Lotus unveils the E20

Today, the E20 wa unveiled with an online presentation from Enstone. The car with which
Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean make their Formula 1 comebacks has been seen for the first time in a 20-minute video which can be viewed below?

The E20 will then be presented to international media and team partners in Jerez tomorrow, in a dedicated hospitality unit located in the paddock. The car will then take to the track for the first time with Kimi Räikkönen at the wheel, for filming purposes.

Team testing then gets underway on Tuesday 7 February, with Kimi taking duties for the first two days before handing over to Romain for the final two days to conclude the test.

E20 – new name, new concept

The E20 incorporates ground–up redesigns and optimization of previous Enstone design
philosophies. Most notably, the forward facing exhausts of 2011’s R31 have been abandoned, both through regulation and necessity. The E20 also features a ‘step’ on its nose, this layout also being the result of a regulation change.

The front and rear suspension layouts have been substantially revised in the quest for everbetter

aerodynamic efficiency whilst the front wing is a continuation of concepts used by the team
during recent seasons.

The E20 has been designed utilizing the team’s new 60% scale wind tunnel as well as its
enhanced CFD facility, with both resources located on site at Enstone.

Gérard Lopez: "Forward Progress"

New season, new name. We are very proud to kick off our 2012 campaign under the name of Lotus F1 Team, continuing with the evocative black and gold livery which made such a well-received return to Grands Prix in 2011.
Forward Progress

New season, new name. We are very proud to kick off our 2012 campaign under the name of Lotus F1 Team, continuing with the evocative black and gold livery which made such a well-received return to Grands Prix in 2011.

As well as a new name for the team we have a new chassis designation: E20. The E is for Enstone, our state of the art Formula 1 facility nestled in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside. More specifically, it’s for the personnel that make up Enstone to highlight the pride we have in every single employee who shares our beliefs and goals.

We have two new race drivers too, with Romain Grosjean promoted to a race seat after impressing us with his potential after just two Friday runs in the car in 2011. Racing alongside Romain will be 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen. After two years contesting the World Rally Championship Kimi returns to Formula 1 fresh for a new challenge, and with 156 Grand Prix race starts, 18 wins and one world championship we are convinced that Kimi will provide a vital ingredient in driving us forwards.

In 2011 we pushed on with developments behind the scenes, and the addition of the 60% wind tunnel which was implemented during the course of last season should pay dividends for this year’s car. We’re not standing still either, and our next exciting resource to go online will be a ‘Driver in the Loop’ simulator to enhance our assets at Enstone yet further.

Last year we saw flashes of strong potential from the R31 and the team, but ultimately we fell short of our goals. That is the nature this highly competitive sport and we are pushing forwards leaving no stone unturned in our quest to reinstate Lotus as the team to beat.

Our aim for 2012?

If you look at the history of Enstone, there were World Championships won in 1994-95 and 2005-6. This ten year cycle obviously appeals and we are set on repeating this history. We want a step nearer our goal in 2012. If we finish in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship we will be disappointed. If we finish fourth we can reflect over a good step forwards. If we finish in third position we will be very happy. We know the competition is intense, but that is why we compete.

Launch video: