What a difference a year has made for the latest incarnation of Formula 1 stalwart Lotus.
When Malaysian airline entrepreneur Tony Fernandes set up his new Formula 1 team for 2010, he was backed by a consortium of Malaysian businesses, including Proton, which agreed a license to use the Lotus name. Now, thanks to an ongoing legal battle, Fernandes’ squad is only the second Lotus team on the grid.
Proton-backed Lotus Cars are backing the Renault works outfit in 2011, while Fernandes has laid claim to the Team Lotus name. The team’s technical pedigree for success comes from Mike Gascoyne, the self-proclaimed bulldog of a designer who helped turn big-budget Renault and Toyota into victory contenders, but seems equally at home causing a stir with smaller teams. This was the man, remember, who revitalised Jordan’s fortunes in the mid 1990s.
He’s obviously worked his magic again. Despite only gaining it’s F1 entry towards the latter end of 2009 F1 Lotus was easily the best of the three new outfits for 2010, with Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen able to trouble the midfielders. With an engine, gearbox and technical support from Renault (ironically agreed before Renault’s own tie-up with Lotus Cars), the Renault-powered Lotus team has a chance to take on Formula 1’s big guns. Maybe even the Lotus-backed Renault squad. Yep, what a difference a year makes…
Romain Grosjean Kimi Raikonnen