Tony Fernandes, Team Lotus Team Principal, said: "I am delighted that Dell has decided to deepen its relationship with the Team Lotus family and even more excited about the opportunities our unique collaboration will provide for everyone involved. We have already begun work on a number of exciting initiatives with Dell that will give them additional access to the incredibly exciting world we live and work in. I think the way we have worked together over the past season really demonstrates that even in the increasingly competitive sports marketing environment partners can create enormous value for each other and their own businesses by working together under a common goal."

Andy Lark, Chief Marketing Officer, Enterprise and Public Marketing, Dell Corporation: "We have been working with Team Lotus as an Official Supplier since day one of this amazing story. Formula One would not function without technology. It is simply right at the heart of everything that powers the sport on and off track, and we have been lucky enough to play an integral role in the establishment and development of the team since it first gained its entry in September 2009. I see this partnership continuing to grow."

Total distance - Melbourne to Sepang for Malaysian GP: 6,340.644 (kms)

Total global population reach of CNN content: 2 billion

Total number of Dell products shipped each day worldwide: 110,000

General

Total race laps: 58

Weather: Overcast, cloudy (am), sunny (pm)

Max track temp: 22˚

Fastest laps: KOV - 1:35.230, lap 16 / TRU - 1.32.550, lap 52

RACE

Runplan

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen

Chassis: T128-01

1200: Car cover off

1300: Race programme briefing

1400: First engine fire-up / shift check / complete systems check

1630: Pitlane open

1633: Car leaves for grid / 1 lap warm up

1659: Fire up

1700: Lights out (option tyres)

Lap 17: Pitstop 1 - stay on option tyres

Lap 20: Retired - water leak

Driver: Jarno Trulli

Chassis: T128-03

1200: Car cover off

1300: Race programme briefing

1408: First engine fire-up / shift check / complete systems check

1630: Pitlane open

1634: Car leaves for grid / 1 lap warm up

1659: Fire up

1700: Lights out (prime tyres)

Lap 16: Pitstop 1 - change to option tyres

Lap 37: Pitstop 2 - stay on option tyres

Lap 58: Finished 15th

Heikki Kovalainen, Car 20 - qualified 19th, DNF: "Until the retirement I was very pleased with my own performance. I had a good start and was then staying with Alguersuari and Perez until the water leak brought my race to an end. I think this has been a bit of a tricky weekend for us, perhaps more difficult than we had anticipated, but we have some time now to analyse why the pace wasn't quite where we had expected it to be and to work on the reliability before we get to Malaysia. We're all ready to put in the hard work to make sure we keep moving forward, and these are still early days in the life of Team Lotus so we'll put in the hours and look for an improved performance in our home race in Malaysia."

Jarno Trulli, Car 21 - qualified 20th, finished 15th: "It was really good to finish the race and to show that there is some pace in the car, despite some of the problems we have had to work through this weekend. We now have a lot of very useful data we can use to help us move ahead in Malaysia and China and I think once we have got through these early teething troubles we will show that we have taken the step forward we want to this year."

Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1 Support Leader: "That is a good result for us. We were not able to finish the race with Heikki but with Jarno we saw some encouraging signs from the car's behaviour and I think we will be able to extract more performance from it in the next race after we have been through the data in more detail. For the first race with a Renault Sport F1 engine in a Team Lotus car this is a good day."

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: "After a pretty tough weekend I am very pleased with both Jarno and Heikki's race performances. We had an issue with water leak on the radiator on Heikki's car and soon after his pitstop that unfortunately brought an end to his race. He had been very strong on the options so that was a shame, but he had looked good until that point which is obviously encouraging. Jarno struggled early on with the prime tyres so we swapped him onto the options and he quickly found his pace. Our speed in the race was much more representative of the pace we had shown in testing so for Malaysia the target is to make sure we achieve that level throughout the whole weekend. In summary it was good to get one car to the end with solid pace and thank you to the whole team for some very good work all week."

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: "I am happy. After a tense day to see Jarno have a strong finish in 15th and show good speed in the race is very pleasing. We knew we had a potential issue with the radiator on Heikki's car so when he had to pull over it was not a surprise, but the main thing for me today is that the pace we showed in the pre-season tests is back. We were able to stay with the midfield teams and that has been the stated target for this year so now we know we have a base to build on for the season ahead and some time to fix the radiator issue before we go home to Malaysia for the next race. With the work ethic and spirit in our team I am confident we will take another step forward in Sepang and we are all very excited about coming home again for the next race."

Grey, cloudy, dry

Min/max track temperature: 19˚ / 20˚

Total laps

FP3: KOV 17 / TRU 18

QUALIFYING: KOV 10 / TRU 12

Fastest laps

FP3: KOV 1.29.772, lap 16, TRU 1.30.003, lap 17

QUALIFYING: KOV 19th - 1.29.254, lap 3 / TRU 20th - 1.29.342, lap 11

FP3

26/03/11 Runplan

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen

Chassis: T128-01

1400 - 1402: Installation, 1 lap

1402 - 1417: System checks / brake blanking reduction

1417 - 1418: Run 2 / 1 lap

1418 - 1428: DRS issue - wing held in high drag mode

1428 - 1442: Run 3 / 9 laps

1442 - 1449: Front wing flap increase / rear brake blanking reduced

1449 - 1459: Run 4 / 6 laps

26/03/11 Runplan

Driver: Jarno Trulli

Chassis: T128-03

1400 - 1402: Installation, 1 lap

1402 - 1422: System checks

1422 - 1441: Run 2 / 10 laps

1441 - 1447: Blown floor engine map change to qualifying / FW flap increase

1447 - 1500: Run 3 / 7 laps

QUALIFYING

26/03/11 Runplan

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen

Chassis: T128-01

Q1

1700 - 1710: Run 1, 6 laps (soft tyres)

1710 - 1713: Refuel

1713 - 1720: Run 2, 4 laps (soft tyres)

26/03/11 Runplan

Driver: Jarno Trulli

Chassis: T128-03

Q1

1700 - 1710: Run 1, 6 laps (soft tyres)

1710 - 1711: Refuel

1711 - 1722: Run 2, 6 laps (soft tyres)

Heikki Kovalainen, Car 20: "Unfortunately the rear wing was stuck in the high downforce configuration for the second run which definitely masked the real pace there is in the car. We've also struggled with getting the most out of the tyres all weekend but I think the increased temperatures tomorrow will suit the car much more and we'll be in good shape to show what we can really do in the race."

Jarno Trulli, Car 21: "I've had a few issues with the power steering in practice but the team worked well to resolve that for qualifying and the car definitely felt better than it had this morning and yesterday. We'll clearly be much quicker when we can get the tyres up to full temperature so it'll be an exciting race for us tomorrow and I think we'll be in good shape to push the guys ahead who we were much closer to in the warmer conditions in pre-season testing."

Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1 Support Leader: "Firstly I want to say that the atmosphere in this team is very good. This means we are all able to work together very well and it's important that we can do that to get the best out of the car this year. From the engine perspective I think we are ok on usage and the drivers' feedback has been very good. Obviously to maximise the performance of the car the whole package can work better and I'm sure we can unlock the true potential of the car when we have worked through areas like the tyre usage."

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: "Both drivers did a very good job in qualifying today, despite both of them being hampered by issues - Heikki had a rear wing problem whcih meant he couldn't improve on his second set of tyres, and Jarno reported loss of grip on his second set so we clearly were not able to maximise the car's real performance today. However, I think that we have definitely taken a step forward in qualifying. We have been struggling to get temperature into the tyres all weekend, and have had some issues with the power steering, but we made significant progress in qualifying. On the positive side the tyre warm-up issues will be much better in the race and looking ahead I am very confident that we can get back to the level of performance we showed in winter testing as we continue through the early part of the season."

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: "I am happy with qualifying. Obviously we are paying the price of the limited running we had in testing, but I have to admit I was a bit nervous before the session and having seen where we ended up I am pleased with what both drivers produced today. We continue to learn all the time and as this is essentially a completely new car we have to work hard on a number of areas to help us achieve our full potential, particularly on tyre management - the car looks like it has Malaysian blood as it clearly prefers hotter conditions! Despite that we are all looking forward to the race tomorrow, and with much more development to come here, in Malaysia and China, before we head back to Europe, I am happy with where we are today."

