there’s also nice food here. It’s your second year in Formula 1 now. How different a driver do you think you are twelve months on from your debut? I think everything has changed because first of all, I know all the circuits, secondly I know the team – and it’s very important to know the people around you. Now I’m much more prepared for this year than I …
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Black to business. The first Grand Prix of the season is here! LRGP gears up to go down under for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. We have compiled a brand new preview packed full of exciting and informative content: we have interviews with Nick and Vitaly, a word with the boss, Eric Boullier, a tech talk with Technical Director James Allison and have included useful information on Albert Park. Click here to read the preview: http://issuu.com/nicolasfaure/docs/lrgp_preview_aus2011_eng?mode=embed&layout=http://skin.issuu.com/v/color/layout.xml&backgroundColor=000000&showFlipBtn=true This post has been promoted t…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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As I write this at 5pm Australian time today, Melbourne had only experienced weather resembling one of its famous ‘four seasons in a day’. And the weather I refer to could have been mistaken for a rain-sodden winter or autumn day or, perhaps it was just some April showers arriving a few weeks ahead of time. Either way, it was characteristically erratic Melbourne weather and most of us here at Albert Park were half-expecting the sun to burn through the rolling clouds that lay above before the day was out. With darkness beginning to set in, however, that didn’t look likely and only three days ahead of the first GP of the 2011 Formula 1 season, all of us in Melbourn…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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The iconic MCG was the venue for this morning’s pre-Australian GP photo shoot featuring Nick and Vitaly, as our two drivers made their way across town to the famous ground. Greeted by a healthy scrum of TV reporters, radio hacks and snappers (mainly happy) in sunny but blustery conditions, they met Hawthorn Australian Rules Football Club star Buddy Franklin. At six feet and five inches tall, Nick and Vitaly looked up to the Aussie Rules star and learnt a thing or two about the sport, as they practised a few Aussie Rules punts in the shadow of the 100,000-seater stadium. Vitaly got to grips with the unusual shape of the ball, while Nick soon learnt f…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Anyone know when the merchandise will be launched for both Lotus Teams?
Last reply by chris_h, -
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Ideal weather conditions prevailed in Barcelona as Nick wrapped up the team’s pre-season preparations ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks’ time. Driver: Nick Chassis: R31-01 Fastest Lap: 1:22.073 Position: P4 Total laps: 67 What we learned today: - High fuel running allowed Nick to improve his understanding of the Pirelli tyres – maximising lap time while looking after the tyres. The data also confirms the R31 is nicely balanced in terms of tyre wear, with both the front and rears wearing at a similar rate. Nick: “For our final day in Barcelona we started by working on car balance to be ready for Melbourne. The set-up work was u…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Greetings from Barcelona as we wrap up our final pre-season test session. As you’d expect, it’s been a really busy week with lots to get through. We’ve been assessing some new parts (rear wing and floor), trying some different directions with the set-up, and trying to get as much data on the tyres as possible. As you probably read in our end-of-day reports, Nick has been suffering with a cold this week, which meant he didn’t drive on Tuesday afternoon as planned. He’s feeling a bit better today and will be in the car for the rest of the afternoon. After evaluating some set-up options this morning, the plan is to do a race distance before the end of the day. …
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Vitaly and Nick shared driving duties again today as the team tested in sunny conditions in Barcelona. Driver: Vitaly / Nick Chassis: R31-01 Fastest Lap: Vitaly: 1:24.233 / Nick: 1:23.541 Position: Vitaly: P8 / Nick P6 Total laps: Vitaly: 24 / Nick: 32 What we learned today: - Data collected on the braking system suggests the new components tried this morning are working as expected. Vitaly’s feedback was also positive. - Set-up work with a heavy fuel load proved valuable with the team discovering several useful directions. Vitaly: “Unfortunately we lost some time this morning because we had a problem with the KERS so we couldn’t do the…
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Speaking in Barcelona today, Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli gives an update on the Robert Kubica’s recovery. Riccardo, first of all, how is Robert? Robert is getting better day by day. His physical and psychological recovery is encouraging and all the doctors at Pietra Ligure Hospital are surprised when they see how quickly he is recovering from everything. From the pain, the movement, the scars, everything is improving every day. Will Robert stay at Pietra Ligure where he is at the moment? The plan is for him to stay there, but we are not yet sure for how long. We decided to stay in Pietra Ligure because there is a full medical team looking after him, so the …
Last reply by Mark H, -
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Vitaly remained in the R31 for day two of the Barcelona test as he clocked up 115 laps to demonstrate a clear step forward in terms of the car’s overall reliability. Driver: Vitaly Chassis: R31-01 Fastest Lap: 1:22.670 Position: P3 Total laps: 115 What we learned today: - The team improved its understanding of the forces acting on the tyres by running instrumented wheels this morning. - Vitaly got a feel for the car over long runs by simulating a race distance this afternoon, using both the hard and soft compounds of dry tyres. Vitaly: “I’m pleased with what we achieved today and I was able to learn a lot about the car and the tyres. …
Last reply by Mark H,