Formula 1: Lotus In Talks With Renault For Engine Deal
Team Lotus are said to be in talks with Renault in terms of being their engine suppliers for the year 2011. It was reported that the team boss Tony Fernandes and technical director Mike Gascoyne were in talks with the engine supplier at Silverstone on Sunday, trying to secure a deal for next season.
Off the new teams that have joined the grid, it Lotus that has been able to put in somewhat of a performance. Their best performance so far has been a thirteenth place finish in the Chinese Grand Prix. So far there have been only six retirements from the team. Comparing this to the likes of Virgin Racing, Hispania Racing and even the Sauber team, it seems as though they have the plan right. Like the other two teams on the grid, they are using Cosworth engines in their chassis. This being a constant, the signs are even better that the team has some potential and are likely to make the most out of their bid in the Formula 1 scene. The Cosworth engines seem to be lacking the grunt to keep pace with the mid field this season as most of their cars end up getting eliminated during the first round of qualifying in most races this year.
The Cosworth team is also making a return to Formula 1 this year after a hiatus of three years from 2007 to 2009. Prior to that, the engine manufacturers had been supplying to one team or the other without fail since 1963. In the past they have even provided engines to the likes of McLaren, Jordan, Minardi, Red Bull and even Lotus, in their previous stints, just to name a few. Their best year was 1973 when all fifteen races in the Championship were won by Cosworth powered cars. Sir Jackie Stewart went on to win the Driver’s Championship that year with the Tyrrell team and Lotus won the Constructors title. Both the teams were powered by the Cosworth engine that year.
The last time that a Cosworth powered car won a race in Formula 1 was the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix. This was the famous race where Giancarlo Fisichella was awarded the race win rather belatedly after it was Kimi Raikkonen who was on the top step of the podium for the post race celebrations. But the last time that Cosworth won the Driver’s title was coincidentally the first time that Michael Schumacher won the title. Back in 1994 it was the Cosworth powered Mild Seven Benetton Ford team that saw Schumacher take the title for the first time. In 1992 it was also credited with handing Schumacher his first race victory. To track back the last time the team was awarded the constructors title would be in 1981. It was with the Williams team that they managed to do this while Nelson Piquet won the Driver’s title that year with team Brabham which was also running a Cosworth engine.
Lotus will be looking to take steps forward with their chassis this year and using the capable hands of Mike Gascoyne to tweek their performance to set up a blue print for progressing forward next year. If they happen to secure the deal with Renault they will be using the same engine that the Red Bull team is using this year. It is not often that you see a privateer team doing better than a genuine contructors team but that has been the case this year. The Renault team have been lacking the pace to keep up with front pack while the Red Bull team is proving that it is the right resources that make a difference in the sport rather than being a hardcore constructor.
The name Lotus is no stranger to the sport but they have been missing from the grid since 1994. Although the new team has nothing more than the name in common with the previous team, the team principal Tony Fernandes says that if Lotus win in Formula 1 it should be considered as the eightieth win for Lotus rather than their first. Considering the current form of the car, the win might not come any time this season, but if they get a break from Renault, they could be moving forward quite rapidly in the future.
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