Total laps: CHA - 0, KOV - 36 (14 FP1 / 22 FP2), TRU - 23

Weather: Grey, cloudy, rain

Min/max track temperature: 19˚/ 23˚

Fastest laps: CHA n/a / KOV 1.30.829 lap 15 FP2 / TRU 1.30.910 lap 18 FP2

25/03/11 Runplan

Heikki Kovalainen

Chassis: T128-01

FP1

1230 - 1231: Installation lap

1231 - 1254: System checks / front & rear brake blanking change

1254 - 1332: Run 2, 9 laps

1332 - 1344: Front wing flap change / brake blanking reduction

1344 - 1351: Run 3, 4 laps

1351 - 1636: Baseline setup change: front wing flap, brake balance, ride height

FP2

1636 - 1641: Run 1, 2 laps engine electronics issue

1641 - 1718: Electronics issue resolved

1718 - 1734: Run 2, 9 laps

1734 - 1737: Front wing flap change

1737 - 1752: Run 3, 8 laps (DRS in race mode)

1752 - 1758: Fuel change

1758 - 1800: Run 4, 3 laps (Safety car mode test)

Karun Chandhok (FP1) / Jarno Trulli (FP2)

Chassis: T128-03

FP1 (Karun Chandhok)

1230 - 1231: Installation lap / accident T3

FP2 (Jarno Trulli)

1643 - 1656: Run 1, 7 laps

1656 - 1723: Setup change - ride height, front wing flap

1723 - 1736: Run 2, 7 laps

1736 - 1741: Front wing flap change

1741 - 1751: Run 3, 6 laps (DRS in race mode test)

1751 - 1756: Fuel level change

1756 - 1800: Run 4, 3 laps (Safety car mode test)

Karun Chandhok: "I'm obviously disappointed to have had such a short run for my first time in the Team Lotus car, but I put my hands up to it and totally accept it was a combination of a slippery track and less grip than I expected from the tyres that combined to put me out so early. I'm just pleased the guys could get Jarno out in the afternoon session and it shows what a great team this is that they could get the car fixed that quickly to ensure Jarno could get a decent number of laps under his belt in FP2."

Heikki Kovalainen: "It was one of those days. We had a couple of problems the guys worked hard to resolve, and once we had got through the issues we managed to complete most of the program so we have some good data to work through tonight. There is obviously more pace to come from the car so let's see what happens tomorrow."

Jarno Trulli: "The team worked really well to get the car ready for the afternoon session but we struggled a bit with a few issues that meant I couldn't really push. We'll work tonight on setup options and there are definitely some areas to look at where we can find some pace so I think tomorrow we'll be ok."

Thierry Salvi, Renault Sport F1 Support Leader: "Engine wise it was quite a good day because we managed to carry out a number of tests we had not completed in the pre-season running. We have had some positive feedback from the drivers from those tests, for example with the blown-floor strategy, so this has been a pretty encouraging day for us."

Mike Gascoyne: "A difficult first day in Australia, although we managed to complete some good work at the end of FP2. At the start of FP1 Karun was caught out by the slippery conditions and made a mistake which unfortunately curtailed his running. In the second session we had a fuel pressure problem on Jarno's car and an electronics issue on Heikki's car, both of which limited our running, but we were able to solve those issues and work through most of the afternoon's plan. For tomorrow there is a lot more to come from the car. We are clearly not quite where we expected to be in performance terms but we understand the reasons for that - it is proving quite tricky for us to get the best out of the tyres but we will work on that tonight and when we improve I am confident we will move up to where we expect to be in qualifying tomorrow."

Tony Fernandes: "It is good to be back racing and very satisfying to see our green and yellow vision coming together on and off the track. It was one of those days that are not so good for us but this is a continuous journey and while we have work to do I'm confident we are moving in the right direction for the year ahead. It is a real mark of where we are now that the comments from the rest of the team are expressing disappointment with today. As a Team Principal it is actually very pleasing to hear that a performance that a year ago we would have been thrilled about is now being seen as us not meeting our targets, and that shows us all just how far we have already come. The team may not see it right now but this is huge progress, so I am happy and looking forward to the rest of the weekend."

General

Race laps: 58

Chassis: T128-01 / T128-03

Quick description

High average speed and medium-high for brake severity

Smooth surface in general and low grip (especially in P1)

Some bumps may worsen braking instability and bottoming, particularly T9

Kerbs not a problem

Difficult to overtake

17:00 race start can create vision difficulties with sunset

Usually dusty with leaves being stuck in radiator inlets

Circuit particularity

Bumpiness: Medium

Engine severity: High

Overtaking chance: Low

GBX severity: Medium

Kerbs: Smooth/medium

Lat/Long grip: Lateral

RH setting particularity: None

Aero eff ratio: Medium

Track grip evo during WE: High (not permanent)

Aero settings: High

Brake wear severity: High

Brake cooling necessity: Medium/Low

Safety car history

2010: L1 to L4

2009: L19 to L25

2008: None

Team Lotus Partner Information

Number of tyres Pirelli brings to each race: 1,800

Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: "I cannot wait to get back to racing. This is a very important season for Team Lotus as we are no longer a new team - we achieved what we set out to in 2010 but now it's effectively a clean sheet - an entirely new car, a fully fledged race team and factory and much higher aspirations. Now comes the next phase of the hard work - time to prove that our pre-season promise can help us take the next step forward in the amazing story that is Team Lotus."

Heikki Kovalainen on the race weekend: "As Melbourne is now the start of the season it will be very exciting. The Australian fans are great people and the city always has a carnival atmosphere because the race is right in the middle of town. The track itself is a semi-street circuit so it's tricky. It evolves a lot throughout the weekend as the rubber builds up and traction and grip improves. On Friday morning it's always very slippery and you need to bear that in mind when you're setting the car up. If you have some balance problems in the first session it's better not to worry about it too much as you just need to get a feel for the downforce levels, gear ratios and the tyres. By the third session on Saturday morning the track really starts to come into its own. In qualifying it improves every lap and the grip level gets better as people put more rubber down - it can be hard on the tyres as well so you need to look after them. It's a difficult track to overtake on and whether we get an opportunity to make the moveable wing really work for us there is still open to question. Whatever happens I'm really excited about getting back to racing and with the steps forward we have taken this year I think we're going to have a really good year."

Jarno Trulli on the DRS (Drag Reduction System, aka the moveable rear wing): "People sometimes ask me what the acceleration of a Formula One car is like, and the only way I can describe it is that it's like driving a rocket - now we have a rocket that suddenly takes another leap forward when it's already at full speed! It was a strange feeling the first time we used the moveable rear wing, because you suddenly have about 15% less drag and therefore a lot more speed. The more you use the wing the more you get used to it and its effect on the car's behaviour. We can use it wherever we like in practice and qualifying but in the races it'll only be when we're within one second of the car ahead and in the designated area so I think it will have a big part to play strategically. We'll see how it improves the actual racing, but I hope it will make a difference."

Karun is one of the most exciting and popular drivers in global motorsport and has enjoyed a stellar career in his rise up through the ranks to Formula One. He will be taking part in a number of Friday Practice sessions for Team Lotus including FP1 in Melbourne and his technical input and obvious talent will provide the team with more valuable insights into how to optimise the T128's performance potential on-track, alongside his ambassadorial role for the team as one of its official drivers.

Team Lotus Team Principal Tony Fernandes is delighted that the team can now confirm Karun's role for 2011 and beyond: "This is another great day for Team Lotus. Karun's appointment to our team gives us not only his immense driving talent and F1 experience, both of which will help us develop the car even further, but also brings one of the warmest, most professional personalities I have the pleasure of knowing into the Team Lotus family. I do not think it is going too far to say that Karun represents the future of motor racing - he is living proof that geography is no boundary to talent and ambition and that you will succeed if you work hard and keep dreaming. He is fiercely proud of his Indian heritage but he has a truly global outlook and I am honoured that Team Lotus is now giving one of India's brightest stars the chance to continue to develop his talent. Everyone in the team is excited about working with Karun, and I cannot wait to see him representing the Indian nation in our car."

