Lotus has revealed the first pictures of its 2010 F1 car design.
The car shows the progress the team has made since it won the right to the final slot on the 2010 F1 grid following the withdrawal of BMW.
Last month Lola, which was not successful in its bid to compete in 2010, displayed model of a 2010-specification F1 car. The Lotus appears slighlty more sophisticated in its design, especially the front wing.
The most significant changes to F1 cars in 2010 will include narrower front tyres and larger fuel tanks, the latter due to the banning of refuelling.
Press release
Just one month after confirmation of its entry into the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, Lotus
F1 Racing is already heading into the windtunnel with a scale model of its first Formula 1 car. The as
yet undesignated model is the product of the recent collaboration between Lotus F1 Racing Chief
Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne and the team’s technical partners, and represents an important step
in the team’s preparations for next season.
Interview with Mike Gascoyne – Lotus F1 Racing Chief Technical Officer
How important is the completion of Lotus F1 Racing’s first windtunnel model?
?óÔé¼?ôThe start of any windtunnel testing is an important step in the development of a new Formula 1 car, but it is particularly exciting for us as we continue preparations for our first season. It has been a very busy time since our entry was confirmed by the FIA. We had been working on the entry for several months so we already had aspects of the team infrastructure in place; the finances, the factory and the top management. Once our entry was confirmed in mid-September, we were able to accelerate our recruitment and car development process and this is really where we are at now.?óÔé¼?Ø
What precisely is the involvement from Malaysia?
?óÔé¼?ôOur entry has only been made possible thanks to financing from the Malaysian private sector, so Lotus F1 Racing will be a Malaysian team through and through. Additionally we have valuable support from the Malaysian government through its 1Malaysia initiative, so we will essentially be flying the Malaysian flag in Formula 1. I am liaising with our Team Principal Tony Fernandes about our plans on a daily basis and am currently spending some time in Malaysia interviewing potential candidates for technical roles. The team is also in the process of recruiting Malaysian employees for other positions, including administration, marketing and PR.?óÔé¼?Ø
The team is currently based in the UK, but is there a long-term plan to move to Malaysia?
?óÔé¼?ôThe longer-term vision is to create a centre of technical excellence at the Sepang circuit which we have already started planning together with Tony Fernandes and his associates. Naturally this takes time, so we have opted initially for a UK base at the RTN facility in Hingham from where we will run the F1 operations while we establish our Malaysian facilities. Ultimately, the team will be headquartered in Malaysia, but we will keep a small UK base which will give us a logistical advantage when we are racing within Europe.?óÔé¼?Ø
What technical partnerships do you already have in place?
?óÔé¼?ôWe have been working with Fondtech to develop the aerodynamics, as well as with gearbox specialists Xtrac. We have an engine supply deal in place with Cosworth and we also have the support of engineering and composites teams in Malaysia who will play an integral role in developing the car.?óÔé¼?Ø
Is there really enough time to get a car and a team up and running before the first race in Bahrain?
?óÔé¼?ôThere is no escaping the challenges that we face simply to get the car ready for the first race of next season, but I am confident that we are up to the task in hand. Our target is to get the car ready for a roll out by the middle of February so that we can carry out pre-season testing in preparation for Bahrain in mid-March.?óÔé¼?Ø
What are your expectations for the first year?
?óÔé¼?ôWe need to remain realistic in our aims for the first year. We are a new team and we are starting our development late, so it will be an achievement just to get two cars on the Bahrain grid. I hope by the middle of the season we will have established ourselves as the best of the rookie teams and then continue to make forward progress for the rest of the year.?óÔé¼?Ø
How integrated will the F1 team be with other Lotus groups?
?óÔé¼?ôIt is a big honour to be associated with such an historic and prestigious Formula 1 brand as Lotus for whom I have a lot of respect. We will have a close relationship with other Lotus groups and we will do all we can to ensure that the Lotus name is treated respectfully with our new team.?óÔé¼?Ø
Finally, has there been any decision made on drivers for next year?
