أرشيف وسم ‘ Enstone ’

Posted on Friday, February 10, 2012

Raikkonen delivers big motivational boost to team

Since his arrival in Enstone, Kimi Raikkonen has been gradually winning over his team and giving them the motivational boost that was sorely missed after Robert Kubica's tragic rallying accident prior to the start of the 2011 season. "After the frustrations of 2011 and the loss of the model that we had built around Robert, the arrival of Kimi has been the secret to the galvanisation of the team. It has been a big boost," said Lotus team principal Eric Boullier, in an interview with […]

Posted on Friday, February 10, 2012

Lopez: Money a side issue in latest Raikkonen deal

Lotus team owner Gerard Lopez insists he is delighted with Kimi Raikkonen, despite earlier negotiations to secure the Finn's services having foundered. After a two year break to drive rallies and in Nascar, the 2007 world champion is back in Formula 1 this year with the former Renault team. "We had some contact with Kimi in 2010," revealed Lopez, according to Finland's Turun Sanomat newspaper. Reports in 2010 linked Raikkonen with the Enstone based team, but the talks apparently soured after becoming public knowledge. "I […]

Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Lotus Jerez Test Day 1

Lotus F1 Team’s 2012 challenger, the E20, topped the times during the first day of testing at Jerez with Kimi Raikkonen at the wheel. FAST FACTS: Track: Jerez, Spain, 4.4km Chassis: E20-01 Weather: Sunny, air 5-17°C, track 6-25°C Programme: Systems checks, temperature monitoring, data correlation, evaluation of the performance of the car with its initial aerodynamic package. Laps Completed: 75 Classification: 1st, 1’19"670. Interruptions: KERS battery change in the afternoon. What’s next? Kimi will complete his running in the E20 at Jerez tomorrow, before handing […]

Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Sauber's Key headed for Le Mans with Lotus

Sauber's departing technical boss James Key appears headed for Lotus. On the eve of its 2012 car launch, the Swiss team announced that it will not replace the departing Briton Key, who has accepted an offer to work in the UK. Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said it is rumoured Key is headed for Lotus. Not the Enstone based F1 team, however, but sponsor Group Lotus' motor racing programme, including Le Mans. Sauber managing director Monisha Kaltenborn denied the Hinwil based team cannot afford to […]

Posted on Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Raikkonen to reunite with former McLaren engineer

Kimi Raikkonen will have a familiar race engineer for his return to Formula 1 this year. Finnish reports in Turun Sanomat and the television broadcaster MTV3 claim that the 2007 world champion will work with Mark Slade. Slade, recently at Mercedes GP working alongside Michael Schumacher, was Raikkonen's race engineer at McLaren years ago. Slade also previously worked as a race engineer to Mika Hakkinen and Heikki Kovalainen. Raikkonen will start working together with his engineer at Barcelona at the last test before Melbourne. "I […]

Posted on Monday, February 6, 2012

Lotus report: Raikkonen's pre-test with the E20

Lotus F1 Team’s 2012 challenger, the E20, has taken to the track for the first time for filming purposes at Jerez ahead of this week’s four-day test. 2007 Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen took the wheel for 22 laps of the Circuito de Jerez today in the E20 with which he will contest the 2012 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. The laps were undertaken at non-race speeds for filming purposes, but nevertheless allowed Raikkonen to gain initial impressions of the car under crystal blue […]

Posted on Sunday, February 5, 2012

F1 world still busy on winter Sunday

The next pieces are set to fall into place as a busy period in the world of Formula One continues. With four 2012 cars now launched, the next one - Lotus' new E20 car - will head the headlines on Sunday afternoon when it is unveiled online from the former Renault team's Enstone base. At the same time, F1 teams - including Lotus - are busily setting up at Jerez for the first group test of the pre-season. "No snow here," Lotus said from Spain […]

Posted on Friday, January 27, 2012

New Lotus to be called E20

Lotus has confirmed its 2012 chassis will be called the E20

Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Lotus to run radical braking system in 2012

Lotus could set the trend with the first major innovation of the 2012 season. Finland's Turun Sanomat reports that Giorgio Piolo - arguably F1's most respected technical illustrator - has revealed that Lotus' new car features a radical braking system. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the system is similar to the mass damper innovation pioneered by the Enstone based team (then Renault) some years ago. The innovation was reportedly discovered during the young drivers' test in Abu Dhabi. Turun Sanomat explained that the driver-operated […]

Posted on Wednesday, January 11, 2012

D'Ambrosio announcement due in ten days

An announcement about Jerome d'Ambrosio's plans for the 2012 season is due within ten days, according to his manager. The 26-year-old Belgian lost his Virgin/Marussia seat after his debut season in 2011 but is now reportedly in the running to re-emerge at HRT. Handled by Lotus owner Genii's management arm, it is also possible d'Ambrosio could fall back on a reserve driver role at the Enstone based team. "A decision should be made within ten days in time for the start of winter testing at […]

Posted on Thursday, January 5, 2012

Raikkonen back behind the wheel

“I have not sat in an F1 car since the last race of the 2009 season” smiled Kimi, as he jumped into the cockpit for his first seat fitting at Enstone today. The Finn spent his day at Lotus factory in Enstone, despite a heavy technical programme, took time to answer his fans’ questions. Kimi, today marked the first time you have been back in the cockpit of a Formula 1 car since 2009. How did it feel? The last time I was at Enstone I […]