Karun Chandhok: "I've been talking to the team for quite a while about a role with them and I'm delighted we're now able to confirm that I will be driving for Team Lotus in 2011. The details of exactly which sessions I will be in the car for are being worked out now and after having spent some time with them at the recent pre-season tests I can see exactly how passionate everyone in Team Lotus is about taking this team back to the top of the F1 grid. These are very exciting times for Team Lotus and it's a real honour to be able to play a part in helping shape this team's future. I want to thank Tony, Din, Nasa, Riad and Mike for having the faith in me to give me a chance to help the team develop and I'll do my best to repay that faith wherever I can."

TEAM LOTUS 2011 DRIVE LINE-UP

Heikki Kovalainen - Car #20

Jarno Trulli - Car #21

Karun Chandhok - Reserve Driver

Luiz Razia - Third Driver

Davide Valsecchi - Test Driver

Ricardo Teixeira - Test Driver

TEAM LOTUS T03 BARCELONA REVIEW - 21 / 02 / 11

Driver: Jarno Trulli / Chassis: T128-01

Fastest lap: 1.29.992 (lap 4)

Runplan

0900 - 0901: Run 1, Installation, 1 lap

0901 - 0931: System checks / Changes: ride height / front wing / brake balance /

0931 - 0941: Run 2, 6 laps

0941 - 0951: Front wing flap adjustment

0951 - 1001: Run 3, 6 laps

1001 - 1009: Setup change

1009 - 1016: Run 4, 4 laps

1016 - 1018: Run 5, 1 lap / accident at T9 (Campsa)

1018 End of session due to accident

JARNO TRULLI: "It's obviously disappointing to have the test cut short like this but these things happen in motor racing. We started the day well and until the accident happened I had picked up where I left off yesterday - the car has good balance, pace we can build on and has the potential to help us take the fight to the midfield, so I'm leaving here feeling confident about the season ahead and am looking forward to the next test, wherever that will be."

MIKE GASCOYNE, CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER: "Unfortunately the day was cut short due to the accident Jarno suffered this morning at turn 9. It was not his fault - it was caused by a car failure and we were missing a part we needed to put the car back together which meant we had to cut day four short. Despite this I still think there are a great deal of positives to take from the test in terms of the pace of the car and the fact that we are on top of the reliability issues. With that in mind we leave here with work to do but still on target for where we want to be. We will wait to see where the next test will be held and with the time we now have back at the factory we will be working hard to make sure we run through our complete programme at that test."

TEAM LOTUS T03 BARCELONA REVIEW - 19 / 02 / 11

DRIVERS: Heikki Kovalainen / Ricardo Teixeira

CHASSIS: T128-01

TOTAL LAPS: 84

WEATHER: Sunny - Min/Max track temp: 7˚/ 17˚

FASTEST LAPS: 1.26.420 (KOV lap 17) / 1.31.584 (TEI lap 22)

RUNPLAN

0900 - 0901: Run 1, Installation, 2 laps

0901 - 0921: System checks / front ride height adjustment

0921 - 0927: Run 2, 3 laps - engine mapping run

0927 - 0943: Throttle pedal adjustment / front ride height adjustment

0943 - 0949: Run 3, 3 laps

0949 - 1036: Water leak repaired / brake blanking decrease

1036 - 1044: Run 4, 5 laps

1044 - 1138: Fuel pressure issue

1138 - 1142: Run 5, 2 laps

1142 - 1219: Fuel pressure problem fixed (filter blocked)

1219 - 1228: Run 6, 5 laps

1228 - 1236: Tyre pressure adjustment

1236 - 1241: Run 7, 5 laps

1241 - 1359: Lunch

1359 - 1415: Run 8, 9 laps (Teixeira)

1415 - 1424: Add fuel / tyre change

1424 - 1439: Run 9, 9 laps (Teixeira)

1439 - 1445: Add fuel / tyre change

1445 - 1458: Run 10, 8 laps (Teixeira)

1458 - 1515: Setup change for Kovalainen race distance run

1515 - 1524: Run 11, 5 laps (Kovalainen)

1524 - 1533: Red light

1533 - 1546: Run 12, 8 laps

1546 - 1559: Tyre change

1559 - 1610: Run 13, 7 laps

1610 - 1621: Tyre pressure change

1621 - 1631: Run 14, 6 laps

1631 - 1641: Tyre change

1641 - 1652: Run 15, 7 laps

1652 End of session

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN: "I think the positive feeling with this car is growing even though we have had a couple more reliability issues today. They're all teething problems and we are patient while we fix them one by one. We'll get through this and put the reliability issues behind us as we have experienced people in the right positions who know how to deal with them. We still managed to complete a lot of work today and I can't wait to get back in the car."

RICARDO TEIXEIRA: "First I want to thank the whole team for the chance to drive again today. It was really good to be able to get some more laps done and everyone worked really hard to make me feel comfortable in and out of the car. I enjoyed myself out on track and by the third run I was able to start pushing a bit more so I think I did what I was asked to today and have taken another step forward in my development as a driver."

MIKE GASCOYNE, CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER: "That was a much more encouraging day today with 84 laps in total on the car. We did have a couple of minor issues with the fuel pressure and a water leak but overall it was a better day for reliability. We were able to give Ricardo his first proper run in an F1 car after he had helped us out in Valencia with our filming and he did just the job we wanted him to. He made no mistakes and consistently brought his lap times down on the medium tyre which I think all the teams have said is probably the slowest tyre we have. With Heikki we wanted to do a race distance which was slightly hindered by the water leak but overall we definitely made progress today."

TEAM LOTUS T03 BARCELONA REVIEW - 18 / 02 / 11

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen / Chassis: T128-01

Weather: Grey, cloudy (am) / sunny (pm)

Min/Max track temp: 6˚/ 25˚

Fastest lap: 1.30.065 (lap 37)

Track description

- Lateral track with high percentage of high speed corners

- Slow-speed traction important through S3

- Medium brake energy

- Bumps at entry to T9 & braking into T10

- Grip level changes depend on conditions (rubbering-in, track temp & wind)

- 1st gear not used on track

- Drivers prefer to do T9 without downshifting

Circuit Peculiarity

- Medium bumpiness

- Low overtaking chance

- Smooth / medium kerbs

- Aero settings: high

- Brake wear severity: medium

- Brake cooling necessity: medium

- Track grip evolution over test: high

18/02/11 Runplan

0900 - 0901: Run 1, Installation lap (track has standing water in places)

0901 - 0930: Front and rear brake blanking reduced / brake balance changed

0930 - 0943: Run 2, 7 laps (pit launch on lap 7)

0943 - 0957: Front wing flap change

0957 - 1011: Run 3, 7 laps

1011 - 1024: Tyre change - circuit drying

1024 - 1036: Run 4, 6 laps

1036 - 1158: Water leak fixed, FW flap adj, F/R brake blanking reduced

1158 - 1210: Run 5, 6 laps

1210 - 1223: Front wing flap reduced

1223 - 1223: Run 6, 1 lap launch

1223 - 1236: Revised engine map

1236 - 1243: Run 7, 6 laps

1243 - 1403: Lunch / flap adjustment / new tyre baseline

1403 - 1415: Run 8, 9 laps

1415 - 1438: Baseline setup changed to medium

1438 - 1451: Run 9, 6 laps

1451 - 1513: Setup change for race simulation tests

1513 - 1524: Run 10, 5 laps

1513 - 1524: Gearbox lubrication problem ends sessioness

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN: "It was good to start the day with some runs on

the intermediates in proper damp conditions. There wasn't a lot of

standing water on the track but it was pretty damp all round - we

needed to try out the inters in these conditions so we've now amassed

some very useful data on those. After that we wanted to do a race

distance but the gearbox problem meant we couldn't complete that part

of the plan. Despite this I'm still finding that the car has good

balance and is basically a decent package - we'll sort out the

problems and tomorrow we'll try the race distance again and see where

we are after that."

MIKE GASCOYNE, CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER: "It was a reasonably

productive day although we had to stop slightly earlier than planned

due to a gearbox lubrication issue. This morning we were able to run

on the inters on a damp track for the first time and we have obtained

some useful data from those runs. We worked through the rest of the

compound choices throughout the day on high fuel loads which is

helping us learn more about how to maximise the performance of the

Pirellis with the car."

IT'S IN THE BLOOD

My father was involved in motorsport as a Driver and Mechanic so right from an early age I spent endless weekends at race events helping out, as a result there was always a high probability motorsport engineering would become my profession.

TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH

The single most decisive moment for me was when I decided after only one or two weeks of my graduate training scheme with a mainstream engineering firm to apply for motorsport positions, as my job at the time wasn't challenging. The result, amazingly, was a job offer from Tyrrell. Mike Gascoyne actually interviewed me for the job but doesn't remember it, so I am not going to thank him too much, although he deserves some credit - maybe!?

DEVELOPING OBSESSION

My first motorsport job was in F1™ but having worked also in other formulae I would say the thing that makes F1™ different is the incredible rate of development, which, as an engineer, is a compelling challenge.

NO REGRETS

I have to be honest and say that I have not regretted any career moves and in terms of obstacles it is just a case of sometimes the job being more difficult than ideal! Even then it's simply a case of putting in long hours and asking lots of questions!

IT AIN'T THAT SIMPLE

If you want to work in Formula One™, I think it's really a case of setting your goals and pushing hard to achieve them. But it's also important to realise that things are not always as straightforward as you may like.

THERE ARE ALWAYS WORSE JOBS…

I spent as while as a bin man during a summer break while at university, the smell was terrible and some of the things you see in bin bags is just beyond description. However I do believe that this type of experience does give you a certain grounding.

NEVER STOP LEARNING

Team Lotus is a new team and growing fast, so it's good to be part of that, and to play a small part in shaping it. I am still on a learning curve which for me keeps the job both challenging and interesting. Right now I am more than happy to be part of Team Lotus and grow with the team.

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen / Chassis: T128-01

Total laps: 43 / Fastest lap: 1.21.632 (lap 42)

0900 - 0902: Run 1, Installation lap

0902 - 0915: Ride height / front flap change

0915 - 0929: Run 2, 9 laps

0929 - 0940: Rear camber adjustment

0940 - 0953: Run 3, 7 laps

0953 - 1146: Replace radiator / rear camber adjustment

1146 - 1158: Run 4, 8 laps

1158 - 1306: Baseline setup change / lunch

1306 - 1316: Run 5, 6 laps

1316 - 1323: Tyre change

1323 - 1330: Run 6, 4 laps

1330 - 1513: Water leak fixed

1513 - 1522: Run 7, 5 laps

1522 - 1537: Flap adjustments

1537 - 1541: Run 8, 3 laps

1541: Session ends

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN: "The combination of a number of small issues throughout the day and different weather conditions than the last three days meant we had a bit of a disrupted day but we did manage to take another step forward with the setup options and that lap at the end proves there is good pace in the car. We spent quite a lot of time looking at how to find the best balance settings with the tyres and it looks like we keep moving forward in that area. It's a little unfortunate that we had a stop / start day but this is what testing is about. We have a few days now to work on ironing out the issues and look to Barcelona to start working on long runs so I leave Jerez in a positive frame of mind and am already looking to get back in the car next week."

DIETER GASS, SPORTING DIRECTOR: "Firstly I think we're all pleased to see Heikki put in such a good lap at the end of the day in tricky weather conditions. Both he and Jarno have performed really well over the last few days and I want to thank them for their efforts. Today was affected by a few issues on the car and the obvious change in the weather but the team has worked extremely hard over the whole test to give both Jarno and Heikki a chance to show what the car can do and our thanks go to them and everyone back in the factory for working so hard. Even with these problems the car does look quick and we have a very good platform to work on in Barcelona and at the final test in Bahrain."

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen / Chassis: T128-01

Total laps: 61 / Fastest lap: 1.21.711 (lap 60)

0900 - 0902: Run 1, Installation lap

0902 - 0932: General system / DRS checks

0932 - 0946: Run 2, 9 laps - baseline run

0946 - 1008: Front camber test

1008 - 1019: Run 3, 6 laps successful DRS 'race mode' test of proximity system

1019 - 1049: Baseline setup change

1049 - 1102: Run 4, 7 laps

1102 - 1108: front / rear flap adjustment

1108 - 1120: Run 5, 6 laps DRS 'race mode' test

1120 - 1134: Brake blanking

1134 - 1146: Run 6, 8 laps

1146 - 1506: Exhaust issue fixed with new parts from factory / brake disc change

1506 - 1516: Run 7, 6 laps

1512 - 1520: Flap adjustment / new tyre baseline

1520 - 1532: Run 8, 6 laps

1532 - 1553: Rear camber change

1553 - 1554: Run 9, 1 lap (session red flagged) / adjustment to water system

1554 - 1610: Red flag / brake blanking change

1610 - 1622: Run 10, 7 laps

1622 - 1642: Setup change

1642 - 1649: Run 11, 3 laps

1649 - 1650: Red flag / end of session

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN: "Today was very encouraging and I really enjoyed driving the car. I still have the same feeling that I had in Valencia - it's fundamentally a good car and there's a lot more to come from it. We managed to make very good progress today, even though we had a problem with the exhaust we still managed to get through most of the programme. The guys worked well to fix the problem, and by the end of the day we had made a number of setup changes, run through all the tyre compounds and had run on a variety of fuel loads. This morning we tried the DRS in race mode and even though I had thought the procedure to initiate it might be pretty complicated it actually all worked easily. Once you get used to it the system is pretty simple. I used it in both race and practice mode and it returns to position well so I have no problems under braking and am very happy with how it all works. By the time the day eneded we finished right in the mix so we're all pretty happy with the day's work."

DIETER GASS, SPORTING DIRECTOR: "I think we are all quite pleased with how the day went. The morning and late afternoon sessions were good and even though we lost some time on track around the middle of the day with the exhaust problem we were still able to learn a lot more about the car and complete most of the programme. One of the key learnings from today is with the tyres. I think there we have a lot more work to do to really understand how to get the best out of the tyres but we have definitely taken a step forward with Pirelli today. We also tested the DRS in race conditions today and it was our first chance to try the proximity sensor - that worked very well and it was good to see that in action as it will be used in race scenarios."

Driver: Jarno Trulli / Chassis: T128-01

Total test laps 11/02/11: 40

Weather: Dry, sunny - Min/Max track temp: 11˚/ 30.6˚

Fastest lap: 1.23.220 (lap 6)

11/02/11 Runplan

0900 - 0902: Run 1, Installation lap

0901 - 0944: Cockpit adjustments / general system checks / bleed brakes

0944 - 0950: Run 2, 3 laps

0950 - 1008: Session red flagged

1008 - 1032: Run 3, 12 laps

1032 - 1058: Rear camber change

1058 - 1116: Run 4, 12 laps

1116 - 1221: Baseline setup change

1221 - 1232: Run 5, 7 laps

1216 - 1259: 2nd rear camber change

1259 - 1305: Run 6, 5 laps

1313 - 1700: Mechanical fault ends session - spare parts to rectify issue arrive from factory 11/02

JARNO TRULLI: "The morning went well for us. We managed to do a decent number of laps and put in a couple of quite long runs but then we had to stop with a mechanical issue which could not be fixed in time for me to go out again today. I would have liked to have had more running today but this is all part of testing a brand new car - we need to iron out the problems now so when the races start we have ironed out all the problems. Hopefully Heikki can put in some decent mileage over the next couple of days and really start to push the development of the car."

DIETER GASS, SPORTING DIRECTOR: "We had a promising start to the day. We found some interesting results from the setup work we did and have continued to learn more about the Pirelli tyres and how to maximise their grip levels on the car. Overnight we were able to fix the issues we had yesterday but unfortunately we had a mechnical problem at the front of the car that we were not able to fix in time today, but the spare parts we need are arriving from the factory tonight so we will be in good shape for Heikki to get into the car tomorrow."

Driver: Jarno Trulli / Chassis: T128-01

Total laps: 54 / fastest lap: 1.24.480 (lap 46)

10/02/11 Runplan

0900 - 0902: Run 1, Installation lap

0902 - 0946: System / temperature checks

0946 - 0957: Run 2, 7 laps

0957 - 1026: General setup changes / brake blanking increased

1026 - 1048: Run 3, 13 laps - successful DRS tests

1048 - 1102: 2nd increase of brake blanking

1102 - 1114: Run 4, 7 laps

1114 - 1203: Ride height / camber changes

1203 - 1216: Run 5, 7 laps

1216 - 1259: Ride height / camber changes

1259 - 1313: Run 6, 8 laps

1313 - 1400: Lunch

1400 - 1632: System changes

1632 - 1638: Run 7, 4 laps

1638 - 1647: Ride height change

1647 - 1659: Run 8, 5 laps

JARNO TRULLI: "The car does feel pretty good, but the problem this afternoon did limit our total time on track. Despite that we are still where we want to be - close to the midfield and in a car that we still have a lot more to add to. I think there is still a lot more to come from the car so I'm very positive and looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow."

DIETER GASS, SPORTING DIRECTOR: "We started the day well and had a good morning session. For the first time we were able to do meaningful setup work and start being able to understand the aerodynamics of the car. Unfortunately we had a small problem this afternoon which limited our running, but the team worked well to rectify it and we managed to give Jarno another 45 minutes at the end of the session. We will take another look at the problem tonight and will make sure it does not affect us tomorrow."

Take a look at this short film of our team during our private testing in Valencia on the 4th Feb 2011. Jarno and Heikki both take out the new Team Lotus challenger, and show off our beautiful car.

Click on the following link to watch the clip in full high definition and sit back and enjoy...

Tony Fernandes ,Team Lotus Team Principal, AirAsia Group CEO and Malaysia's iconic entrepreneur, has been awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire honour by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The citation says the award was conferred "for services to promote commercial and educational links" between the United Kingdom and Malaysia.

Fernandes, together with three partners, took over the loss-making AirAsia from a Malaysian government-linked company in December, 2001. In just over nine years under his leadership, AirAsia has soared to become Asia's largest Low-Cost Carrier as well as a Truly ASEAN airline that links the Southeast Asian region to the larger world with its low fares, route connectivity and high-quality service.

In 2007, he founded sister airline AirAsia X, the low-cost, long-haul carrier that is often dubbed "AirAsia on steroids." AirAsia X launched its low-fare route between Kuala Lumpur (LCCT, Sepang) and London (Stansted) in 2008, providing affordable air fares that have spurred travel between the two countries, both in tourism as well as among students.

In Formula One, Fernandes and his partners Kamarudin Meranun and SM Nasarudin have gained huge respect, credibility and an army of fans around the world since launching their team in record time for the start of the 2010 F1 season. Now racing under the iconic Team Lotus banner, they achieved their first year objective of winning the battle of the sport's new teams and are now taking the fight to the established midfield teams and continuing their march up the grid. Team Lotus is not only hugely popular with fans, it is also providing motorsport talent from across the ASEAN region and around the world with the chance to join the most high profile sporting championship on the planet.

Not content with changing the aviation industry, Fernandes has also set about innovating the landscape in more terrestrial ventures. He is the founder of the Tune Group of companies, which hosts under its umbrella Tune Hotels (budget hotels, including one located in central London), Tune Talk (pre-paid mobile telephony) and Tune Money (insurance and finance). Fernandes was also the major mover and key partner in the effort to locate a campus of Britain's prestigious Epsom College in Malaysia. It is a venture close to his heart, as he was once a student at the boarding school in Surrey, UK.

Fernandes expressed delight at the news of the CBE. "I'm grateful to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for the honour. It is a recognition of the hard work, determination and effort on the part of all my partners, colleagues and staff in AirAsia, Tune Group and Team Lotus. We have a terrific bunch of talented people working with us to make things happen in whatever venture we undertake. This is as much their award as it is mine."

The CBE is the second major award conferred on Fernandes in Europe. In 2010, the French government conferred upon him the title of Officier of the Légion d'honneur, the highest award for a non-French national, for his outstanding contributions to the aviation industry. Fernandes was also recently named "Asia Businessman of the Year 2010" by the international magazine Forbes, and has gathered a slew of other top awards from private bodies and media organisations for his innovative approach to business.

The man whose personal credo is "Dream the Impossible, Believe the Unbelievable and Never Take No for an Answer" believes deeply in providing opportunities throughout his businesses for talent to flourish, for meritocracy to reign and for helping people realise their dreams. "I realised mine, and I am determined to help others realise theirs, too," said Fernandes.

His business philosophy is simple: Serve the Underserved. It's a philosophy encapsulated in AirAsia's memorable tag line: "Now Everyone Can Fly." Having democratised air travel by freeing it from the clutches of the elite, Fernandes is determined to break down the affordability barrier in other aspects of daily life - hence Tune Hotels, Tune Money and Tune Talk - and the Epsom College campus in Malaysia.

LAPS: 91

BEST LAPS: 1.15.910 (KOV, lap 45), 1.15.679 (TRU, lap 89)

Ricardo Teixeira: "I want to thank Team Lotus for giving me the chance to drive the T128 today. I am really pleased I could help out with the filming this morning and after my first taste of an F1 car I can't wait to have another go."

Heikki Kovalainen: "Valencia was an excellent test for me. Even though we had some issues with the power steering on the first couple of days you have to remember we weren't even at the first two tests last year. Now we have a car that was ready to go with everyone else at the first test and to be able to run today without any problems is great. We have been able to start looking at the balance of the car in much more detail and I've had the same feeling that I did on day one - I think we have a good car for this year and as we continue to work on it here and at the other pre-season tests we can put some proper mileage on it without the reliability worries we had last year. On the car itself one of the most tangible improvements from last year is the lower centre of gravity we have this year. It's a smaller chassis and we can place ballast under it much more effectively, which means the whole car feels balanced in a way we didn't experience last year. Now, I can turn in without having to constantly correct oversteer or understeer and as the whole rear end has been designed with the Renault engine and Red Bull gearbox in mind, it is aerodynamically much more efficient. It's basically a very good platform for us to develop, and to be able to feel that immediately is a very positive sign for me and the whole team for the season ahead."

Jarno Trulli: "It was a great day for the whole team. We completed 91 laps with basically no problems and we've been able to start to get a feel for the car which was really what this test was about. I agree with Heikki about the balance - it feels like we have a good car to work on in the next few tests and I think that we can pretty quickly get it to a point where it will give us a chance to fight with the teams ahead. The next test is only a few days away but I think there will be a lot more to come there in performance terms, and it will be good to get back in the car in Jerez and get more mileage under our belts."

MIKE GASCOYNE: "An extremely productive day. It was good to get the power steering fixed and back on the car for today so well done to everyone at the factory for turning that around so quickly. We completed 91 laps today with no real problems and both drivers managed to get a good feel for the car and the tyres. We weren't able to do any set up work - that will wait for Jerez, but it was an excellent day and we achieved the main goal of completing a decent mileage today. We also managed to complete our filming runs this morning and that work was done by Ricardo Teixeira who did an excellent job in difficult conditions, but he acquitted himself well and that was exactly what we needed him to do."

DRIVER: Jarno Trulli

LAPS: 38

BEST LAP: 1.31.477

JARNO TRULLI: "It has been a very positive first day, despite the fact we deliberately didn't set any meaningful laptimes as the car is missing a few parts that will be with us tomorrow. Nevertheless, the car feels great - it has good grip and today we were able to concentrate on carrying out work on the systems which we were going to have to do at some point anyway. Now we can concentrate on building up the performance levels tomorrow and in the next tests, so while it's a shame I couldn't have a full taste of the car, it was still a very positive first day in the new car."

MIKE GASCOYNE: "We had a limited programme today due to the lack of power steering on the car. Under those circumstances 38 laps was the full programme and I want to say well done to Jarno for completing the plan in a car that was clearly hard work to drive. On the positive side we have now completed the systems checks on fuel, aerodynamics and cooling and were able to do start simulations, so with the fact we have another full day of testing tomorrow with both race drivers and the power steering we are aiming to step up to focusing on performance on our third day in Valencia."