?óÔé¼?ôWe have been looking closely at the driver market to determine our best options for next year including Malaysian drivers, but no decisions have been made yet. We need versatile drivers. We need reliable and technically-minded drivers who can help us develop the car during the season, but at the same time we need drivers who are hungry for results and who can extract every little bit of performance from the car at all times.?óÔé¼?Ø
Lotus
Zazeems
14th October 2009, 21:46
Looks nice, no stupid aero add ons.
The rear wing still looks ridiculous though.
Lauro Moura
14th October 2009, 22:16
But probably the “stupid” addons will be added later, like the sidepod panels. That front wing endplate also looks very simple.
The nose remembers Toyota’s one, specially due to the curved columns.
Ned Flanders
14th October 2009, 21:46
Lotus seem to be the best prepared of the 4 new teams. Considering they’ve only had a confirmed spot on the grid for a few weeks it’s quite a feat to have built a wind tunnel model already. We already know that Mike Gascoyne is a decent enough engineer, and it seems as though they have plenty of money behind them, so I predict they should comfortably be the best of the new teams in 2010.
Then again, mabye they’ll ‘do a Super Aguri’ and go for an all Malaysian dream team of Alex Yoong and Fairuz Fauzy… in which case they’ll probably be at the back of the grid no matter how good their car is!
seskuj
14th October 2009, 23:43
hello…did you live in a cave….alex will NOT be the driver…he’s 33 years old for god sake…he will be in the management team…
Ned Flanders
15th October 2009, 1:00
Whoah… calm down, I was joking
David A
15th October 2009, 14:46
seskuj = Homer Simpson?
Icarus
14th October 2009, 21:47
You mean narrower front tyres, not wings?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
14th October 2009, 21:56
Sorry, yes, fixed :-)
Harv's
14th October 2009, 23:19
why have the f.i.a. Decided to use narrower front tyres? The cars are fine! Stop ruining them!
Kovy
15th October 2009, 6:16
It’s ridiculous. The cars need more mechanical grip and less aero grip, the FIA are doing the complete wrong thing here, making them more dependent on aero grip than they already are.
F1Yankee
15th October 2009, 7:27
the 2009 cars are unbalanced. the teams requested the narrower fronts.
but please, carry on about how you know more than the teams or fia.
Adrian
15th October 2009, 9:20
All the teams have struggled this year because the move to slicks has increased the proportion of the grip that’s coming from the front tyres…
Making them narrower will move this balance more rearward, which is what the teams have requested and which Bridgestone have agreed to.
Marcus
16th October 2009, 1:10
You are correct. However Bridgestone refused to make new moulds for a larger rear tire due to the expense. Straight line speeds will go up as well.
Guess they had moulds for the front or the cost is a lot less
goofy
14th October 2009, 21:48
what?? those pictures are 2 month old
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
14th October 2009, 21:52
Really? Where were they posted before today?
The press release with them in is dated today.
Maciek
14th October 2009, 23:19
I think Goofy is thinking of the scale model pictures that were released a while back.
Nitpicker
15th October 2009, 10:55
Maybe Lotus photoshopped the Lola scale model photos. The actual Lotus car is still in Gazza’s head :)
seskuj
15th October 2009, 14:02
don’t be so ridiculous….just accept that lotus is in f1 a shut your fu*king mouth.
todd
15th October 2009, 5:07
yeah i’m sure i’ve seen those photos before too. back when they were confirmed i think.
gaz
14th October 2009, 21:53
great to see lotus back.
the ‘jps’ lotus is my first f1 memory.
great times……………………..you can’t look back!
his_majesty
14th October 2009, 22:01
I see this going, going to the back of the grid. It’s not the real lotus either. Lotus is unfortunately gone. Proton motorcars, gimmie a break are we splitting atoms. What a joke.
his_majesty
14th October 2009, 22:08
Not only that but saying the lotus colors under a maylasian flag. Sorry, thats nothing but crap to me. I’m not english, but i’d be a bit angry if I were and they won a race in the 1 in tenbillion chance they would play the maylasian anthem to a lotus. Colin chapman is rolling in his grave.
Mike "the bike" Schumacher
14th October 2009, 22:20
I completely and utterly agree. It will never live up to the real lotus of the past.
Scribe
14th October 2009, 22:35
I’m not really a partriot but Lotus was a British F1 team, driven by a talented British man.
