Renault set date for ‘Lotus Renault GP R31’ launch

2011 F1 season

6th January 2011, 12:343rd October 2023, 22:14 | Written by Keith Collantine

2011 Lotus-Renault livery

Renault will join Sauber by launching its 2011 F1 car on January 31st at Valencia.

Continuing the model designation of previous Renaults, it will be called the R31, the team revealed on Twitter.

The new car will be revealed at noon, three-quarters of an hour after the Sauber is unveiled.

The team will show its new black and gold livery on an earlier car one week from today at the Autosport International show in Birmingham.

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45 comments on “Renault set date for ‘Lotus Renault GP R31’ launch”

Ben Needham (@ben-n)
6th January 2011, 12:38

Really looking forward to testing now!

Any pre-testing bets for surprise of the season? My bet is for Sauber and Lotus (2010 Lotus!) to do better than last year!
1. US_Peter (@us_peter)
  6th January 2011, 21:16
  
  …and Mercedes.
RIISE (@riise)
6th January 2011, 12:44

Ugly looking car.
1. Ben Needham (@ben-n)
  6th January 2011, 12:55
  
  I think the red ‘Total’ end plates spoil the look, but, ignoring those, it’s quite ok!
  1. US_Peter (@us_peter)
    6th January 2011, 21:16
    
    Agreed. Someone photoshopped those to black and the whole livery looked waaaaaay better.
    1. TommyB (@tommyb89)
      7th January 2011, 15:48
      
      Have you got a picture? I’m not a big fan of the red :(
      1. MaroonJack (@maroonjack)
        11th January 2011, 16:16
        
        Here you go:
        http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/4023/lotus2u.png
2. Todfod (@todfod)
  6th January 2011, 16:03
  
  agree with RIISE. There is something about it that just makes it look hideous, and its not the total end plates.
QuadQuantum
6th January 2011, 13:11

With Mercedes giving themselevs a long development time for 2011, and Williams aiming for the top 4, it should be very interesting to see where the teams are placed at the start of 2011. Its going to be a very intersting first race!
1. US_Peter (@us_peter)
  6th January 2011, 21:18
  
  Although they’re testing at Bahrain a week before the first race, so unless the new wings and KERS work some miracle it still probably won’t be a terribly exciting race. Hopefully I’m wrong.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
6th January 2011, 13:12

Looks bloowdy awful.

The 2010 Renault was stunning.

I’m hoping they’ve refined the design a little…can’t help the above image was released to beat Fernandes and co. rather than a genuine stab at decent livery.
1. BasCB (@bascb)
  6th January 2011, 13:35
  
  As that livery concept still sports some of their 2010 sponsors the livery might improve.
  
  Still I would solidly support any move for them to retain the black/yellow they had in 2010 as it looked great and stood out.
  1. Cyclops_PL (@cyclops_pl)
    6th January 2011, 18:23
    
    I wouldn’t count on it. The livery will be presented on January 13th, and sneak peaks showed by LRGP’s twitter present exactly the same color scheme so far (the nose was revealed). So expect THIS. As Renault and Kubica fan I really hope that thing will be as fast as ugly the livery is. Black and yellow will be missed :(
2. Burnout (@burnout)
  6th January 2011, 16:07
  
  I agree. The gold-work is too heavy, makes it look gaudy. And the red end-plates clash almost as horribly as the yellow-against-orange of the ING days.
  
  2010’s black and yellow was the only good looking livery Renault have used since Mild Seven stopped sponsoring the team. I say bring back the tobacco-themed liveries but do it right!
BliNnk
6th January 2011, 13:33

Why does everyone complain about this design?

It actually looks damnn classy
1. summers (@summers)
  6th January 2011, 15:02
  
  I like it too. Nevertheless, a few changes could make it look even better ;)
  Hope the car will be better than in 2010.
2. Mike
  7th January 2011, 2:06
  
  Fernandes’ Lotus had a similar design, but It was more sharp and better suited to the car. This one doesn’t really look like the old car.
Antranik (@antranik)
6th January 2011, 13:47

The livery looks freaking HORRIBLE! The lines are too thick and the Total end plates completely destroy the Black and Gold look anyway! The HUGE Lotus logo doesn’t help either…
Chippie (@chippie)
6th January 2011, 14:02

I wonder when we’ll all start referring to Lotus GP as anything but ‘Renault’.
1. Adrian J
  6th January 2011, 16:14
  
  They are Renault.
  
  Lotus are a sponsor only. We don’t call McLaren “Vodafone” do we?
2. US_Peter (@us_peter)
  6th January 2011, 22:53
  
  I wonder when we’ll all start referring to Lotus GP…
  
  Who’s that? You mean Renault?
David-A (@david-a)
6th January 2011, 15:06

They MUST replace all red on that car with more black, and the “Total” letters with gold writing.
1. Fixy (@)
  10th January 2011, 13:58
  
  As all sponsors change their colours to black and gold on the car, I don’t see how Total can’t.
Allegra
6th January 2011, 15:09

I would have thought black livery would increase radiation absorption from the sun, so at hot races such as Qatar, don’t Lotus Renault run the risk of overheating (more so than their rivals in livery that perhaps reflects radiation from the sun ie McLaren)?
1. Burnout (@burnout)
  6th January 2011, 16:25
  
  With exhaust temperatures close to 1000℃, I don’t think a slightly hotter engine cover will make too much of a difference. The drivers probably won’t feel the difference under their racing suits.
2. Burnout (@burnout)
  6th January 2011, 16:26
  
  With exhaust temperatures close to 1000℃, I don’t think a slightly hotter engine cover will make too much of a difference. The drivers probably won’t feel the difference under their racing suits.
  
