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Two weeks is a short time in F1, but that’s how
long Lotus Racing has had to fit in several
months of hard work. Since China, the team has,
in order, beaten the Icelandic ash cloud,
unpacked and repacked 34 tonnes of freight, run
an intensive series of tests on Chassis T127-02,
fitted an entire upgrade package to the race
cars, taken delivery of its newly painted race
trailers (in a matching colour scheme to the
race cars) and flown the race team back to
Barcelona.
Mike Gascoyne “Now the first four flyaway races
are behind us and we’re into the European season.
All the teams will have upgrades for Barcelona,
but we’re hoping that ours is even more
significant than our rivals because we received
our entry so late and had to freeze the initial
specification of the car very early in the
design process. We do expect it to be reasonably
significant – we have an aero package with
revised sidepods, front wings and brake ducts,
and a number of mechanical changes, but
obviously we’ll have to wait and see what step
forward our rivals will also make. Straight
after Barcelona we go to Monaco which is a
totally different challenge. It’s a unique place
in terms of its configuration. Everyone runs
maximum downforce and obviously it’s a very
tight, bumpy street circuit, but the experience
our two drivers bring, combined with the
progress we’ve made at the factory and on track,
gives me confidence we’ll put in a good showing
at both races.”
Returning to the Lotus Racing factory in Hingham,
Mike has seen a transformation in the team’s UK
base. “It’s very gratifying to see the whole
factory in full operation, with every department
now nearly fully staffed but starting to work to
their full potential. This means we can now look
at more long-term development and R&D
programmes, and start thinking about future cars.
We’re through the hardest part of the team’s
growth and we’re on a very good footing for the
future.”
Heikki Kovalainen is now looking forward to the
start of the European season having returned
from China with the team on AirAsia: “I spent
two nights at home in Switzerland then flew to
Finland to see my family for the first time
since Christmas. I’ve been doing various bits of
work with my Finnish partners, relaxing a little
and of course training like usual. I had some
new golf clubs fitted by Nike Finland and have
been practicing with them too, so my golf’s
definitely improving.”
Looking ahead to the forthcoming races
themselves he said: “It’s always good to get to
Barcelona as it’s where most of the teams bring
their first big updates. It’s a very fast track
and all the teams spend a lot of time there in
pre-season, so we know it very well, but it’s
the complete opposite to racing in Monte Carlo.
In Barcelona there are more chances to overtake
but nowhere else has the same glamour or
prestige as Monaco. It’s so busy there on track
there’s no time to relax, and there are no run
off areas so you pay heavily for any mistakes. I
really like street circuits - you are rewarded
for good car control so I’m looking forward to
getting on track and seeing what steps forward
we’ve taken with the updates.”
Jarno Trulli is also excited about returning to
Spain, and Monaco, the circuit where he wrote
himself into the history books by winning in
2004. “I made it back home from China with a
number of the other drivers, but we got back
safely and I’ve been home with my family since
then. I’ve managed to fit in a number of good
training sessions, and am looking forward to
getting back in the car. I think I’ve had a fair
bit of bad luck so far, but I’m looking to put
that behind me and see how much further forward
we can go with the updates. I’ve kept in close
touch with the team about the tests they’ve put
the car through, and am encouraged by the
results they’ve had. I think we’ll take a good
step forward in Spain.
“I like Barcelona - we all know every bit of it
very well as we test there a lot, and have raced
there for years. Monaco is obviously a very
special place for me – a lot of my fans will be
out in force, and I love going back to where
I’ve won, so that’ll be a busy, but good week.”
Team Principal Tony Fernandes has been thinking
about how the team has established itself, both
on track and in the hearts and minds of F1 fans:
“We’re back in Europe and I couldn’t be more
pleased with the position we arrive in. The
first phase of Lotus Racing’s life is now behind
us, and the next challenge starts here. We’ve
proved all the doubters wrong, and have shown
that the hard work everyone in the team puts is
making the dream we share come true. I remember
the immense pride I had when I first saw the
cars run in the pre-season tests in Spain, and
in Barcelona we’re back, ahead of the other new
teams and with a new package that will help us
push on closer to the next goal, which is to
take on the midfield. Ultimately it’s about
taking Lotus Racing to the front of the grid and
this marks the next step in that journey.
“On a personal level I’ve always loved coming to
Spain, and with Monaco straight afterwards I’m
very excited about seeing how our fanbase is
growing into the traditional heartland of
Formula One™. We’ve broken new ground in
Australia, Asia and China and now we’re back at
the scene of some of the most famous moments in
the Lotus history.”
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