You can’t take that and you can’t pretend you have the spirit of something you where never a part of. It’s ridiculous and wrong.
seskuj
15th October 2009, 14:07
even the real team lotus back in its early 1990 is a back marker team…just a piece of crap. they just living in the history. You brit should thank to proton because they bought lotus if not…lotus name will be a history just like British leyland.
mp4-19b
15th October 2009, 14:44
I’ve got two things to say
1) The spirit of Lotus died the day Colin Chapman died.
2) Lotus, as a team died in 1987, when Senna left them forever.
Yes, it would be sad to hear the Malaysian national anthem if lotus were to win, but it might never happen in the near future.
paxter
3rd February 2010, 10:25
well proton does own lotus… and it is an malaysian team… tough love brits.. they are just using the brand and a spiritual successor to the real lotus team… anyway IF that team plays the english anthem a larger fit will happened in malaysia… dun forget The brits were their ex colonial masters… On the flip side i strongly doubt they will ever be in a position to claim a victory in their first season.
TommyB
14th October 2009, 22:04
Is it more or is everyone looking forward to seeing what livery they do more?
I heard they were thinking about Green and yellow or even the JPS black and gold!
Ned Flanders
15th October 2009, 1:03
Yep, I’m way more interested in their livery. I’m sort of hoping they use that rainbow livery that they released a few weeks ago
Nirupam
15th October 2009, 9:39
LOL!
Steph90
15th October 2009, 12:21
Yes I’m looking forward to seeing it, but please no not the rainbow, F1 is mad enough at times. Suppose at least it’ll be easy to spot…
zp
14th October 2009, 22:34
how can that pass fia crash tests?
Dave F.
15th October 2009, 0:20
It’s not meant to. It’s a wind tunnel model.
zp
15th October 2009, 10:38
Thanks captain obvious, I mean the nose cone looked proportionally really short compared to what we currently have.
Dave F.
15th October 2009, 15:06
Then why didn’t you say so??
Seriously, how was I meant to know what were you thinking with that pitiful post. Jesus!
To respond to your point about the nose – no it doesn’t. Please put your brain in gear & look before posting.
luigismen
15th October 2009, 18:14
The toyota nose cone is shorter…
seskuj
15th October 2009, 14:10
you fu*king idiot…i bet you never had any engineering background right?..this is scale down model for wind tunnel testing. just for aerodynamic testing. lotus is much better prepared team compare to manor who will do their aerodynamic test only in CFD..what a fu*king idiot…
mp4-19b
15th October 2009, 14:32
Hey!! Why do you wanna abuse a fellow fanatic?
GeeMac
15th October 2009, 14:47
So much rage on the F1fanatic blog today!Calm down seskuj!
Hallard
15th October 2009, 18:21
easy now…have a little respect.
Sara
14th October 2009, 23:16
the front tyres are on the wrong way round :-)
Dave F.
15th October 2009, 0:19
Well spotted!
WidowFactory
15th October 2009, 9:10
Haha, goes to show the competence we are dealing with here…
James_mc
15th October 2009, 20:26
Oh dear….
LewisC
14th October 2009, 23:18
I didn’t know they were reducing the size of the front tyres. That will cause trouble for overtaking: already overtaking is difficult because the wake of the cars destroys aero grip, if the tyres are narrower then there won’t be as much machanical grip either.
Wesley
14th October 2009, 23:27
The fatter tires have more contact but,the narrower front tires should heat up faster.I think it is a trade off.Maybe there is too big a problem getting heat into the larger tires because of less mechanicl grip.
Jimbo
15th October 2009, 8:44
That grip is directly related to tyre width is one of the great myths of motorsport. Traction is largely derived from the weight and frictional coefficient of the tyre compound. What a narrower tyre will do though, as Wesley says, is alter the tyre dynamics such as how quickly it heats up. It will also affect wear rates, graining, etc. This should benefit cars that were having trouble getting heat into the tyres eg Brawn.
Harv's
14th October 2009, 23:22
what livery will lotus use? I hope black and gold, hopfully no malaysian flag colors
Rugel
15th October 2009, 0:23
GO GO LOTUS!
Dave F.
15th October 2009, 0:24
Anyone know if the wheel width is reducing as well of just having an even more inclined sidewall?
Dave F.
15th October 2009, 0:28
Also, the small barge boards hung from the underside of the chassis just behind the nose section. Is that a unique feature?
Prisoner Monkeys
15th October 2009, 0:34
They move quickly.
I’m willing to bet the designs came from a plan Gascyne had aid out back when he was spear-heading the Litespeed Lotus effort.
matt
15th October 2009, 0:58
I can’t believe they’re reducing mechanical grip again. I thought the overtaking issue was a result of too little mechanical grip and too much aerodynamic grip.
Hallard
15th October 2009, 1:50
This years cars are very imbalanced, from a mechanical grip point of view. To counteract the pronounced rearward weight bias they are increasing the rearward traction bias via smaller front tires. The idea is to make the cars more balanced and more forgiving to drive. Its the same thing that manufacturers do with mid or rear-engined road cars. But you are right about the whole mechanical vs aero grip thing. I think it would have been much better to widen the rear tires instead of narrowing the front, thus improving balance and overall mechanical grip.
Hallard
15th October 2009, 1:52
Although I applaud them for showing us SOMETHING before the other new teams, it still looks incredibly unsophisticated compared to the cars on the grid now. Theyve got a long way to go. Lets hope they dont tarnish the great lotus reputation!
GeeMac
15th October 2009, 7:35
I love seeing images like this, and I wish the other newbies would do the same.
marc
15th October 2009, 10:28
http://originalgaijin.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/30.jpg
found this
Dingle Dell
15th October 2009, 11:28
That wasn’t the Lotus 2010 model. That was actually the Lola 2010 entry half-scaled model. They did not succeed in getting into F1 and hoping for some 2011 instead.
GeeMac
15th October 2009, 14:52
Dingle Dell is right there.
It’s interesting to see that the early Lotus design is shaping up to be a clone of the Toyota, and the half scale model Lola produced was shaping up to be a Red Bull clone…
Dingle Dell
15th October 2009, 11:26
First of all, really ugly design of a 2010 car. Bad upright and straight nosecone. How I　miss those days of the last it was in 1994 when the nosecone actually attached to the front wing.
Secondly, isn’t that these cars would be much wider for 2010? Since there will be no refuelling for next year, I presume the cars would be wider and have a rounder engine cover like the late 80s to early 90s instead of a sharp fin-looking end?
What’s disturbing me the most are the emptiness below the entire nose and the centre of the front wing. They make these cars these day very naked and more like a joke to me.
Why can’t they just cover up that space with a bigger and fatter nose of the past and the front wing attached to the nose? Eeeww…
Besides that, I wonder what paintjob will they have for next year. Please don’t dump in the rainbow scheme or the Malaysian flag scheme. That would be a complete laughing matter. I suppose the technical side, under the hands of Mr. Mike Gascoyne (as of his days at Renault, Toyota, Jordan etc), I can’t see this team progressing very well up the ladders.
In addition to that, if a Malaysian driver like Fairuz Fauzy or even the Formula BMW won-it-lucky guy Jazelan Jaafar to be given a seat at Lotus, I would say the days of Lotus to make a name back in F1 would be very dim and numbered.
Why can’t they get a car designed to look decent enough with the front end and the back end and everything? Pityful, bring back the golden days of F1 in modern era of 1985 till at least 1997! Therefore, we need ARI VATANEN instead of that Yoda-ish JEAN TODT!
seskuj
15th October 2009, 14:17
raise nose cone was the superior design you dumb ass…no one want the lower nose cone configuration any more…raise nose cone help flow the air efficiently…one more thing…it is JAZEMAN JAAFAR…not JAZELAN…big stupid airhead bimbo…
mp4-19b
15th October 2009, 14:38
Hey! stop this abusive language. If you’ve got something useful to say, please do so in a decent manner.
David A
15th October 2009, 14:59
Are you like, a six year old?
Ned Flanders
15th October 2009, 16:49
Yeah, he accused me of ‘living in a cave’. Pr!ck
GeeMac
15th October 2009, 15:01
Dude, you need to chill, seriously.
Have a look at the readers of this site’s comments on other articles. If you think someone is wrong, provide a reasoned factual argument to prove your point.
