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Davide Valsecchi completed the second day of running at the Silverstone Young Driver Test as the third-fastest driver of the day. After completing 91 laps, Davide recorded the fourth-fastest time overall due to Daniel Ricciardo setting lap times in two different cars. Davide ran through a programme of aerodynamic assessments including analysis work on the team’s rear wing ‘Device’. Nico Prost returns to the car on Friday in a change to the original programme – which had seen Kimi Räikkönen set to take the wheel – made following clarification of FIA rules. Fast Facts: Track: Silverstone, England, 5.9km Chassis: E21-03 Weather: Sunny, ambient 20-27°C, track 30-44°C Programme: ‘Device’ analysis, heavy fuel running, evaluation of latest hard and medium tyre compounds Laps Completed: 91 Classification: P4, 1:33.554 Interruptions: None What’s Next? The Young Driver Test concludes tomorrow with Nico Prost returning to driving duties. Davide Valsecchi: “Today was the highlight of my season and I really enjoyed my time in the car. Everything seemed to be going well and I hope that I’ve been able to contribute to the team’s efforts ahead of the next race in Budapest. We completed all the jobs on the schedule and I think I got some extra laps in too. I did miss the pit board for a few laps when the team was trying to call me in as the radio was broken. I stayed out until I thought they were going to throw the pit board at me, then I thought it was better that I came in!” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “Another excellent day from our perspective, with a full programme completed enabling us to develop our rear wing ‘Device’. It was perfect to test it here as we previously ran with the ‘Device’ at the British Grand Prix, so the data from that event combined with today’s work has allowed us to further refine it. Within today’s running we used the hard and medium tyres in high and low fuel configurations. We’re beginning to get a good understanding of the latest tyre evolution and have been looking at how best to get and keep them in their optimum operating window. We have some good data to study the tyre degradation characteristics and we’re well placed to go into the final day of the test and make further progress.”

With scheduled driver Kimi Räikkönen sidelined through illness, Davide Valsecchi and Romain Grosjean both took turns in the E21 for today’s test at the Circuit de Catalunya. Vastly improved weather on day three in Barcelona meant that Davide made his E21 debut on a dry track, completing 16 laps of familiarisation and exhaust / aero assessments to set the eleventh quickest time of the day. After a brief stop-over in Paris, Romain returned to take over for the afternoon; completing 46 laps and ending the day with the tenth fastest time. Fast Facts: Track: Barcelona, Spain, 5.9km Chassis: E21-02 Weather: Sunny, dry, ambient 9-17°C, track 11-24°C Programme: System checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, assessment of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package, new rear suspension set-up evaluation, new rear wing evaluation, driver orientation. Laps Completed: Romain: 46. Davide: 16. Total: 62 Classification: Romain: P10, 1:23.380. Davide: P11, 1:23.448 Interruptions: Red flags, altering car set-up for driver changes What’s Next? Provided he is fit to return to the cockpit, Kimi will take the wheel tomorrow for the final day of pre-season testing. Davide Valsecchi: “This morning was quite a rush to get everything ready as the call only came late, but the team were fantastic getting the car prepared for me. I only completed short runs today so I have a limited impression of the E21, however it’s clear that it’s a very good racing car. For me to be able to get immediately on the pace means that the car is certainly fast and competitive. It was a fantastic opportunity; I sat in the seat of a former World Champion so I knew that I’d be fast for sure.” Romain Grosjean: “I certainly didn’t expect to be in the E21 again today so it was an interruption to a day off, but as interruptions go it was a pretty good one! The weather was definitely an improvement from what I’ve experienced so far and I was able to assess the new rear front wings; both of which feel improved over the initial versions. We ran with high fuel today so it wasn’t about lap times in the afternoon, but it’s all valuable data we’re getting for the car. I hope that Kimi is feeling better for tomorrow, but I don’t mind driving again if I have to.” Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “Obviously, our day was rather compromised because of Kimi being ill. We changed the car for Davide to gain valuable experience in the morning, then changed it over lunchtime to Romain’s settings. Despite the disrupted running, we still completed a Grand Prix distance worth of laps and were able to put valuable miles on our latest rear wing concept as well as evaluating a new front wing. Both look to be a step in the right direction so it’s likely we’ll use them in Australia. Davide did a great job at short notice and we know we can rely on him if he’s called upon again. If Kimi is well enough tomorrow, we will run him in the car, otherwise it will be Romain in action once more.”

