Former Renault and Red Bull technical advisor, Mark Smith joins Team Lotus – Formula 1 News
Experienced Formula 1 technical advisor, Mark Smith has joined team Lotus as a chief designer and aims to win a championship with the Malaysian-based team.
A former employee of Jordan, Renault, Red Bull and Force India, Mark said that Lotus’ 2011 car, T128, has all the potential and he will use all of his experience to fine tune the machine.
An official statement from Mark after joining the Lotus team read as, “I am very excited about the challenge that lies ahead with Team Lotus. This is the first time I have been in the factory and I am very impressed with what I have seen across all the departments.”
The Lotus team covered huge ground in only their second season by not only beating their regular rivals, Virgin and HRT, but they also managed to out-perform the legendary Williams team.
Talking about his recent inclusion in the Lotus Formula 1 and their performance so far, Mark said, “I was genuinely impressed at how this team reached the 2010 grid with a good functional car and a professional looking operation in such a short time. That
was a huge achievement and they have built upon that in 2011, so the foundations are there for long-term success.”
Lotus’ team owner, Tony Fernandes also seemed pleased at Mark’s inclusion. Tony said that Mark will join the ranks of highly experienced professionals and his ideas in the Lotus team, will take the car one-step beyond.
Lotus team are yet to score their first championship point in their second season, which is understandable as a total of five world champions and their teams are making life tough for the smaller ranked teams.
Lotus has outpaced the Virgin and the HRT teams at every level and their next target will be to leave the lower ranks and fight in the mid-field with Force India, Toro Rosso and Sauber.
The 2011 Formula 1 season continues and it will be interesting to see how far Lotus team ends among points, as the team is hopeful that the new change will help them in future.
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