Kimi Räikkönen, E20-03.

Q: P18, 1:27.758.

FP3: P12, 1:26.737.

“Today didn’t go quite as planned. There’s no issue with the car; I made a mistake and there was a communication issue so the timing wasn’t right to get another lap. It cost us a good qualifying position but that’s how it goes sometimes. We should have easily been in Q2. It’s not the best start but we’ll try to put it right in the race. There’s plenty of speed in the car. The steering was fine. It’s not perfect for exactly what I want but it doesn’t affect my driving. For sure we can do better than 18th tomorrow so we’ll have to see what happens.”

Romain Grosjean, E20-01.

Q: P3, 1:25.303.

FP3: P2 1:25.758.

“Today is like a dream come true. I only really discovered the Albert Park circuit in the dry this morning and I didn’t know what to expect. When I heard my position over the radio I just could not believe it. This third position shows one thing: you must believe in your dreams and hold on to them, whatever happens. Very few people still had faith in me after my first life in F1, but we’ve all worked very hard to start a new adventure and I’m very happy to be able to put a great performance in right from the start of the season. Thank you also to the team for designing such a nice, tidy and quick little car. I will not get carried away because, as the saying goes, you don’t score any points on a Saturday. We all know that Melbourne can be a very tricky race. I hope we can keep going like this all season long and in the end it will be a nice story."

Alan Permane, Director of Trackside Operations:“We’ve exceeded our own expectations.”

Alan, two very different qualifying positions from the drivers…

“Overall we’re very happy. It’s clear we have a car with good pace here at Albert Park as illustrated by Romain’s qualifying performance. Things didn’t go quite right for Kimi; he was running late to the programme and he made a couple of mistakes, otherwise he would have been comfortably in a strong position.”

How much have we learnt from today?

“Through the winter we thought we had a good car, but you never know exactly where you stand against the opposition. In Albert Park today we stacked up pretty well so it’s a great start and we’ve exceeded our own expectations. After the setback we had missing a test over the winter it’s great to have all the hard work paid off with a quick car. Every time we’ve run the E20 we’ve been fairly comfortable. The base set-up has worked well at three different tracks so far. Let’s hope we continue like this for the other 19 tracks we will run at this year.”

Looking ahead to the race, it will be two very different strategies for the cars…

“As always, we need to analyse the data and see what’s possible. For Romain it’s clear that we’ll be on the quickest strategy; for Kimi we’ll have to see if there’s anything clever we can do to help him move up the order. He’s clearly qualified out of position, but he has the advantage of three sets of new soft tyres which will help him.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director - Technical programme notes

We completed limited running due to the inclement weather; you learn little on a wet track and our forecast suggests dry days tomorrow and Sunday.

We ran with Pirelli’s full allocation of tyre types for this event; medium and

soft dry tyres, and intermediate and wet tyres.

We changed the steering rack on Kimi’s car and the rear suspension set-up on Romain’s car during the first session.

What we learned today:

The E20 worked well on high fuel loads in the dry conditions at the end of FP2

We have a solid baseline wet set-up.

Kimi Räikkönen, E20-03

Free practice 1: P9, 1:29.565, 8 laps

Free practice 2: P18, 1:34.275, 7 laps

Kimi: “We didn’t really learn much from today due to the weather, but it’s the same for everyone. We tried a different steering rack in the first session. It would have been fine to run, but we knew that the base system would be better. The setup we have now is working well, it may take a while before we get it perfect but we’ll make the best of it. Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow and we’ll be happier after qualifying. I didn’t push too hard today; if it’s dry tomorrow we’ll have a better idea of what we need to do.”

Romain Grosjean, E20-01

Free practice 1: P16, 1:30.515, 16 laps

Free practice 2: P14, 1:32.822, 11 laps

Romain: “We waited to be able to go out on slick tyres, as we expect it to be dry for the rest of the weekend; there’s no point taking any unnecessary risks. The E20 feels very good and I’m happy with the balance of the car. I’ve been learning the track this afternoon and I’ve been focusing on improving my lap times as the day went on. We had to be patient, but we managed to get some decent laps in at the end and these were valuable. It’s a fantastic track and the changing scenery as you drive through the park is incredible. I feel comfortable and confident in the car and am really looking forward to qualifying.”

James Allison, Technical Director: “It was a day dominated by the weather. At this time of year your cupboards are not overflowing with spare parts so it would be foolhardy to risk damaging anything unnecessarily. The rest of the weekend is predicted to be dry, so discretion was the better part of valour. This meant we stayed in the box for most of the day. When it did look sensible to venture out on track we did so with both drivers and the E20 looked solid in the second session with a high fuel load. We have a baseline steering set-up for Kimi which works, but we tried a different option at the start of FP1. He wasn’t convinced by it so we went back to our baseline. As the conditions were not conducive to running we didn’t miss an undue amount of track time. Romain’s rear suspension set-up was not working as it should in the first session. We were able to rectify it for the second, and he was immediately happy with the car.”

