Search the Community

Lotus legend, double world champion and two-times Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi reflects on the weekends action in Monaco and Indianapolis… Emerson, you never won the Monaco Grand Prix. Does it feel like there's something missing in your trophy cabinet? Every race I entered I wanted to win, and Monaco was no exception. I got close to getting it done, but not quite. Kimi Räikkönen picked up two points, but it was a rather disappointing race for Lotus. Romain Grosjean's crash at the start must have been quite scary. How difficult is it in Monaco to get through the first corner without tripping up? Each time I watch Monaco I cannot help thinking how the track has kept its character through the years, even with some changes. Of course, the first corner is always difficult in any race, and Monaco is one of the hardest ones. But just think about Ste Devote without that escape road to the right. It was a lot narrower in my time. You're one of a select group of F1 drivers who have made a successful transition to oval racing. Takuma Sato came so close to winning before binning, and Rubens Barrichello was the top-placed rookie. Do you think they'll add their names to the history books one day? Sato was obviously committed to win or bust there at the end, and that has to be the attitude in the final laps of a race like the 500. Rubens is very talented and I think he did a commendable job on his Indy debut. With more experience on ovals he should be able to pull some great results. The other ex-F1 Indy rookie on the grid was Jean Alesi. Sadly Jean's last minute package wasn't terribly competitive, but how do you think he conducted himself over his three weeks at Indianapolis, learning the ropes? It was hard to follow it properly because they were struggling with the package, and I was not at the track. I talked to him a few months ago about this, and advised him to race another oval before Indy. He had a lot of new things to deal with, and it must have been tough.

The Indy 500 requires balls, luck and grunt. There’s no shortage of courage at Lotus, and we’re hopeful our fortunes will turn for the better. We all knew going into Sunday’s race that we were struggling with performance. Lotus-powered drivers Simona de Silvestro (#78 – Lotus HVM Racing) and rookie Jean Alesi (#64 – Lotus Fan Force United) did all that they could to stay with the pack, but after nine laps of the 2.5 mile Brickyard the race director called them into the pits to retire. Both cars had made the cut in qualifying, but by lapping outside 105 percent of the leader’s pace in the race – 10-12mph shy – they were black-flagged. Simona’s top speed was 205.938mph, Jean’s 203.839. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which hosted 400,000 fans sweltering in 91 degree heat, was the first oval race on the 2012 IZOD IndyCar calendar, a layout which highlighted the power gap between the three manufacturers. Despite performance improvements at each of the four previous rounds, it was galling for everyone involved not to have a stab at the full 500 miles today. Jean Alesi: “Frustration is a part of my job, but it’s a shame we couldn’t be out there. This regulation is fair. Everything was new for me in this race. From the first day that I arrived, saw the car, and met my team, I understood that we had to work hard, and we did. There is a part of the job that can be fixed on the track, but we had an engine that was not competitive straightaway, and we had to deal with it. We tried many things to avoid a lack of performance, but it could not be overcome. So it is difficult to be out of the race. However, I’ve learned a lot about this new racing discipline, and I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve had fantastic people around me, and I’ve really loved being a part of this great event, meeting lots of friendly and passionate fans, and spending time here in Indiana. I leave with a lot of respect for the Indy 500, an event I’ve followed from afar for many years, and I hope to return next year. I will start to prepare now.” Simona de Silvestro: “I’m pretty disappointed to get black-flagged after only a few laps. We were trying to keep up pace, but unfortunately right now we don’t have the pace, so now we have to work hard to get to the pace that we need. It’s a disappointment because the team worked so hard all month and when you can’t fight for anything it’s really, really tough. So, we just have to be patient.”