The Lotus F1 Team E21 has been unleashed today from the team’s Enstone base in Oxfordshire, England. Revealed to team partners on site, streamed live on YouTube and broadcast live on Sky Sports News in the UK, the E21 will contest the 2013 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with drivers Kimi Räikkönen (E21 n°7) and Romain Grosjean (E20 n°8). With only limited changes to the technical and sporting regulations from 2012, the E21 continues the design themes seen in its race-winning predecessor, the E20. However, it is pushing last year’s concepts even further as well as incorporating some innovative technical solutions. The new car also features a slightly tweaked livery, incorporating an extra touch or red. Joining the team as Third Driver is reigning GP2 series champion Davide Valsecchi, whilst Nicolas Prost will perform Development Driver duties. Jérôme D’Ambrosio will continue with the team as Reserve Driver. Eric Boullier, Team Principal: "I think it is fair to say that great things are possible from the team and the E21. The leap we made from 2011 to 2012 showed what we are capable of. Add to this the continuity and potential of our driver line-up and we have a very powerful cocktail for the season ahead. Our ambitious plan to turn ourselves into one of the top teams in Formula 1 is coming to fruition and now we need to harness this with strong and regular podium results." James Allison, Technical Director: "The E20 proved itself to be an effective racing car – particularly towards the end of last season – so there is an element of expectation from the E21 and plenty to build upon. We have continued with our design themes and tried to create a more efficient and faster racing car based on all the lessons we learnt last year. How successful we have been in this task will only be discovered when we take to the track at the winter tests and – more significantly – at Grands Prix." Kimi Räikkönen, Race Driver: "Of course, I’ve not driven the E21 yet so it’s difficult to say what could or could not be possible for the year ahead. We know we had a good car last season, but everyone is working hard to make the best package. I will be working with the team to help get the car as strong as we can, then in Melbourne we’ll have our first taste of results. It’s a long season from there. 2012 was a good start; let’s see what we can do in 2013." Romain Grosjean, Race Driver: "I can clearly say I want to score a lot of points for the team – everybody knows that – but I think it would be wrong for me to say I want to finish in a particular position in the championship. I really want to jump out of the car as many times as possible thinking that I did a good job. Knowing that everything I could do, I did, and feeling proud of my race or session. I hope to feel that way as many times as possible this year."

The final day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi saw reigning GP2 Series champion Davide Valsecchi top the time sheets in the race winning E20. Davide completed a total of 86 laps, running a comprehensive testing programme and showcasing his talent by quickly getting up to speed with the car and team. Today signals the end of the Young Driver Test, with Lotus F1 Team having completed a total of 213 laps and gaining valuable data as the focus now turns towards the forthcoming United States Grand Prix next weekend. Programme Summary : Morning Session : Aerodynamic testing and DDRS iterations. Afternoon Session : Front Drum testing and tyre assessment Programme. Total number of laps : 86 Best lap time : 1:42:677 Tyres used : Two sets of hard, two sets of medium and two sets of soft compound tyres. Davide Valsecchi, E20-01 “It’s been a really good experience for me. I was very pleased with my sessions and followed everything the team asked of me without making any mistakes. I took it very easy in the morning so I could get used to the car and soon became more confident, meaning towards the end I was much better in terms of pace. “The team listened to my feedback and made the changes I suggested, particularly towards the end of running. I want to say thank you to Lotus F1 Team who have been really good ; the engineers and the mechanics have all been brilliant and it has been a great day for me.” Simon Rennie, Race Engineer “The final day’s running with Davide has been a good end to our Young Driver Test this year. In the morning we completed additional aerodynamic work and looked at further evaluation of our DDRS, providing us with enough data to make an informed decision at a later stage in Enstone. Before lunch Davide completed performance runs as he became accustomed to the set up and quickly explored the limits of the car. Obviously the step from GP2 to Formula 1 is not enormous, but we were impressed with how quickly he was up to speed by this morning. “For the afternoon session, we looked at developments of our front drums and then completed a tyre programme which gave Davide the opportunity to try out the various compounds. We ran the hard, medium and soft tyres and he found good improvements in terms of grip with each step in the compounds. All in all it’s been a good day, and Davide did a great job.”