Microsoft Dynamics to be used at Enstone for end-to-end business transformation.

Branding on the E20 to be unveiled at the Australian Grand Prix.

Lotus F1 Team is proud to announce a three-year partnership with Microsoft which begins with immediate effect. Microsoft Dynamics branding will feature prominently both on the Lotus F1 Team E20s and the drivers’ overalls when the team makes its 2012 race debut at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 18.

As part of the partnership, Microsoft Dynamics solutions, which are designed to enable organizations to be more agile and globally competitive in today’s business environment, will be implemented at Lotus F1 Team’s Enstone, England, base to facilitate the team’s business transformation. For the duration of the agreement, Microsoft personnel will work directly with Lotus F1 Team to continuously transform and optimize operations towards a world class facility.

Patrick Louis, Chief Executive Officer Lotus F1 Team:

“Lotus F1 Team is extremely proud to have attracted Microsoft Dynamics as a business and sponsorship partner. We are entering an exciting phase in the development of our business model as we move from our recent change management period to a ‘global business transformation’ process. Microsoft Dynamics will be a crucial enabler for our objectives. This association will help Lotus F1 Team to become comprehensively process and KPI driven, enabling our “smart” approach towards Formula 1.”

Hal Howard, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Dynamics ERP Research and Development

“In a business where every thousandth of a second matters, Microsoft is revved up about working with the Lotus F1 team to help drive efficiencies into their operations and make those seconds count. The Lotus F1 Team is a forward-looking and agile business, and Microsoft is thrilled to provide them with the technology that will help them transform into a Dynamic Business and win.”

Christian Pedersen, General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics ERP Product Marketing

“The Microsoft Dynamics team is equally proud to be named the official Business Transformation Partner of the Lotus F1 Team. We look forward to working together to optimize all aspects of their end-to-end operations including design, manufacturing, logistics, and retail through the use of Microsoft Dynamics business applications, enabling them to be even more competitive.”

Microsoft is expected to share more details about this partnership at Microsoft Convergence 2012 event in Houston, Texas, March 19 – 21, 2012.

Fast facts:

Track: Barcelona, Spain, 4.7km

Chassis: E20-01

Weather: Sunny, air 9-20°C, track 11-24°C

Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, aero evaluation, set-up changes, race distance run.

Laps Completed: 121

Classification: 1st, 1’22"030

Interruptions: Red flag in the afternoon.

What’s next? The team will head to Melbourne, Australia for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 18.

Kimi Räikkönen, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver:

“I was happy with today’s running. We didn’t have any major issues so it was certainly better than yesterday. Everything worked, we tried a lot of set-ups on the car and it all came together well. It was a long time in the car today but I feel fine. It was cooler today so the tyres didn’t work as well as otherwise but everything was okay. Of course, the fastest time at the end of the day looks good but no-one will know how fast any of the cars are until we get to qualifying at Albert Park. All the changes we have made over testing have been improving the car, so we’ll have to see what happens in Melbourne in a couple of weeks’ time. I’m feeling positive.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:

“We’ve had a good, productive day to conclude our pre-season test programme. After the interruptions of yesterday we made some set-up changes overnight which immediately made Kimi feel more comfortable in the car as the balance was much more to his liking. We then spent the rest of the morning running on medium and then soft tyres, steadily improving the car. Despite having missed a test we are in good shape heading to Melbourne. We’ve completed two race distances and the E20 has proved reliable, easy to set-up and predictable in its handling with both drivers reporting they are happy.”

Eric Boullier,Team Principal:

"After the disappointment of last week, this test was crucial and I think we did a good job. First of all, we’ve been able to confirm that the changes made to the car fixed our front suspension problems. We were confident that the redesign was well conceived and well executed, but we have demonstrated the integrity of the modified part. It is a tribute to the all team, which has been working amazingly hard over the last few days in order to fly the E20 on time to Barcelona. Despite the rain and a few technical glitches, we managed to learn more about the new car. We now have a better understanding of it, and have a few positive setup directions that we can take further. Moreover, both drivers seem happy with the balance and tyre degradation. We are cautiously optimistic for the future and now looking forward to Melbourne."

Fast facts:

Track: Barcelona, Spain, 4.7km

Chassis: E20-01

Weather: Sunny, air 10-19°C, track 11-24°C

Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, set-up changes.

Laps Completed: 43

Classification: 10th, 1’25"379

Interruptions: Power steering investigation and steering rack change.

What’s next? Kimi Räikkönen will complete the final day of pre-season testing working on set-up work and a race simulation.

Kimi Räikkönen, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver:

“It was good to get in the E20 after missing testing last week. We had an issue with the power steering in the morning then we didn’t run in the wet, so it was quite a short time for me in the car today. At least we got some runs. The car was reliable when on track meaning we gained some good data for the team. Hopefully the weather will be better tomorrow and we can complete more laps.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:

“Aside from the time we lost early on it was clear that we were running a different programme from the other teams today. We were hampered by power steering issues in the morning, which took some time to rectify. Once on track, we steadily improved the car balance through the day. We opted not to run in the rain which meant we completed fewer laps today than would otherwise have been the case.”