Car: T128-01

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen

Laps: 15

Best time: 1.20.649

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN: "Despite the limited running today the car felt fantastic. It immediately felt like it was much better balanced than last year's car and the grip level felt ok, but it's a bit hard to make any real judgements as we weren't going for performance. Today was basically our shakedown and we managed to get through most of the checks we'd aimed to - it wasn't about pushing today, it was about checking the systems and making sure the new engine, gearbox and hydraulics are all working as we want them to. The whole team has had a very busy winter and everybody has been working flat out to make sure we could be at the first test of the season which wasn't the case last year. This morning we were the first car out on track and that's been the story all winter - we've hit all our targets and it was the same today."

MIKE GASCOYNE: "Firstly it was great to get the car out on track on time and I want to thank the whole team for pushing hard to get us to this point. However, it was a bit of a frustrating day as we had a problem with the power steering that brought the session to an earlier end than we would have liked. On stripdown we have been able to identify the problem and it is a very straightforward fix so we will get the parts and spares here for tomorrow and should be able to run through the whole program. On the positive side we did all the systems and temperature checks and everything appears to be running fine so with the power steering issue fixed overnight I am sure we will have two full days of testing to come."

TONY FERNANDES: "The whole team and I are very happy to be here. It is a real relief to be looking at timing sheets and data as opposed to press statements and court documents, and to be able to hear such positive words from Heikki after his first run this morning makes all the hard work worth it. Today was our shakedown and while it would have been better to run more laps it has been a very useful day. The power steering issue will be sorted overnight and then we have more time to work on performance and learning as much about this car as we can. It is worth bearing in mind that this time last year we were not even here, so to be at the first test and with more time on track to come before the action starts is a big step forward for the whole team."

TL: How're you feeling at the moment? We've finished our debut year, we succeeded in gaining tenth place in the Championships...

DG: I'm very happy that we achieved all our set goals for the 2010 season, but that also makes me begin to look forward to 2011. Our challenge was to be best of the new teams, but after a while it gets a little boring, as at the end of the day we are at a level where we had to be best of the new teams, or else we'd be very disappointed! I'm looking forward to the challenge next year, and that is to move further up the grid.

TL: We've changed our name; yes you're Sporting Director and more involved in the technical side of things, but does that affect you?

DG: The name is important. When I was growing up and started following Formula One™ Lotus was important to me. The Lotus with the Renault engine was one of my first strong memories, and it was something that has been in the back of my mind. I think this gives you some extra motivation, running under the Team Lotus name.

TL: Looking ahead, we've got a few great improvements coming. Are you feeling happy and confident about them?

DG: Absolutely yes. We should make a big step forward in terms of reliability this year using the Red Bull gear box and hydraulics package since this was a major issue for us throughout the 2010 season. The performance however, must come from other areas. I don't think we can expect to make a major step forwards just because of our Red Bull / Renault package, we need to develop the car and put together a good and strong aero package on the car, which is also suited to the new regulations.

We need to understand the new tyres quickly and make the necessary adjustments and then we should be in the position where we have a better performance. So yes, definitely, very exciting times are ahead although being World Champions is perhaps still a little far away; this is something that will always be in the back of my mind as I feel this is the important thing for us to aim for.

TL: Regulations this year. Talk us through what you already know...

DG: The most important ones to note are that no team is allowed a double diffuser, and no team is allowed an F-Duct. There is no adjustable front wing and these are replaced by KERS which will be back again in the cars. An adjustable rear wing is allowed to enhance overtaking. They are significant changes and it should make for an interesting 2011 season.

TL: Realistically, where would you like to see us this year?

DG: Well, I can't say anything different from the official target, which is eighth place! I think to be in a position to fight with the established teams ahead of us would be a good achievement. Realistically, if we are in a position to regularly compete with them then we should we be happy, and then if we make some good calls we may have the opportunity to go for some bigger points.

TL: Talk me through what happens on the pit wall...

DG: There is a lot of preparation work before we come to the pit wall, which we present to Mike. Once he agrees, we have a detailed plan laid out. On the pit wall, there is a permanent discussion between Mike, Jody and myself if we think we see any situation coming up which we might have to react to. And it's probably fair to say, that if there's an imminent decision then we rely on Jody to make the call, as there are situations where we simply have no time discuss! For example if the safety car comes out and our car is at the beginning of the pit entry, Jody would make that call.

TL: Do you ever get nervous?

DG: Excited, yes. Not really nervous. If it gets to making a call, where it's not always that obvious, you do feel a little apprehensive.

For example, the much talked about Ferrari decision in Abu Dhabi. Everyone said it was the wrong thing to do; but I don't think there were many people who immediately said that the decision was wrong when the car was pulling into the pits; even if afterwards it seemed obvious.

TL: How do you relax?

DG: Away from the races I enjoy spending time with my family, and during the race weekends I like to go running. This is very relaxing for me, and it's like releasing my brain, if you like. You can focus and think about things without any external factors. Often I have good ideas when I go running, as I have the chance to really think in depth about things.

TL: What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?

DG: I think I'd have to come back to Fred Stalder, owner of the ROC (Racing Organisation Course). He said to me once, 'Dieter, a bad decision is better than no decision.' And it was a piece of advice that I always remembered as obviously there's a lot more around it than only the sentence he spoke. If you decide something, even if it's not the best decision in hindsight, then everyone goes in the same direction and you can get a result. But if you don't decide, then everyone goes their own way, in different directions, and the efficiency of work is greatly limited.

TL: If you could sum up the last year in one word, what would you say?

DG: Well, if I had to say only one word, I would say 'eventful'.

Team Lotus is operated by 1Malaysia Racing Team Sdn Bhd, a privatelyfunded project owned by Tune Group.

Tune Group is jointly owned by Team Principal Dato' Sri Tony Fernandes and Director Dato' Kamarudin Meranun and the third Director of Team Lotus is SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin, the CEO of Naza Group.

As Lotus Racing, the team's entry into Formula 1™ was confirmed by the FIA on 15 September 2009 and was announced to the world by Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur.

From 2011 the company race under the Team Lotus name, reviving one of sport's most iconic brands.

The Team Lotus production and race team base is in Hingham, Norfolk in the UK, a 50,000 square foot facility that is fully equipped to enable the team to face the challenges of an aggressive car build programme.

The factory is close to the original Team Lotus base and currently employs approximately 220 people.

The team is also in the early stages of building a dedicated wind tunnel on the Hingham site, giving it complete control of its design, testing and development programmes in-house.

In the initial stages of car development in 2009 / 2010, the team established technical partnerships with Cosworth (engines), aerodynamics specialists Fondtech as well as gearbox / hydraulics specialists Xtrac.

These have now been updated for 2011, with Renault supplying engines and Red Bull Technology the gearboxes and hydraulic systems while Fondtech continues to provide wind tunnel facilities.

The team also collaborates with two Malaysian universities – Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) for engineering and composites support.

An open plan design office housing 70 designers exists on the first floor with conference facilities adjacent.

This floor also houses the offices for management, marketing and the support functions of Information Technology, the team's engineers and all the other administration functions.

On the ground floor further offices for operational departments lie next to the machine shop which comprises CNC mills and lathes as well as manual machining centres and support equipment.

A composites function boasts two modern autoclaves, one big enough for the largest of F1™ carbon components and both a large pattern shop (including 5-axis router) and an impressive clean room for laminating key car parts.

A fully equipped quality and inspection department is also on site which opens onto the race shop where the cars are built, re-built and prepared for racing.

The other race team support functions of sub-assembly, gearbox, hydraulics and electronics are also housed within this facility.

RIAD ASMAT

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Riad Asmat's career has been driven by a passion for motorsports.

Soon after graduating from Western Michigan University, Riad joined the world's premier sportswear company, Nike.

Based in Malaysia, he joined the public relations division.

It was at Nike where he cultivated his deep passion and love for sports.

As part of his role with Nike, he had to work closely with the various government agencies, sports associations and sports officials.

While his personal interest was sports, he was equally committed to achieving the objectives of his company and enhancing Nike's image and position in the Malaysian sports market.

His obsession for sports has been a major factor throughout his career.

While he enjoyed sports, from football and karting to golf, his keen interest in motorsports developed further when he joined the Sepang International Circuit.