You really don’t have to swear. It’s getting a bit much now.
Dave F.
15th October 2009, 15:22
The cars are getting longer to accommodate the increased tank size. They’re already at the maximum width under the rules.
The nose is like that because it’s the most aerodynamically efficient.
I’m amused you think they should design a car just so it’s looks good on the grid.
& to all of you who are only concerned about the livery – what a bunch of big girls blouses :-)
mp4-19b
15th October 2009, 15:31
Compare THIS with THIS.
The former was prettier,elegant,proportional & most importantly faster. these 2009 spec cars are a joke. but we, the fans don’t have a choice, do we?
David A
15th October 2009, 16:00
That car used to look great with the horns, and Speed Demon Kimi behind the wheel!
lotusYEAH
15th October 2009, 16:50
love to see f1 car look like A1 car….less aerodynamic stuff but still sexy…YEAH!!!!
Mussolini's Pet Cat
15th October 2009, 12:12
With using a historical brand in such a cynical way, i hope they fail.
GeorgeK
15th October 2009, 12:40
No rear photos. What is the status of the double deck diffuser for 2010? In or out?? I don’t recall any definitive change for 2010?
dave
15th October 2009, 15:38
Fair play, if you read through all these comments, it becomes rather apparent that this “seskuj” blokey is an absolute willy.
OR, in his own words, a “big stupid airhead bimbo”
:-D
Ned Flanders
15th October 2009, 16:53
I propose to Keith that we ban the chap calling himself ‘seskuj’ from F1 Fanatic for being rude to everyone!
mp4-19b
15th October 2009, 17:09
He deserves a second chance. Seems like he’s got something useful to say. He was bragging about
If he could just calm down & explain to us what he has in his confused head. Seems like he’s some engineer who thinks he knows a lot about CFD & stuff :P :P
Steph90
15th October 2009, 17:44
Would love to hear from an engineer’s side but agreed the language needs to be toned down. Not only is it insulting but completely destroys any argument anyway as people will immediately switch off.
I prefer it when the blog is a good old love in
:PAnd George K double diffs are staying I think, really wish they weren’t.
Hallard
15th October 2009, 18:39
I’m also not sure that his assesment of the raised nosecone is accurate. I believe that the FIA specifies that the nosecone be raised to be directly in front of the driver to better absorb impacts/collisions. I dont believe it is inherently more aerodynamically efficient, even if it exposes the section of the wing directly under the nose cone.
lotusYEAH
15th October 2009, 16:53
i believe double deck diffuser will be around in 2010 but all the team will adopt it,so it nothing much to talk about i think.
Byron R
15th October 2009, 16:59
Anyone know which engine package they will run. Even a street Lotus doesnt have a Lotus engine . Toyota 2.0 liter isnt it?
GeeMac
15th October 2009, 17:01
That’s right.
Aren’t Lotus going to use the Cosworth V8 next year?
lotusYEAH
15th October 2009, 18:04
will be cosworth much powerful compare to 2006???other engine is freeze now but cosworth is free to develop the engine. so is cosworth engine good?
lotusYEAH
15th October 2009, 18:11
one more thing. i believe SESKUJ is a lotus f1 engineer who is really in pressure to complete the lotus f1 car..:-P
luigismen
15th October 2009, 18:19
Keith, I think you should write an article on the narrower front tires… I see too many questions about it here, and personally… I didn’t now about it
GeorgeK
16th October 2009, 17:29
Thanks for the double diffuser clarification guys. My question was aimed at solving some of the aero/passing difficulties we seem to keep having.
I seem to recall when the entire DD protest took place, the opponents claimed the DD would disturb more air and take away aero grip of trailing cars, hence diminishing passing opportunities. I also thought I’d read that the DD would be taken up for discussion for the 2010 car designs.
I guess they decided to let it ride.
artramulo
16th November 2009, 19:04
lotus f1 team
sound like a dream team with many hopes attach to it
neve the less, either u r a malaysian or brit or any nationality for tht matter, nothing wrong just to see how far will this team goes
i reckon many can wait to see the team fails
but
many more who really have the passion
can’t wait to see lotus f1 team to rock the track!
=)
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