Fast facts:

Track: Barcelona, Spain, 4.7km

Chassis: E20-01

Weather: Sunny, air 8-21°C, track 9-30°C

Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, aero-focused runs, set-up changes, race distance run.

Laps Completed: 124

Classification: 1st, 1’22"614

Interruptions: Unscheduled bodywork change

What’s next? Kimi Räikkönen will get behind the wheel for the final two days at Barcelona. Tomorrow he will work on set-up including evaluating a new aero package.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver:

“I’m very happy with the car, and it was great that we could still run strongly at the end of the session, even after a long stint. At the start of the day we suffered slightly with tyre degradation, but we changed a few things and this improved as the day went on. Today was the first race distance I’ve completed in a long time and I’m feeling pretty good. No doubt my neck will be a little sore tomorrow, but the rest of me is fine!”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:

“All in all it’s been a good day. The E20 was once again very reliable, and we completed a lot of laps. Romain wasn’t particularly happy with the car first thing this morning, but we steadily improved it over the day. In the afternoon we completed a full race distance including pit stops. We then went for a couple of setup runs at the end as we had a bit of time left over which was an unexpected surprise. Tyre performance looks good; in particular during the last stint we used a set of hard tyres and managed around 27 laps with very low levels of degradation which is encouraging.”

OXFORDSHIRE, UK and EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA – Lotus F1 Team is pleased to announce that iRise®, the global leader in enterprise visualization solutions, has joined the team as a Technical Partner. The team will leverage iRise software visualization to accelerate time-to-market for its critical software development initiatives.

By leveraging iRise software visualization early in the software design process, Lotus F1 Team intends to converge on the desired requirements faster, and accelerate time to delivery on these mission-critical software development projects.

Lotus F1 Team will also become a Strategic Partner for iRise’s non-promotional Executive Roundtable Series, which was formed in 2005 with a vision to deliver world-class content and networking to global CIO’s, with the theme of global motorsports as a platform.

The series provides an excellent opportunity for CIOs to engage with their peers and discuss best practises around accelerated IT. As a strategic partner, Lotus F1 Team will help educate top IT leaders on the role of technology and real-time analytics in Formula 1. On Friday 25th May, iRise will present keynote speakers from Facebook, Deutsche Bank, SAP, Diageo, B/S/H/ and Lotus F1 Team. The Roundtable event will be followed on May 26-27 by an event at the historic Formula 1 Grand Prix De Monaco, where the groups of global CIOs will be invited to network with Lotus F1 Team.

Patrick Louis, CEO, Lotus F1 Team

“The biggest problem we have with software development projects is ensuring the requirements identified up front match the requirements at the point of delivery. Our goal is to improve on-time delivery of our racing-related software which will be intuitive and of immediate benefit to its users, and iRise is a mission-critical element of our strategy to achieve that.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal, Lotus F1 Team

“We have been leveraging computer-aided design tools for years to simulate the design of our race cars and accelerate their manufacture. It makes perfect sense that iRise would empower our IT organisation to do the same for software design and delivery, and we are pleased to form a partnership with iRise.”

Emmet B. Keeffe III, CEO and Co-founder, iRise

“We are thrilled to be associated with a World Championship winning outfit in Lotus F1 Team and look forward to a productive partnership in the coming months and years. The IT organisation at Lotus F1 Team is already very agile, given the culture of speed and innovation within the team. Additionally for the IT leaders attending our Executive Roundtable Series, there are many lessons to be learned from Formula 1 that can be leveraged in the high speed world of business.”

For more details on the iRise software visualization platform, visit www.irise.com

Fast facts:

Track: Barcelona, Spain, 4.7km

Chassis: E20-01

Weather: Sunny, air 8-16°C, track 16-35°C

Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, aero-focused runs, set-up changes

Laps Completed: 73

Classification: 1st, 1’23"252

Interruptions: KERS battery change

What’s next? Romain will be back in the car tomorrow running through a programme of set up work in the morning followed by race work in the afternoon.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver: “The car was feeling very good and it’s great to bounce back from our dramas to set the fastest time of the day. It’s clear we have solved the problem we encountered and now we have to complete a very full test programme this week. The feeling in the team is fantastic and it’s like last week’s issues never happened. My crew told me that the problems would make us stronger, and this is true. The chassis is stronger, and all the team is stronger. We gathered good data today and we have a few interesting things that we would like to confirm tomorrow which should help us make a good step forwards.”

James Allison, Technical Director: “Our main target for today was to compress as much set-up work as we could into the first day as we are playing catch-up relative to our rivals at this track. Of course, we want to complete as many laps as possible, but this second objective is inevitably compromised somewhat by needing to make many short runs punctuated by set-up changes. Obviously, we’re very pleased to complete the day without any major difficulties to the car after such a troubled start here last week.”