This became evident when he was with the courier company UPS where Riad developed a sponsorship programme for several race car drivers.

His interest in motorsports reached its pinnacle when he joined Proton in 2006.

At Proton, Riad with his vast experience in running the operations in global companies (like at UPS) combined with the personal keenness in motorsports, was soon able to help the national car company further develop its motorsports programme.

Riad played a central role in Proton's motorsports programme which includes R3 and the Proton Axle Team.

He was in charge of overseeing the various motorsports programmes and managed, from Proton's end, the company's involvement in the A1 Grand Prix.

Riad's expertise and vast experience in operations has resulted in Proton's motorsports programmes being developed to a fairly successful level.

Under his belt, new Malaysian-managed motor racing teams have been created and young potential Malaysian drivers have been given the opportunity to race.

As CEO of Team Lotus Riad provides the sort of dynamic and success-oriented leadership that the Anglo-Malaysian team requires.

His knowledge of motorsports coupled with his vast experience contributes daily to the success of the team.

MIKE GASCOYNE

CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER

Mike Gascoyne is one of the most renowned technicians in Formula 1™ and has carved out an illustrious career at the pinnacle of international motorsport over the last two decades.

Having studied for a Ph.D

.

in fluid dynamics at Cambridge University throughout the 1980s, Mike's passion for motorsport took him into the world of Formula 1™ for the first time in 1989 when he joined the McLaren team as an aerodynamicist.

At the turn of the 1990s, Mike took up a brief sojourn as Chassis Dynamicist at Tyrrell working under famed designer Harvey Postlethwaite, which led to a three-year post as Head of Aerodynamics at Sauber, where he stayed until 1993.

The following season saw Mike return to the Tyrrell team in the more senior role of Deputy Technical Director, a position he held until the team's demise in 1998.

That year, Mike joined the Jordan Grand Prix team as Technical Director and led the team to its most successful season ever in 1999 with two race victories, six podiums and third place in the Constructors' Championship.

During the 2000 season Mike was approached to join the Benetton team, which was to become Renault in 2002.

In his Technical Director capacity, Mike transformed the team into a winning operation, taking Renault to its debut victory in the 2003 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Having established himself as a man capable of turning around team fortunes, Mike was snapped up by the relatively new Toyota team at the end of 2003.

Although unable to have much impact on its 2004 challenger, Mike set about developing the team's 2005 race car.

The Cologne-based squad enjoyed its most competitive year in Formula 1™ that season with five trips to the podium and an overall fourth place in the Constructors' Championship.

2006 saw Mike move back to the UK to become Chief Technology Officer for the Spyker F1™ team in time for the 2007 season in which the team was to sensationally lead a rain-hit European Grand Prix.

In 2008, Spyker was taken over and renamed Force India with Mike retaining his role.

The highlight of that year was seeing team driver Adrian Sutil running in a competitive fourth place in the Monaco GP before after another driver crashed into him just seven laps from the end of the race.

After leaving Force India before the 2009 season, Mike made his Formula 1™ return with Lotus Racing as Chief Technical Officer, confounding all expectations by designing, building and racing a modern F1™ car in just six months.

The successful conclusion of the 2010 season was another first for Mike, helping lead the team from literally four people in September 2009 to over 220 in January 2011 when it fired up its new car in the Team Lotus colours for the first time on January 26th.

KEITH SAUNT

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (UK)

Keith Saunt has an enviable career in the top flight of motor racing and his move to the new Lotus Racing squad as Chief Operations Officer in 2009 saw his Formula 1™ career come full circle.

Born and bred in Norwich, UK, Keith started his racing profession at Team Lotus International where he worked with Clive Chapman in the Purchasing and Logistics department.

Keith then moved to the Benetton Formula 1™ team, initially heading up the Buying department.

He quickly assumed responsibility for all internal manufacturing as well as all purchasing and logistics.

He was latterly to become Special Projects Manager at the team, leading a number of engineering and operational projects throughout the business.

In 1999, he took a short break away from Formula 1™ but soon returned to the sport with the Renault team as Head of Manufacturing.

In this key role, Keith was responsible for all project management, manufacturing, purchasing, production and management reporting.

In 2006, Keith was offered the Chief Operating Officer role at Red Bull Racing, managing the team's Formula 1™ facility in Milton Keynes.

Shortly after assuming this post, he was asked by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz to become Director of Red Bull Technology charged with delivering a brand new manufacturing centre which enhanced the overall capability of the Red Bull Racing team.

Keith left Red Bull in 2008 and in 2009 joined Lotus Racing as COO, reporting directly to Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne, to help establish the team's racing operations at its UK facility in Hingham.

As COO of Team Lotus he has played an integral role in the establishment of the team as a serious force in F1™ for the long-term, a fitting accolade for someone with Keith's experience.

MIA SHARIZMAN

HEAD OF OPERATIONS (ASIA)

Mia Sharizman has a total of 12 years experience in motorsports, starting with organizing the MotoGP in 1998 to helming the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) as its CEO since 2008.

Upon graduating from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1996 with an LLB (Hons) and subsequently accepted to the Malaysian Bar in 1997, Mia Sharizman joined Malaysia Airports Management and Technical Services Sdn Bhd in 1997 as a junior executive.

After successfully organizing the MotoGP event in 1998, Mia became among the pioneer staff members of the Sepang International Circuit in 1998.

He spent 5 years with SIC rising from Legal Officer to Events Coordinator, Broadcasting Manager and eventually Manager of Events and Operations Services.

In 2003, Mia was offered the opportunity by Motorsport Asia Limited (MAL) to embark on an ambitious project to organise and promote the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Formula BMW Asia, and the Asian Touring Car series'.

For the next 5 years as the General Manager, he gained experience in organising and undertaking all operational matters of the series and the Asia Festival of Speed events in every circuit in Asia and the Middle-East.

In late 2008, Mia took on the challenge to be the Chief Executive of the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM), striving to improve and change the face of Malaysian Motorsports by enhancing its development programme to move the sport forward in Malaysia.

In 2009 he accepted the huge responsibility of helping create a new F1™ team from nothing, and now plays a key role in helping Team Lotus reach its long-term goals.

DATO' SRI TONY FERNANDES

TEAM PRINCIPAL

Educated at The London School of Economics, Tony Fernandes has established himself as one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs.

His illustrious career started in 1987 when he assumed the role of Financial Controller for Warner Music International London before moving to Virgin Communications at the end of the 1980s as Senior Financial Analyst.

In 1992, he returned to his native Malaysia as Managing Director of Warner Music Malaysia.

At the end of the Millennium, Tony became Vice President ASEAN of the company, but it was in 2001 that Tony's vision took him and his associates to new heights.

Together with partners Dato' Pahamin Rejab (former chairman of AirAsia), Dato Kamarudin Meranun (now Deputy Group CEO, AirAsia), and Dato Aziz Bakar (now Chairman of AirAsia), Tony founded Tune Air Sdn Bhd in 2001, with a vision to democratise air travel and free it from the clutches of the elite by offering low fares and high quality, under the banner "Now Everyone Can Fly".

They bought the then loss making AirAsia from its Malaysian owner DRB-Hicom, for a token RM1 (USD 0.2

5 cents), and agreed to take on the airline's RM40 million debt.

They started with two planes, one destination (Pulau Langkawi) and a staff of 250.

The airline, together with Indonesian and Thai affiliates, now operates 82 new Airbus A320s and flies to more than 65 destinations in Asia from hubs in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

The company employs almost 7,000 staff and has carried more than 75 million guests in its short history.

A similar opportunity arose with Lotus Racing, with Tony first approached about a sponsorship opportunity with a new team (having already brought AirAsia into F1™ with AT&T Williams as a team partner).

Having been an avid motorsport fan since childhood, he saw the opportunity to bring the muchloved Lotus name back to F1™ and, with a consortium of Malaysian business interests, successfully led the creation and launch of the team in 2009, with the key milestone being September 12th's confirmation of the team's entry into the 2010 FIA Formula 1™ World Championship.

Having led Lotus Racing to its first season objective of tenth place, Tony and his fellow shareholders oversaw the transition to Team Lotus for 2011 and he and the whole team is now aiming to move up the grid and fight for points in their second season.

DATO' KAMARUDIN BIN MERANUN

DEPUTY TEAM PRINCIPAL

Dato' Kamarudin Bin Meranun has become one of Malaysia's most successful business tycoons, working alongside Tony Fernandes to make Air Asia a true phenomenon within and outside of the aviation industry.

With an honours and masters degree in Finance, Kamarudin's career started at the end of the 1980s when he joined the Arab-Malaysian Merchant Bank where he stayed from 1988 to 1993 as a Portfolio Manager, managing both institutional and high net-worth individual clients' investment funds.

In 1994, he was appointed Executive Director of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Innosabah Securities Sdn Bhd.

He subsequently acquired the shares of its joint venture partner of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, which was later renamed Intrinsic Capital Management Sdn Bhd.

Kamarudin then sold a private music label to Warner Music and later joined forces with his long-serving business partner Tony Fernandes to co-found AirAsia, Tune Hotels and AirAsia X.

He now holds the position of Deputy Group CEO of AirAsia and Deputy Team Principal of Team Lotus.

SM NASARUDIN SM NASIMUDDIN

DEPUTY TEAM PRINCIPAL

SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin joined Malaysia's renowned Naza group of companies following a four-year period of study in the USA from where he graduated in business economics.

He joined Naza Kia Sdn Bhd as a management trainee in 2005 and has since been intrinsically involved in various areas of the company.

In 2006, he was appointed Head of Operations at Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd and took up CEO positions in three Naza companies in 2008 – Nasim Sdn Bhd (Peugeot franchise), Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd, and NZ Diners Sdn Bhd (Naza's first foray into the food business, Bubba Gump Shrimp).

He was appointed CEO and executive chairman of NAZA Group of Companies on 16 May 2008, following the demise of his father and founder of NAZA, Tan Sri SM Nasimuddin SM Amin.

In 2009, Nasarudin became Chairman of the Malaysian French Chambers of Commerce and Industry, as well as becoming one of the two Deputy Team Principals of Team Lotus.

HEIKKI KOVALAINEN

Heikki started his motor racing career karting in the early 1990's.

His first recognition came with second place in the Finnish Formula A Championship in 1999 and 2000.

That year also saw Heikki add the Scandinavian Championship and the Elf Masters, held at Paris Bercy, to his achievements, earning him the title of Karting Driver of the Year in his native Finland.

Heikki's success saw him move up to the British Formula Renault Championship in 2001, bringing two wins, two poles and three fastest laps, enough to give him fourth place in the Championship, plus the 2001 Finnish Automobile Sports Federation "Rookie of the Year" award.

That same year, Heikki made his F3 debut at the world renowned Macau Grand Prix, finishing 8th.

In 2002 Heikki moved on to compete in the British F3 Championship, scoring an impressive five wins, three poles and three fastest laps, securing his third position in drivers' standings.

He was once again given the "Rookie of the Year" award, and won the prestigious F3 support race at the British Grand Prix.

He capped an impressive year by finishing second in Macau and fourth at the Marlboro Masters at Zandvoort.

In 2003 Heikki moved to Japan to compete in the World Series by Nissan: a win and two poles were enough to earn third place in the Championship.

That same year he also made his F1™ test debut, driving the Renault R23 at Barcelona and the Minardi Cosworth at Vallelunga two weeks later.

2004 brought more success for Heikki, securing the World Series by Nissan Championship.

Driving for the Pons Team he crushed the opposition, with six wins, nine poles and ten fastest laps to his name, competing alongside Tiago Monteiro, Enrique Bernoldi and Narain Karthikeyan.

As a member of the Renault Driver Development Programme Heikki assisted with the development of Renault's Championship winning R24, adding to his growing F1™ experience.

Stade de France, Paris, was the venue for the season ending Race of Champions in 2004.

Alongside Marcus Gronholm, Heikki represented Finland in the Nations Cup , where he and his team mate took the runner-up spot.

However, the top step of the podium did not elude him long, with Heikki winning the coveted Champion of Champions title by beating 2004 World Rally Champion Sebastian Loeb and seven times Formula 1™ World Champion Michael Schumacher in front of a packed stadium.

In 2005 Heikki moved up to GP2, taking part in the inaugural series with Arden Motorsport.

His impressive development continued, finishing second overall in the series, securing five wins and two poles along the way.

2006 saw Heikki make the step up to the very pinnacle of world motorsport, replacing Frank Montagny as the Renault F1™ Team's third driver.

A series of impressive displays in testing saw him achieve his primary Formula 1™ goal, with the announcement he had been promoted by the Renault F1™ Team to a full-time race seat for the 2007 season.

Pitted against the vastly experienced Giancarlo Fisichella, Heikki enjoyed an excellent debut season in 2007, outperforming and out-scoring his teammate, becoming second best rookie of the season after Lewis Hamilton and taking a very credible seventh place in the final Championship standings.

These achievements did not go unnoticed, and in December 2007 Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes announced Heikki as team-mate to Lewis Hamilton, a position he held for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, until the announcement of his appointment to Lotus Racing in 2009.

2008 saw Heikki claim both his first pole position, at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, and his first race win, at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he became the 100th driver to win a Formula 1™ Grand Prix.

Having joined the new Lotus Racing team in 2009, Heikki finished 20th in the 2010 season and his heroic firefighting skills at the Singapore Grand Prix earned him the coveted title LG Moment of the Year.

In 2011 Heikki will be racing in the Team Lotus colours and is aiming to take the fight to the established midfield teams.

JARNO TRULLI

Jarno made a fighting start to his Formula One™ career when he joined the Minardi team in 1997, but after just seven races he was asked to replace the injured Olivier Panis at Prost where he made an immediate impact.

He finished fourth in the German GP and led the Austrian GP until he was cruelly denied a sensational podium finish with an engine failure.

Nonetheless, Jarno had made his mark and stayed at the Prost team for a further two seasons.

Results were not forthcoming but he claimed his first career podium with a fine drive to second place in the wet European GP in 1999.

The result was something of a fitting farewell to his time at Prost as Jarno joined the Jordan Grand Prix squad for the new Millennium.

It was another barren period for Jarno in terms of podium results but a handful of fourth places and some sublime qualifying performances attracted the attentions of the Renault team for 2002.

His first year at the French manufacturer alongside Jenson Button did little to improve upon his previous results but in 2003, with the team's technical department led by Mike Gascoyne, he was given a more competitive car with which to show his full potential.

Racing alongside Fernando Alonso, Jarno returned to the podium for the first time since his Prost days with third place in the German GP at Hockenheim.

The result gave Jarno renewed confidence and paved the way for Jarno's breakthrough season in 2004.

Once again partnering Alonso, Jarno attained regular points and podium challenges before taking a breathtaking victory around the streets of Monte Carlo.

Jarno had established himself as one of the men to beat but midway through the year relations with his team had started to deteriorate and towards the end of the year he opted for a surprise switch to Toyota with whom he would stay until 2009.

In his five-and-a-bit seasons with Toyota Jarno put in some incredible performances both in qualifying and in races.

In his first full season with the team in 2005, with Mike Gascoyne at the technical helm, he was one of the Championship leaders in the early races taking Toyota's first ever podium results in Malaysia and Bahrain.

Toyota's competitiveness dropped off after Gascoyne's departure from the team in 2006 and Jarno was only able to fight for occasional points finishes until a reversal of fortunes in 2008.

His scored his first podium in three years at the French Grand Prix and Toyota were one of the teams to beat in the first races of 2009.

Jarno took an incredible pole position in Bahrain but a miscalculated race strategy prevented him from converting it into the team's maiden victory.

Nevertheless, with two podiums from the first four races and a highly competitive second place in the team's home race in Japan, Jarno ended the season – what would be Toyota's final in Formula 1™ – with some career-high performances.

Jarno had a tough 2010 season with Lotus Racing, with reliability issues repeatedly bringing his races to an early end.

The switch to Red Bull Technology gearbox and hydraulic systems will go a long way to eradicating those issues and will give Jarno another chance to show the world exactly why he is regarded as being one of the sport's quickest ever one lap specialists, and a race winning driver.