Friday 25th May Carb day at the Brickyard. The final day of practice for the Indianapolis 500. The Lotus Fan Force United team and Jean Alesi need their #64 FP Journe-sponsored machine to get as much track time as possible. Alas, this was not to be. The green flag flew over the Speedway at 11am, and Jean Alesi, driving with a freshly-mounted Lotus engine, steered on to the circuit for an installation lap. One lap is needed for a leak check before the team and driver get busy seeing what exactly their new and upgraded powerplant can muster. Checking over the rear of the car that has been effectively taken apart and re-assembled since Sunday’s qualifying run, and with everything seeming to be in order for the moment, the engine is fired and Jean is motioned out of the pit at 11:07am. It’s time to spend the next hour running race condition laps, practicing pit stops and launches, and making crucial final preparations. Jean’s first lap at speed was in excess of 204mph. This does not equal the pace of the guys at the front, to say the least, but this does generate satisfied looks all around the Fan Force United team pit. Jean posts a couple more laps at a similar pace, running with traffic before returning to the pit to completely fill the tank and make his first full-tank runs of the month. Returning to the pit, Jean slides to a stop and the team performs a live pit stop. Curiously, the brakes are smoking, which is unexpected. This draws a bit of attention, and many are curious as to the source of this strange smoke. Naturally, the brakes are hot on a hot day, but that doesn’t offer a satisfactory explanation. Nevertheless, the tyres are changed, fuel is delivered, the jack is dropped, and at 11:19am Jean again motors down the pit lane, eager to discover how his fully-fueled mount will feel around the 2.5 mile creator of legends. This will prove to be Jean’s final lap on the morning, as Jean returns to the pit, brakes smoking again (something about a solvent that was used to clean the brakes – a minor issue that has been addressed). There seems to be a problem at the rear of the car. As the team inspects the back end of the racing machine, it is discovered that there is a leaky seal at the front of the gearbox. Thankfully, it is not an issue with the engine that limits Jean’s laps, but as far as the plan for the day is concerned, it’s still a disaster, as it cannot be easily addressed in the pit lane. This is the first mechanical issue that has limited the team’s ability to run laps since the month began. Oddly, it comes not after the 48 hours in which the car was assembled and placed on the racetrack. Rather, it comes after five days of careful assembly. The racing gods have a sense of humor. The up side is that the problem was discovered on Carb Day rather than race day. After the aborted attempt to practice, Jean turns his attention to the Indy Lights race, paying special attention to the two Fan Force United cars of Armaan Ebrahim and Emerson Newton-John (nephew of Olivia). Afterwards, Jean makes a trip to the suite of his sponsor, FP Journe watches, which has a large contingent of retail partners in town for race weekend. After an appearance there, Jean returns to the garage, going over details with his team while interacting with guests, signing autographs, and continuing to enjoy his maiden Indianapolis 500 experience. At 6pm, Jean makes an appearance at the annual “Last Row Party,” accepting his extra prize money of 33 cents for being the 33rd and final starter in the 500 field. He enjoys some good-natured ribbing, taking it all in his stride with a wink and a smile. From there he is off to the IndyCar Soiree, for a brief appearance before being whisked off to a dinner with FP Journe and his guests. The day is long and full, but not nearly as productive as had been hoped.

Thursday 24th May It’s Thursday, the day before Carb Day. The Lotus Fan Force United team has been working flat-out since Monday morning to get the #64 FP Journe DW12 prepared for the final day of practice. We’ve received and installed our new Lotus engine, hopeful that it will provide Jean with just a bit more grunt for race day. It is more than worth noting that the Lotus Fan Force United team comes to the Indy 500 as the only true “one-off” for this year’s race. Yes, there are entries that are “Indy-only,” but all of those single-event entries are being fielded in association with a full-time team. Fan Force United, with tremendous support from Lotus, have taken on the challenge of Indy on its own. What others said that they could not do in a month, we managed in far less time, achieving each goal that we have set for ourselves along the way. Many thought this effort would be a recipe for disaster, but all have tipped their caps to the Fan Force United group, for what has been, regardless of speed, a flawless and well-executed leap to center-stage of the world of motorsport. As the team continued its preparations this morning, word came that Jean Alesi’s fellow countryman, F1 driver Jean Eric Vergne, is wearing Jean’s helmet design for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, in order to honor Jean’s participation in the Indianapolis 500. It is truly humbling for us to have so many eyes, from all around the world, cast towards our driver and this team, as “the Jean” tackles his newest and perhaps most difficult single challenge. Working with a driver of his stature has been an incredible experience, and we sincerely hope to be able to do it again next year, as Jean has expressed interest in a return engagement at Indy, with a bit more horsepower available to his legendary right foot. It seems as if Jean has found something of another home here, with this team and among its fans, and appears to want to be a part of its story on more than just this one occasion. Interestingly, Jean has made a pointed statement in the last few days, expressing his admiration for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the race, and his team, saying “I have learned more in one week here than I did in my entire Formula One career.”