Barcelona test finishes early for Lotus F1 Team

Lotus F1 Team will not run for the remainder of the second test at Barcelona, scheduled from today until Friday.

During initial runs this morning with Romain Grosjean at the wheel, the team identified an issue with the chassis. After investigation at Enstone, initial plans to bring out chassis E20-01 to Barcelona have been held in order to give the team enough time to rectify the situation.

Lotus F1 Team will be back on track next week in Barcelona (1-4 March)

James Allison, Technical Director:

“Before we were due to fly chassis E20-01 out to Barcelona in replacement of chassis E20-02 - damaged this morning - we ran a series of simulations at the factory based on the data provided by our brief running on track today. As a result, we were able to identify an area which requires some additional work. It will be more productive for us to carry out these modifications to both chassis at Enstone rather than send E20-01 out to this week’s test. We’ll put the right measures in place and we will be able to fix the problem before next week.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal:

“Not running this week has been a tough decision to take, but we feel that our choice is the right one. On the positive side, we have quickly identified the issue with the chassis and our design office has already devised a solution. We will be present at next week’s test in Barcelona. We draw faith from the fact that the E20 was quick out of the box in Jerez and showed its reliability there. We have a lot of work ahead of us over the next week but everyone at Enstone is ready for this challenge.”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver: “We completed a few aero runs and then started timed runs, but I was very quickly aware that the car wasn’t responding as it should. It’s not ideal to lose track time, but fortunately we will have the chassis which ran perfectly in Jerez so I should get some good track time tomorrow. It’s far better that we have an issue like this now rather than in Melbourne.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “This morning was our first shakedown of our second chassis. Once the car was on track it was soon evident that everything wasn’t quite as it should be. As a precaution we are returning the chassis to Enstone for further investigation. Chassis E20-01, which we used in Jerez, is being sent over and we expect to be on track with that chassis tomorrow.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal: “This is a minor setback to our overall test programme. Fortunately we accumulated good mileage in Jerez. If this is the only issue we have during testing then we will still be well prepared for the start of the season. We’ll be back on track tomorrow with chassis E20-01 and assessing chassis E20-02 back at Enstone.”

Fast facts:

Track: Jerez, Spain, 4.4km

Chassis: E20-01

Weather: Sunny, air 0-15°C, track 0-26°C

Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, evaluation of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package.

Laps Completed: 95

Classification: 5th, 1’19"729.

Interruptions: Minor water leaks.

What’s next? The E20 will head back to Enstone before returning to Spain for the second pre-season test at Barcelona on 21-24 February.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver: “Everything is feeling good. This morning we tried a number of different things on the car, including my first run on the soft tyre. In the afternoon we tried longer runs. Once it warmed up, the track temperature was hotter than yesterday which helps our understanding of the E20 in different conditions. It’s strange to think that we are already a third of the way through pre-season testing. We are pushing to get as much achieved as possible. I’m really enjoying being in the car even though it is hard work. So far my fitness has been good, my neck’s not too bad, but we’ll see how it feels tomorrow! I think everyone will benefit from next week away from the circuit so we can reflect on the data then go to Barcelona with some new parts for the car. I can’t wait.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “Our main focus for this week has been orientated around accumulating mileage and testing reliability. The E20 has proved to be reliable, meaning we’ve been able to include some performance work too. Our general programme has been to conduct performance work in the morning, when the track is a little cooler and there’s less wind. In the afternoons, when the temperatures and winds are higher, we have conducted longer runs with heavier fuel loads. Overall during this test we’ve completed almost 1800 km with the car. We did have a few minor radiator leaks over the course of this test but they were easily identified and we have a solution for Barcelona.”

James Allison, Technical Director: “The most encouraging aspect from this week is the feedback from the drivers. Their comments have been full of encouraging statements, including praise for a very secure rear end, good traction and good balance. We haven’t heard positive comments like those during the past couple of seasons. Even ignoring the lap times, the driver comments give us a warm feeling and the best sense of whether we’ve done an okay job.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal: “This was a very positive test for us. Kimi and Romain both did great jobs in the car. The E20 has been reliable straight out of the box. We were not in Jerez to chase fast lap times, but of course it’s always good to show strong pace. Of course, it is very early days; Melbourne is one month away and that is when we will see where we are. The E20 looks good out on track, it’s a nice shape and it’s very well finished which is a credit to everyone at Enstone.”

Fast facts:

Track: Jerez, Spain, 4.4km

Chassis: E20-01

Weather: Sunny, air 0-14°C, track 7-26°C

Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, evaluation of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package.

Laps Completed: 117

Classification: 2nd, 1’18"419.

Interruptions: Run out of fuel on final lap, intentionally to test fuel pickup.

What’s next? Romain Grosjean will continue in the E20 tomorrow.

