2011 end of term report – Team Lotus Renault

For its second campaign in F1, Tony Fernandes’ outfit changed name. Originally knows as Lotus Racing it became Team Lotus… and will once again change name in 2012 following months of dispute with Group Lotus.

On track, the Hingham-based team improved significantly and got closer to the established teams. It took tenth place in the constructors’ championship.

Season review:

Team Lotus made the headlines more than once in 2011, not for its performance on track but for its dispute with Group Lotus. On September 24th 2010, Fernandes announced he had acquired from James Hunt the rights of ‘Team Lotus’ name.

However, in early December, Genii Capital and Group Lotus decided to rebrand the Renault F1 Team and named it Lotus Renault GP… which meant there were two Lotus teams on the starting grid of the 2011 F1 World Championship. It was also the start of a row between the two outfits, who both claimed to be the sole entity entitled to race under the Lotus banner.
The matter ended up in court and, on May 27th, Judge Peter Smith from the London High Court granted Tony Fernandes the right to call his outfit Team Lotus and also ruled that Group Lotus had every right to use the Lotus brand for its road car. Nothing was really settled at this point and both teams had to cohabit for the whole season. They eventually found an agreement and will both change name in 2012.

On the sporting side, the biggest change for Team Lotus was its technical partnership with Renault. In addition to this new engine supplier, the Malaysian outfit purchased its gearboxes and hydraulic system from Red Bull. It also strengthened its technical staff with the hiring of Mark Smith.
The new car was launched in late January and carried high expectations from the team who set its targets on scoring points and beating some of the established teams.
Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen were retained as the regular drivers while Karun Chandhok was hired as reserve driver.

Although it failed to score points, Team Lotus had a satisfying season and improved significantly. Kovalainen managed to make it through to Q3 on three occasions. He also finished in 13th place in Italy, while his teammate Trulli scored two 13th places (Australia, Monaco). These were the best results for Team Lotus and guaranteed it tenth place in the constructors standings.

Conclusion:

Team Lotus has been improving consistently since its debut in Formula One and has now pulled away from its fellow new teams, Virgin and HRT. On occasions, it was able to challenge the likes of Williams, Sauber and even Lotus Renault GP.

Tenth place in the championship for two years in a row means Team Lotus becomes a Column 1 team in the Concorde Agreement. It represents a significant increase in income for the team (from 5 million to 23 million euro).

Expectations :

In 2012, Team Lotus will become Team Caterham. It will still use Renault engines and Red Bull gearboxes. Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli have already been confirmed but rumours insist the Italian will be put aside to make way for Red Bull protégé Daniel Ricciardo.

Highs:

—  Improved throughout the season
—  Finished ahead of Virgin and HRT

Lows:
—  Failed to score points
—  Row over the Lotus name
—  Reliability problems

Nextgen-Auto.com marks:
— Olivier Ferret : 13/20
— D.Thys : 13/20
— Sandrine Bouchard : 12/20
— Jean-Michel Setbon : 10/20
— Average mark on the forum Nextgen-Auto.com : 12/20
—  Total : 60/100