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Friday in Singapore began with a momentous
announcement off-track when Team Principal Tony
Fernandes confirmed that Lotus Racing will
become Team Lotus for the 2011 FIA Formula One™
World Championship and beyond. As the action
returned to the track Fairuz Fauzy deputised for
Jarno Trulli in FP1, whilst Heikki Kovalainen
showed good pace in the humid conditions to
finish the day’s two practice sessions in 15th
and 19th places respectively.
Heikki Kovalainen (Chassis T127-01) FP1: 12 laps,
best time 1.56.603, 15th / FP2: 30 laps, best
time 1.51.878, 19th “It was a pretty good Friday
practice and I’m pleased with where we ended up.
Track conditions like today make it interesting
for the drivers, especially on the dry tyres, as
it’s slippery and wet in some places, then good
grip in others. We’ve found a good direction
with the set up today, particularly in the
second session, and both of the tyre compounds
worked well. The long runs seemed promising so
I’ve got to say it’s one of the good Fridays!
“The track is improving too. The bumps are still
there, but they feel less severe, and overall
there’s a very positive feeling around the whole
place. The heat doesn’t feel so bad this year
either so I’m really looking forward to the rest
of the weekend.”
Fairuz Fauzy (Chassis T127-04) FP1: 11 laps,
best time 2.05.694, 24th “The wet-dry track
conditions meant we limited our running in the
first session today, to avoid using up tyres,
but when I got out on track it felt good to be
back and we managed to get some useful data from
the run. I’ll be back in the car in FP1 in Abu
Dhabi and hopefully it’ll be dry there so I can
get maximum time in the cockpit.”
Jarno Trulli (Chassis T127-04) FP2: 27 laps,
best time 1.53.526, 22nd “We did a good number
of laps in the second session, but I had a few
problems with the engine driveability and with
braking – it’s really difficult to feel the car
when you have these kinds of problems, but let’s
wait and see what tomorrow brings.”
Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: “Overall
it was a reasonable Friday, although we couldn’t
find the perfect balance on either car. Jarno in
particular was not happy with his setup, so we
will work on that tonight and see what happens
tomorrow. It was good to see Fairuz back in the
car, and with the tricky conditions this morning
it was difficult for him but he did a good job,
so overall we’re satisfied, but I think there’s
more to come tomorrow.”
Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: “On track, it’s
been a reasonably satisfying day for all three
drivers and the whole team. We think we have a
lot left in the cars, and while Heikki was
happier today than Jarno, we’re confident that
in qualifying Jarno’s professionalism and
experience will see him get what he wants out of
the car, as he always does.
“Off track, today really was an exceptional day.
There have been so many special days in our
story so far, but for me it feels like the Team
Lotus announcement we made this morning is all
about the future. A year ago Mike and I were
walking around Singapore talking about where we
wanted to take a new racing team. Today we have
established the future of our brand and we are
thrilled about that. This is not about the
legacy and the historic rights of Team Lotus –
that is very well handled by Clive Chapman. His
father Colin’s legacy is something we respect,
and we are very proud to be part of it, but we
played no part in creating that. Today’s
announcement about Team Lotus was about
solidifying our future, and moving forward under
new leadership to try to bring more glory to a
great name. We have a long way to go, and over
the next few weeks more announcements will be
made that will provide a clear view of our
strategy for next year and beyond, but now it’s
about our team rising up the grid and becoming a
serious competitor. We have shown that we are a
serious team, and that we are here to stay, and
everything now is about our future being in our
own hands.”
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