Romain Grosjean, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver: “I am one of the happiest guys in the world right now. It’s been a really good day for me. We were fastest in the morning then we completed some longer runs in the afternoon. It’s great to finally drive the car which I have seen coming together and being built at Enstone. Working so well with all the mechanics and the engineers made it such a memorable first day in the E20. The car feels good on different fuel loads and tyre compounds we used. For sure there’s margin for improvement in the tests ahead, but it’s a great start to the year.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “Another strong day with 117 laps and over 500 km completed. We ran a similar programme to the one we ran during the previous two days with Kimi. This gives us good data across a range of scenarios and valid comparisons between our drivers. Track conditions were better today, with more rubber down and less wind than yesterday. We conducted set-up work on the medium compound tyre in the morning. Some of these were set-ups we ran with Kimi, others were new. In the afternoon we focused on getting as many laps completed as possible to test the reliability of the E20, which proved to be faultless.”

http://media.lotusf1...id_article=8486

Fast facts:

Track: Jerez, Spain, 4.4km

Chassis: E20-01

Weather: Sunny, air 5-12°C, track 6-17°C

Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, evaluation of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package.

Laps Completed: 117

Classification: 5th, 1’20"239.

Interruptions: Repairs from kerb damage, steering rack change.

What’s next? Romain Grosjean will get his first taste of the E20 tomorrow continuing with set-up work and longer runs.

Kimi Räikkönen, Lotus F1 Team Race Driver: “There was a small issue with damage to the floor this morning when I went off and came back on to the circuit. An edge on a kerb caused the damage and we lost some time as it was repaired. Apart from that it was a good day and we completed some long runs and good mileage. Physically, I felt fine after 117 laps. Conditions were quite windy on track but despite this I got a better feeling from the car. There was a lot of difference between the tyres. We used three compounds, but it was hard to get all of them working with the cooler temperatures today. When the tyres are working we seem to have a good car and I have a positive feeling from this first test. ”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “We had an interruption this morning with a slight off from Kimi which caused some damage to the car. This gave us an opportunity with the car in the garage to change the specification of steering rack, so we lost a reasonable amount of time in the morning. The E20 ran reliably for the rest of the day, meaning we were able to complete most of our planned programme. We looked at set-up, using the medium and soft tyres. We ran long runs in the afternoon, including a final run on the hard tyre, to gain mileage and everything worked very well. The balance is good which is encouraging from a performance perspective and the E20 was reliable again. All specifications of tyres are behaving as we would expect with the E20 so this is another area of encouragement.”

http://media.lotusf1...id_article=8471

Fast facts:

Track: Jerez, Spain, 4.4km

Chassis: E20-01

Weather: Sunny, air 5-17°C, track 6-25°C

Programme: Systems checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, evaluation of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package.

Laps Completed: 75

Classification: 1st, 1’19"670.

Interruptions: KERS battery change in the afternoon.

What’s next? Kimi will complete his running in the E20 at Jerez tomorrow, before handing the car over to team-mate Romain Grosjean for the Thursday and Friday sessions.

Kimi Räikkönen: “It was a positive first day of testing and everything went almost to plan. We had no major issues and I got a good feel for the car and the tyres. The tyres were more of a challenge in the afternoon when we ran with a scrubbed set, but overall it was a positive day. The lap times don’t matter today. I’m happy with the balance of the car, which feels good, and the fact that we didn’t have any major issues. Also, I did more than a race distance today and did not have any physical problems at all, which is good. I’m looking forward to making further progress with the car tomorrow.”

James Allison, Technical Director: “It was a flawless morning with a slightly interrupted afternoon as we changed the second of the KERS batteries which we ran today. Overall it was a very promising day in terms of reliability and it gives us a good springboard for the rest of the test. So far Kimi’s feedback on the car has been complimentary in terms of the balance, the braking and other features. The steering is slightly heavy for his liking at the moment, but we already have a different steering rack being completed which he will use in Barcelona

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “We enjoyed a strong first day with the E20 in both performance and reliability and this is a testament to all the hard work done by everyone at Enstone over the winter. It’s always nice to be top of the timesheets, but the main encouraging factor from today is the car’s reliability; apart from a small KERS problem this afternoon it was fautless. We ran on the medium compound Pirelli tyre all day and it seemed to hold up pretty well, showing similar degradation to that we saw last year, so I think there’ll be exciting racing once more in 2012.”

2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen took the wheel for 22 laps of the Circuito de Jerez today in the E20 with which he will contest the 2012 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

The laps were undertaken at non-race speeds for filming purposes, but nevertheless allowed Kimi to gain initial impressions of the car under crystal blue skies at the 4.4 km test venue. This gave the team an opportunity to validate that the assembly of the E20 was fully operational and all systems were working.

The track time followed a presentation of the E20 to press and partners in an event at the circuit with drivers Kimi, Romain Grosjean and Jérôme D’Ambrosio joined by Team Chairman Gerard Lopez, Team Principal Eric Boullier and Technical Director James Allison.

Kimi Räikkönen, driver, Lotus F1 Team: “It’s great to see the E20 at a race circuit and even better to get behind the wheel. It’s always frustrating to be in a new car and not be able to drive it at maximum attack, but thankfully I will have that opportunity for the next two days. My initial impressions are good, I fit comfortably in the car and it feels great in first and second gear; now let’s see what it can do tomorrow.”

