Team Lotus reveals new car without KERS technology after securing “Lotus” name
After returning to the sport in 2010, Lotus was unable to give a promising performance and they failed to prove that they are going to be a threat to the rest of the Formula 1 teams any time soon since Team Lotus was unable to secure even a single point throughout the 2010 Formula 1 season.
Keith Saunt, the team’s chief operating officer, stated that the team will not use KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) in their new car and they plan to perform better without the device.
“If KERS was going to get us from eighth to sixth then we'd have it. But when you look at the weight of it and some of the engineering challenges, I think it's a good decision not to start with it. We might end up with it, who knows”, he said.
As a result, the team departed from its main partners, Group Lotus, but they are going to be back in 2011 without a shadow of doubt and Team Lotus recently revealed its new car as well.
It seems that the team wants to at least outperform Renault, who signed with Group Lotus and the team is now called “Lotus Renault GP”.
Therefore, there are going to be two Lotus teams running on the 2011 Formula 1 grid and it is definitely going to be interesting to see how they compete against each other.
“This year's car is a much more contemporary design. The car really will be a midfield runner. It's a modern F1 car I'm very confident it is a big step up and it's the start of a process that takes Team Lotus back to the front of the grid”, explained Technical Director, Mike Gascoyne, when asked about the new car’s classic Lotus green-and-yellow livery.
Other than that, the team’s boss, Tony Fernandes, is also satisfied with the new car and it seems that the team is expecting a much better performance in 2011.
Lotus is going to keep both its drivers, Heikki Kovalainen, and, Jarno Trulli, for another year and since both of them are quite experienced, the team is expecting their input as well and to make things right this time.
“Sitting on the grid in Bahrain this year will feel very different … a different tension. Last year we were just aiming to finish the race. This year we'll be aiming to finish in the points. But with the package we have, that should be achievable”, admitted Trulli.
Tags: