Drivers

Team

Source : http://www.formula1.com/

LOTUS COSWORTH T 127

Specification:

Engine : Cosworth V8 CA2010

Chassis material : Carbon fibre

Bodywork material : Carbon fibre

Front suspension : Carbon fibre

Rear suspension : Carbon fibre

Dampers : Panske

Steering : Lotus

Gearbox : X-Trac

Clutch : AP Carbon Multi Plate

Disc : Hitco

Calipers : AP

Pads : Hitco

Cooling system (radiators, heat exchangers) : In House Lotus

Cockpit instrumentation : MES

Seat belts : Sparco SABelt

Steering wheel : Lotus

Driver’s seat : Lotus

Extinguisher system : FEV

Wheels : BBS to Lotus spec

Fuel cell : ATL

Battery : Yuasa

Fuel provider : N/A

Lubricants provider : N/A

Wheel base : More than 3000 mm

Overall Lenght : N/A

Overall Height : 950 mm

Jarno Trulli

What were the reasons behind your decision to join Lotus F1 Racing?

“I am really pleased to be joining Lotus F1 Racing. It was quite a difficult situation at the start of November with my former team withdrawing from Formula 1, but I was convinced I would stay in Formula 1. I was in contact with Mike (Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer) about the possibility of joining the new Lotus team and it became quickly clear that it would be a very good opportunity for me. I have been in Formula 1 for many years but there is something extremely motivating about helping to build a team from the ground level up. There is a lot of ambition from Tony (Fernandes, Team Principal), Mike and in fact the whole of Malaysia as a nation, and that level of enthusiasm is infectious for a driver. I am really looking forward to the challenge.”

You are one of the longest-serving drivers in Formula 1 – how important will your experience be for the team?

“I have driven for quite a few teams in my career, both manufacturer and independent teams, so I have a wide range of experience. I hope that this experience will be a positive asset for Lotus as we begin this new challenge together. We should not underestimate the task in hand. Formula 1 in 2010 is an exciting prospect with brand new teams, established manufacturers fighting back and of course other young teams looking to repeat their 2009 success. Everyone will be fighting hard for results, but we still have all our foundations to set, so we have a lot to do.”

Do you expect the team to be immediately competitive?

“We have to set realistic targets for the first year. We are one of the new teams, so we have to prove ourselves and to gain respect in the paddock. We have to establish ourselves as the best of the new teams and see what gap we have between us and the rest. Only then will we really understand what gains we need to make during the season. The points system has changed to reward the top ten drivers, so I would like to see us making progress towards the top ten by Abu Dhabi.”

What do you think of the team’s approach to Formula 1 based on your previous experiences?

“Having spoken to Tony and to Mike, as well as being in Malaysia this week, I can see a very sensible attitude and professional approach to racing. Of course everyone supporting the team wants results but everybody knows that will take time. We certainly have the capabilities and the tools to do the job. I know Mike very well from our time at other teams and I have a lot of faith in his technical operation.”

What do you think of having Heikki as a team-mate?

“It’s great to have a younger driver like Heikki on board. He has been in Formula 1 for a few years now, so he has matured into a competitive and well-rounded race driver. His experiences at other teams will certainly help Lotus F1 Racing as a whole and I am looking forward to working alongside him. He is bringing a different character and driving style to the team which I think will benefit all of us during 2010.”

Heikki Kovalainen

You are entering your fourth season as a Formula 1 race driver by joining a brand new team in Lotus F1 Racing – what factors were behind your decision to join the team?

For me there were a couple of major factors – Tony and Mike being the two leading figures in the project, and the backing behind the team were both very important, and having spoken to both of them I became aware that the whole operation has a lot of potential, and a very good chance of being a successful team in the future. I saw Lotus F1 Racing as the best choice for me to progress my career, after considering several other options that were available to me.

What have you seen of the team so far?

I have visited the base of the team, as well as meeting Tony and Mike, and I can see that everyone involved is very motivated, excited and happy to be pushing this program forwards. The team has ambitious plans for the future and everyone will see Lotus F1 Racing in Bahrain GP as a professional, competitive yet very humble group of intelligent individuals.

What do you think of your new team-mate Jarno?

I have known Jarno for many years now and I think together we can push the team forwards very quickly, and develop our car and the team in a professional way.

Do you have any specific targets for your first season with the team?

I always race to win and I will do everything as if I was preparing to put the car on pole, but of course we have to be realistic and keep the focus on developing the team to a state where we can operate like any other current top F1 team. It will not be easy and we will have tough times at the beginning, there’s no question about it, but as long as we keep improving all the way through the year and have the earned respect of the other top teams on the grid, then we can be pleased about the first year.

Does the Lotus name add any pressure on you or the team?

Well maybe at the beginning we will get away with some difficulties, but of course Lotus has been a winning team in the past and, like I said earlier, the team has ambitious plans to become successful, so after a little while we need to be making progress to keep the Lotus name at its current high status.

Tony Fernandes

There has been a lot of speculation recently about the driver line-up. How did you reach your decision?

“Firstly, I would like to say this is an historic day for all us at Lotus F1 Racing as we announce our first driver line-up. We have three drivers who I believe complement each other excellently and who I think represent what Lotus F1 Racing and 1Malaysia is all about. That is not to say it was a straight-forward decision because we spoke with other drivers who I rate very highly, but ultimately we have opted for a careful mix of experience, youth and ambition. In Jarno we have the F1 veteran who proved in 2009 that he is as quick and determined as ever. In Heikki we have a continuing rising star who is still hungry to prove himself, and in Fairuz we have a Malaysian national driver who is eager to progress up the F1 ladder to fulfill the hopes of a nation. It’s the full package if you ask me.”

What do you expect from the drivers in 2010?

“It is more a question of what we all expect from each other rather than just from the drivers. 2010 will be the first season for Lotus F1 Racing and we have a lot to achieve in a short space of time. As with any new venture, it is a case of ‘all hands on deck’. Everybody has a vital role to play but it is about bringing a new team together and gelling. The drivers each bring different experience to the team and I think the combination of their skills will help us quickly establish ourselves as the ones to watch in 2010 and beyond.”

Did you ever think you would see two race winning drivers in the team’s first season?

“I am still pinching myself. We have not even finished our first race car, so to attract two race winning drivers to the team is a huge achievement and honour. I think it is a testament to our ambition and our long-term vision that we have such talent on our books in year one. It is further proof that we are serious about what we do and I am sure the other new teams are looking at us with some envy right now.”

You have also unveiled the new team logo…

“We have thought long and hard about our team brand and logo, and I am very pleased with the end result. F1 aficionados will immediately recognise the classic green and yellow colour of Lotus, but we have given it a modern twist which is essentially what this team is about. We are not pretending to be the Lotus of the past, but we are honoured to be able to bring the name back into Formula 1 at the start of a new decade of racing. We will draw on its heritage and use it to inspire and motivate our team, Lotus F1 Racing. I hope everybody likes the logo and enjoys a small glimpse into the livery of our race cars for our first season.”

source- lotusf1racing.my

Profile:

Jarno Trulli

Nationality: Italian

Races: 219(216 starts)

Wins: 1

Podiums: 11

Career points: 246.5

Profile:

Heikki Kovalainen

Nationality: Finnish

Races: 52

Wins: 1

Podiums: 4

Career points: 105

Website: www.heikkikovalainen.net

Profile:

Mohamed Fairuz Fauzy

Nationality: Malaysian

D.O.B: October 24, 1982

Website: www.fairuzfauzy.com

References: wikipedia

More stories:

thestar.com.my — http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/14/nation/20091214122009&sec=nation

bernama.com — http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newssport.php?id=462135

According to gpupdate.net Jarno Trulli has confirmed a 3-year contract with the Lotus team, due to start in 2010. Having made his Formula 1 debut with Minardi in 1997, Jarno Trulli has since driven for Prost, Jordan, Renault and Toyota, the latter of which he has spent the last five full seasons with.

Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy was confirmed as reserve driver, who will be second driver for Lotus F1 team? Predicting that either Takuma Sato or former McLaren man Heikki Kovalainen are the most likely candidates for the second seat.

Recently, the Lotus F1 team unveiled its 2010 model wind-tunnel model tests F1 car videos. In addition to the video to prove the team’s preparations for Lotus methodical work is carried out, but also to fans of modern F1 wind-tunnel tests have a more intuitive understanding.

Video test the model ratio is about 50%. The model consists of technical director Mike – Gascoyne (Mike Gascoyne) led the team produced. Aerolab aerodynamic engineering company to help the implementation of specific tests. Video show a high degree of test items include the suspension set up testing and monitoring of testing of the front wing (Note: the front wing of the details of the design eye-catching). Aerolab company had in the previous with Toyota, Renault and Indian forces have worked together, its parent company is Fondtech.

Lotus its first new model will be used to provide Xtrac gearbox, engine and several other teams, like the new team, using Cosworth power unit.

SEPANG, Dec 6 (Bernama) — Lotus F1 Racing today announced three senior appointments to its team as the Malaysia-based motorsport team gears up for its debut season in the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) Chief Operating Officer, Mia Sharizman Ismail was appointed Lotus F1 Racing’s Head of Operations (Asia), former Malaysian F1 driver Alex Foong as Head of Driver Development (Asia) alongside United Kingdom-based Litespeed Formula 3 Team Principal Nino Judge as the Head of Driver Development (Europe).

Lotus F1 Racing Team Principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, in a press release here, said: “These new senior appointments will be a great boost for Lotus F1 Racing. The team have achieved many important milestones and we are on track to be on the grid in Bahrain next year.”

Mia would oversee selected areas of the team’s operations including promotion, nurturing alliances with motorsports bodies in the region, and tasked with studying the team’s race operations currently based in United Kingdom with the aim of transferring knowledge and expertise back to Malaysia.

Yoong and Judge will co-host Lotus F1 Racing’s driver development programme with the aim of nurturing young drivers programme for future development in Malaysia, Asia and Europe.

Meanwhile, Lotus F1 Chief Executive Officer Riad Asmat said: “The young driver development scheme will play a key role in finding and developing future Malaysian drivers and it is great that Litespeed can play such an important role in that process.

“There is a lot of raw motorsport talent in Malaysia and as the country’s national F1 team, it is our responsibility to bring that to the fore.

“We have to encourage more parents to get their children into karting but the most crucial step is a direction and stage for our national karting talent to go next,” he said after the launching of MAM Karting Talent Search Programme here on Sunday.

Lotus F1 Racing is operated by 1Malaysia Racing Team Sdn Bhd.

The team are placed 18th and 19th in the full entry list of constructors and drivers announced by Federation of International Automobile (FIA) on Nov 30.

Lotus F1 Racing was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in September and Lotus F1 Racing will be one of the new teams to FIA Formula 1 World Championship in 2010 season.

Lotus F1 Racing will be flying the Malaysian flag in the championship with full support from the Malaysian government and the team is fully financed by Malaysian entrepreneurs.

– BERNAMA