A little less conversation.

Testing gets underway tomorrow for 2012 with the start of four days’ running at Jerez. Kimi will drive for the first two days before handing over to Romain Grosjean for the latter two days.

The team will conduct systems checks and validate the work done at Enstone using the latest specification Pirelli tyres.

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director:

“The main purpose of the first test is to complete as many laps as possible with the E20. This allows us to assess if all systems are working as they should and highlights if there are any areas requiring our attention."

“We monitor all systems to ensure that everything is operating within the correct temperature range, and functioning as designed. Although we have a very early version of the aerodynamic package here, we are able to validate the track data against our CFD and wind tunnel information."

“Assessing Pirelli’s latest compound and construction tyres is another objective in Jerez. Although it is quite cold here in the morning, we expect representative track and ambient temperatures during the day, so we should get a good initial impression of their performance with the E20."

“Jerez is not a circuit we race on, but it is a good test venue with a range of high-speed and low-speed corners as well as a mixture of kerbs."

“Today’s filming runs allowed us to perform initial systems checks; now the hard work begins.”

E20 – new name, new concept

The E20 incorporates ground–up redesigns and optimization of previous Enstone design philosophies. Most notably, the forward facing exhausts of 2011’s R31 have been abandoned, both through regulation and necessity. The E20 also features a ‘step’ on its nose, this layout also being the result of a regulation change.

The front and rear suspension layouts have been substantially revised in the quest for ever- better aerodynamic efficiency whilst the front wing is a continuation of concepts used by the team during recent seasons.

The E20 has been designed utilizing the team’s new 60% scale wind tunnel as well as its enhanced CFD facility, with both resources located on site at Enstone.

Clear Progress

Rexona and CLEAR, two of the world’s biggest personal care brands, are the latest partners to join the Lotus F1 Team. The brands, part of the Unilever portfolio, represent a perfect fit with the high levels of competition and performance associated with Formula 1 as a sport and more specifically with the Lotus F1 Team.

A proud history

This season will see the 500th Grand Prix contested by Lotus F1 Team, including those contested through its previous incarnations of Toleman, Benetton, Renault F1 Team and Lotus Renault GP.

Toleman Motorsport entered Formula 1 in 1981 and started 57 Grands Prix, until in 1986 the team was renamed as Benetton. In this guise 260 races were contested, until in 2002 the team became Renault F1 Team. As Renault F1 Team, 159 Grands Prix were started, with the team becoming Lotus Renault GP for 2011, contesting a further 19 events. The current total of Grands Prix stands at 495.

Driving forwards

Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean and Jérôme D’Ambrosio comprise a strong driver line-up which includes a world champion in Kimi, and two success-hungry hungry young guns in Romain and Jérôme. Kimi returns to Formula 1 eager to put the talents which have won him 18 Grands Prix and a World Championship to good effect in black and gold.

Fuelled by a competitive culture and a desire to be the best in class, CLEAR and Rexona are perfectly matched with Lotus F1 Team, an outfit steeped in Formula 1 history. Rexona for Men and CLEAR Men share with Formula 1 the same target audience: 18 to 35 year old affluent men, who are passionate about sports, adventure and technology. Formula 1 has a nearly year-long season with a consistent and regular calendar of races that have an attendance of over 200,000 fans per event. It attracts an average audience of more than 527 million viewers in over 180 countries for each race, making it the most-watched annual sport in the world.

Eric Boullier, Team Principal, Lotus F1 Team: “We are very proud to have been selected by CLEAR and Rexona and are very much looking forward to working with our two newest partners throughout 2012 and beyond. The passion for business and desire to win is shared both at our factory here and in the offices of CLEAR and Rexona and this will ensure a very beneficial partnership in the years to come.”

Pablo Gazzera, Rexona Global Brand VP: “Rexona for Men has a perfect fit with Formula 1: both stand for passion, ambition and excellence in performance. We empower our consumers to be daring, to be adventurous and push the limits, offering the best protection throughout the day. We tap into our consumers’ passions – cars, sports, extreme adventure – in order to engage with them. The thrill of speed and fierce competition of Formula 1 racing falls right at the heart of what our consumers are passionate about.”

Francois Renard, CLEAR Global Brand VP, adds: “CLEAR Men stands for efficacy, precision technology, and performance – and no other sport values precision performance technology like Formula 1. We offer consumers the best customized solutions against dandruff - giving them the confidence to make a powerful impact anytime, anywhere. By partnering with Formula 1, we will provide our consumers the chance to see and live the winning impact that a high efficacy, high precision, high performance brand like CLEAR Men can offer them.”

Lotus F1 Team is pleased to announce that this year’s Formula 1 challenger will be named the E20, with a new nomenclature commencing to commemorate the twentieth chassis designed at the team’s base in Enstone, Oxfordshire.

The E20 will be unveiled through the team’s website, www.lotusf1team.com on February 5th and shown to the world’s media the following day in Jerez, Spain when it will briefly take to the track for filming. On February 7th team race driver Kimi Räikkönen will start the team’s test programme at Jerez.

Enstone has been a Formula 1 team base since 1992, with the team then known as Benetton moving to the facility from its previous Witney, Oxfordshire, base.

This season will see the 500th Grand Prix contested by Lotus F1 Team, including those contested through its previous incarnations. Lotus F1 Team’s roots can be traced to Toleman Motorsport, which entered Formula 1 in 1981 and started 57 Grands Prix. For 1986 the team was renamed as Benetton, and in this guise 260 races were contested until in 2002 the team became Renault F1 Team.

As Renault F1 Team, 159 Grands Prix were started, with the team becoming Lotus Renault GP for 2011, contesting a further 19 events. The current total of Grands Prix stands at 495.

The 60% scale wind tunnel and the new 'Driver in the Loop' simulator, which is currently being built, are two examples of the team's continued investments in its Enstone facilities.

A video teaser of the E20 can be seen by logging on to www.lotusf1team.com.

Eric Boullier, Team Principal and Managing Director: “Our naming of the chassis to recognise Enstone’s importance to the team’s evolution highlights our recognition of the contribution of the facility and the personnel who work tirelessly every year to produce the very best car possible. We certainly hope that this is the case with the E20 and we are looking forward to revealing the car to the world and seeing it out on track for the first time. There are a number of technical changes from last year and we have an exciting new driver line-up to extract the maximum from the E20 through the twenty Grands Prix of the 2012 season, including the 500th race for this team through its different incarnations. We hope that the E20 proves to be a performing Enstone design.”

Lotus Renault GP and TOTAL are delighted to announce that Romain Grosjean will race alongside 2007 world champion Kimi Räikkönen next season. The two companies are also pleased to confirm that they have renewed their sponsorship agreement for another year.

The 2011 GP2 Series champion gained useful experience with the team throughout the year as LRGP’s third driver. As part of his role, Romain was rewarded with two practice session drives at the final two races of the season in both Abu Dhabi and Brazil.

Prior to claiming first prize for the DAMS team in this season’s GP2 Series, Romain was a title winner in F3 Euroseries and the GP2 Asia Series before graduating to the Renault F1 Team in 2008 as a test driver. Following this, he stepped up to a race seat for the second half of 2009.

The announcement of Romain as race driver signals the beginning of the Frenchman’s second spell at Enstone in such a capacity.

Romain Grosjean: “I am thrilled to be one of the team’s race drivers in 2012. There’s a big grin on my face at the prospect of getting behind the wheel of next year’s car, and I feel very privileged to be given this opportunity. To be racing alongside a former world champion and someone who is hungry and returning to Formula 1 will be a great experience, and I’m sure will help raise my level of performance too. I feel that my successful season in GP2 Series has helped me mature a lot, and I am a much more complete driver than I was last time I was competing in this sport. Returning to Enstone as a race driver feels like coming home. I will not disappoint and I wish to thank all the people without whom this return to F1 would not have been possible. Total, which supports me since 2006, and Gravity Sport Management, are first on this list.”

Jacques-Emmanuel Saulnier, Senior Vice-President Corporate Communications, Total: “Total is delighted to give the young talented French driver, Romain Grosjean, the opportunity to fulfill his dream by becoming an F1 driver with the Lotus Renault GP team. An overall mission of our company, as is LRGP’s, is to support young talented people and encourage them along the path to excellence and performance. The involvement of our Group in the highest category of motor sport alongside Romain Grosjean, with whom we’ve formed a relationship based on trust over more than six years, goes far beyond the purely communications aspect. It shows our determination to develop the performance of our fuels and lubricants with the aim of achieving optimal energetic efficiency to help our clients reduce and improve consumption. Formula 1 must embrace the perspective of clean technology and permanent evolution, and go back to its roots by becoming a laboratory for innovation once again.”

Eric Boullier, Team Principal & MD: “I’m delighted that Romain Grosjean will side Kimi next year. Romain has shown a lot of maturity in the past twelve months both through his GP2 Series victory and his development as third driver with us. We were impressed when he drove for us in the first practice sessions in Abu Dhabi and Brazil. We are confident that drafting him in to one of our driver’s seats will help us in our rebuilding process. I would like to thank Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna for their contribution to the team’s performance this year and I wish them all the best for the future.”

Gérard Lopez, Genii Capital, Chairman: “Only last week I reiterated that the team is at the start of a brand new cycle. Announcing Romain as our race driver alongside Kimi is great news and will help us achieve our aims of getting back to the very top. The announcements we made today and last week are exciting ones for our team and there is a real buzz surrounding us now.”

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Kimi’s F1 roll of honour includes 18 wins, 62 podiums and 16 pole positions. This experience and success is sure to help the team make a step forward next year. The 32-year-old Finn’s commitment indeed makes for a vote of confidence in Lotus Renault GP, demonstrating the team’s determination and new philosophy for the seasons ahead.

