Lotus T128 (Formula One car)

Pre-season

Lotus Racing announced on 5 October 2010 that the team had agreed a deal with Red Bull Technology for the supply of gearboxes and hydraulic systems from 2011 onwards. As part of a major technical team upgrade many Force India staff were leaving their jobs to join the team and aid with car development. On 24 October 2010, the team confirmed that it will build a dedicated wind-tunnel facility at its British base. In addition, the team and its GP2 outfit Team AirAsia will expand operations at the existing factory site to take over a further two units, giving Team Air Asia a permanent home alongside the Lotus operation. On 5 November 2010, the team confirmed an engine full-works partnership for the next two years with Renault.

On 30 November 2010, the FIA released the entry list for the 2011 season in which Lotus Racing were listed under the "Team Lotus" name. To show that the team was pressing ahead with its plans, they rebranded their factory, changed their official website and introduced a new team logo. Chief executive Riad Asmat announced that he expected the car to be a genuine midfield runner and challenge for point-scoring positions. Jarno Trulli said that the Lotus-sponsored Renault team had given Team Lotus plenty of motivation to perform more consistently.

Team Lotus skipped the first day of the Valencia test opting to carry out a private test day at the end of the week instead. It was a good call as a power steering issue dogged the car after its roll out on Wednesday. It limited most of the test to looking at launch systems, aero testing and basic systems checks. It also meant that the team was lacking on long runs and tyre data (it was running too slowly to really work the rubber).

2011 season

In qualifying for the first race, the Australian Grand Prix, Team Lotus were eliminated in Q1, causing surprise within the team, who had expected to be much closer to the midfield, although they were ahead of both Virgins and HRTs. In the race, Kovalainen retired on lap 19 due to a water leak, while Trulli finished 13th, ahead of d'Ambrosio.

Throughout the season, the T128 was faster than the Virgin cars and HRTs.

Sponsorship and livery

The livery was similar to the previous season's design with subtle changes. Prior to the naming dispute over the Lotus Renault GP and Lotus Cars, the Caterham logo and new livery was added to the cars from the 2011 British Grand Prix onwards.

As a tribute to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, a message carried on the sidepods and used in occasion.

Complete Formula One results

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

References

References

1. Beer, Matt. (2011-01-31). "Team Lotus unveils the new T128". [[Haymarket Group.
2. Noble, Jonathan. (25 January 2011). "Lotus to unveil new car online". [[Haymarket Group.
3. Beer, Matt. (2011-01-31). "Lotus to start season without KERS". [[Haymarket Group.
4. (5 October 2010). "Lotus to use Red Bull gearbox in 2011". ESPN Emea Ltd..
5. (18 October 2010). "Green to replace Smith at Force India". [[Haymarket Group.
6. Collantine, Keith. (2 June 2010). "Mark Smith leaves Force India for Lotus". Keith Collantine.
7. (24 October 2010). "Wind Tunnel Lays Foundation For Future Success". Lotus Racing.
8. (5 November 2010). "Renault Engine Partnership". Lotus Racing.
9. (2 December 2010). "2011 FIA Formula One World Championship". [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]].
10. Noble, Jonathan. (21 December 2010). "Team Lotus rebrands factory". [[Haymarket Group.
11. Benson, Andrew. (17 January 2011). "Lotus must score points in 2011, says chief Riad Asmat". BBC.
12. Noble, Jonathan. "Trulli: Lotus dispute has motivated team - F1 - Autosport".
13. "2011 Formula 1 Qantas Australian Grand Prix".
14. "Team Lotus F1 Cars to Sport Caterham Logo at Silverstone".