  Plus this is a glossy black finish, so it will reflect a substantial amount of heat.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
6th January 2011, 15:47

2010 is over so now all we have is car launch, some drivers seat being filled, testing, & racing in March,seems like yesterday the season ended.
1. wasiF1 (@wasif1)
  6th January 2011, 15:49
  
  Sorry it will be “some drivers seat to fill”
  
  Why is my grammar that bad? Really do need to work on that!
Calum
6th January 2011, 16:04

I don’t think the red is as bad as the huge Lotus logo on the nose!!! Yeah we get it – Lotus are on board – but it’s still Renault who constructed and power your car!!
1. Adrian J
  6th January 2011, 16:16
  
  And neither that owns the team!!
slr
6th January 2011, 16:17

Just because Renault are now sponsored by Lotus doesn’t mean that they have to be like Lotus. If Renault want to go for a past livery, they should go back to their blue and yellow livery.
1. bob80
  6th January 2011, 16:48
  
  Renault are owned by Lotus, not sponsored.
  1. OrangeLacedShoe (@mkb_ind)
    6th January 2011, 17:38
    
    The majority of Renault is owned by Genii Group, Lotus are the title sponsor and also own up to 50% of Renault as a “co-owner”.
    1. mvi
      6th January 2011, 17:55
      
      Genii Capital owns 100% of the shares of the team after buying out Renault’s 25%. There has been a lot of talk about Lotus Group buying a large chunk (25%-40%) but they have not yet done so. So far they are just a sponsor.
      1. Calum (@calum)
        6th January 2011, 18:21
        
        Not in Bahar’s eyes…. they are the new Ferrari! :/
      2. US_Peter (@us_peter)
        6th January 2011, 23:10
        
        Thank you mvi! I can’t believe how much misinformation there is out there about Lotus…
  2. Richard M
    7th January 2011, 8:19
    
    Group Lotus have no shares in the Renault F1 Team. And neither do Renault for that matter! Very confusing!!
    
    I am not condoning it, but its a great bit of spin from Group Lotus for confusing fans and even some journalists on this one.
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
6th January 2011, 20:57

This Livery needs banning so badly, its insulting to the classic Lotus livery and to the history of team Lotus. Like it or not, it is advertising tobacco. If I was in charge of Marlboro I would say “ok then if they can give JPS free advertising like that, Ferrari will be running in bright red and white Marlboro livery thank you very much”.
1. US_Peter (@us_peter)
  6th January 2011, 23:29
  
  The difference is that JPS is not sponsoring the team. Marlboro gives Ferrari millions.
  1. Mike
    7th January 2011, 2:12
    
    I can imagine the boss of JPS sitting behind his desk, reading this…
    
    “Sweeeeet…”
    1. The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
      7th January 2011, 3:04
      
      Exactly. It makes no difference that JPS are not putting in money. Renault themselves are advertising JPS for free even though that is not their intention. The very fact that we are discussing this is media coverage for JPS. The many people who are old enough to rememeber or knowlageable about F1 history and will think “Oh thats JPS colour back in F1, maybe I will buy some instead of my regular brand” .Other f1 fans who are young will find out that this livery is JPS through word of mouth posibly leading to starting smoking. The result is the same whether the advertisment is free or not. If this is allowed, Ferrari will be fully within their rights to slap the barcode back on their cars and that is a backwards step (not to mention the Ferraris looked sooo much better without it). It could even start a whole new tobacco sponsorship era using classic iconic liveries and the power of word of mouth which has so much influence now.
AZsphere
7th January 2011, 3:00

i think renault or lotus…this year will make a very good year
1. The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
  7th January 2011, 3:14
  
  Well I think Mclaren or Ferrari…this year will make a very good year. lol.
  
  (Forget that Lotus group are title sponsors. This is Renault.)
ivz
7th January 2011, 23:26

This just doesn’t sit right with me. I know there is a very SMALL Fiat sign on the Ferrari, but when has there been another car manufacturers name on a well established car making F1 team? I could not imagine two other great names being on the one car!?
1. The Last Pope (@the-last-pope)
  8th January 2011, 4:16
  
  Lada on last years Renault?
  
  I think the main problem everyone has with it is the massive size of the nose logo. This is a place on the car which is traditionaly taken by a small team badge not a sponsor. It gives the car its identity just like dogtags. If you striped the sponsors off a ferrari, the prancing horse badge would remain. Renault on the other hand has had its dogtags stolen by group Lotus, been forced to wear someone elses clothes(which are also stolen), and has had a huge sign slapped on its forehead saying “I am Lotus!!!”

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45 comments on “Renault set date for ‘Lotus Renault GP R31’ launch”