Kimi Räikkönen: “I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity. My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming. It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid.”

Gérard Lopez, Genii Capital, Chairman: “All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle. Backstage we’ve been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level. Kimi’s decision to come back to Formula 1 with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future. Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I’d like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula 1.”

http://www.lotusrena...in-F1-with.html

Vitaly Petrov, P10, R31-06

Lotus Renault GP concluded the 2011 Formula 1 season with a single point as Vitaly Petrov took his R31 past the finish line in 10th position.

The teams encountered typically muggy weather during the 71-lap race, but the threat of rain did not materialise and the 71-lap race was played out in good conditions.

Vitaly made a strong start jumping three places to 12th. Despite some issues with KERS, the Russian was able to weave his way up to 10th come the latter stages of the race.

Bruno, meanwhile, suffered a disappointing race. After maintaining his ninth position in the opening stages of the race, an incident with Michael Schumacher followed when Bruno was attempting to defend his place. The resulting drive through penalty meant Bruno had it all to do, and he ended up finishing the race in 17th position.

Australian Mark Webber took victory ahead of team mate and world champion Sebastian Vettel. Jenson Button came home in third.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/8015-Brazilian-GP-Race-Lotus-Renault-GP.html

Q1: P8, 1.13.859, 10 laps

Q2: P15, 1.14.053, 6 laps

Bruno Senna, R31-05

Q1: P15, 1.14.453, 12 laps

Q2: P9, 1.13.300, 5 laps

Q3: P9, 1:13.761, 3 laps

Bruno Senna has qualified in the top ten for Lotus Renault GP for his home Grand Prix after his 1min 13.761secs lap ended the Q3 session as the ninth fastest under skies that threatened rain at a highly charged Interlagos circuit.

Bruno negotiated his way through a difficult three qualifying sessions with the team making strategic calls based on the threat of rain, which never actually came.

Vitaly meanwhile was caught out with a lack of pace in Q2 which meant he qualified outside the top ten in 15th position with a 1min 14.053secs lap.

Pole position went to Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel with a time of 1m 11.918secs, with team-mate Mark Webber lining up alongside him for tomorrow’s race. Jenson Button was third fastest for McLaren.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/8001-BRAZILIAN-GP-QUALIFYING-LOTUS.html

P17, 1:14.551, 15 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P11, 1:13.838, 20 laps

Lotus Renault GP completed its preparations for the Brazilian Grand Prix with the third and final session of free practice on a hot and hazy morning in Sao Paulo.

Both Bruno and Vitaly used Pirelli’s medium compound first before switching to the soft compound for later runs.

Vitaly ended the session just shy of the top ten with the eleventh fastest time, a 1min 13.838secs, whilst Bruno set a 1min 14.551secs lap.

Bruno missed some running whilst an engine issue was investigated, whilst Vitaly had difficulties with his radio.

Red Bull Racing’s Sebastian Vettel set the session’s fastest time, with a 1min 12.460secs lap

This afternoon’s qualifying session takes place at 14:00 local time.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7992-BRAZILIAN-GP-PRACTICE-3-LOTUS.html

P12, 1:14.931, 37 laps

Vitaly Petrov, R31-06

P11, 1:14.856, 38 laps

Vitaly Petrov returned to the helm of his R31 during today’s second practice session in Sao Paulo, and managed to clock-up 38 laps during the 90-minute session.

The two Lotus Renault GP cars trialled both the Pirelli medium and soft compounds around the 4.309km circuit.

On the medium tyres, Bruno managed a time of 1min 16.716, whilst counterpart Vitaly found the tyre easier going and put in a 1min 16.505.

On the yellow-marked soft compound, Bruno knocked off considerable time and put in a lap of 1min 14.931 which resulted in him finishing in 12th place, having completed a total of 37 laps. Vitaly bettered his team mate’s time with a lap of 1min 14.856, leaving him in P11.

In-form Lewis Hamilton set the pace at the front with a lap of 1min 13.392secs ahead of world champion Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7947-Brazilian-GP-Practice-2-Lotus.html

P14, 1:15.732, 32 laps

Romain Grosjean, R31-06

P12, 1:15.547, 18 laps

Lotus Renault GP began its preparations for this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix with Romain Grosjean and Bruno Senna out on track.

Bruno completed 32 trouble free laps using Pirelli’s developmental hard compound and the medium compound. Romain used the developmental hard and the medium compound too, but his running was curtailed after 18 laps with a clutch issue.

Romain ended the session with the 12th fastest time of the morning, a 1min 15.732secs almost two tenths of a second faster than Bruno who was 14th quickest with a 1min 15.732secs.

Vitaly Petrov will get back into the number 10 car for FP2 and the rest of the weekend, with the clutch issue expected to be rectified.

Fastest in FP1 was Mark Webber with a time of 1m 13.811secs.

http://www.lotusrenaultgp.com/7951-BRAZILIAN-GP-PRACTICE-1-LOTUS.html