The Lotus F1 Team embarked on an aggressive strategy in Shanghai that saw both drivers pit twice. The gamble worked for Romain Grosjean, who improved on his tenth place grid slot to come home sixth, while Kimi Raikkonen fell back. The Finn started an excellent fourth place and ran as high as second during laps 41 to 47. Having pitted for the second set of medium tyres four laps before Romain, he suffered huge degradation and was swamped by his rivals during the final laps. Grosjean?s sixth place yields eight points ? the first of his F1 career.
Kimi Raikkonen: ?Up until the last ten laps it was looking quite good, but we ran out of tyre performance at the end. We had good pace in the race, we tried a different strategy and it didn?t pay off. It?s as simple as that.?
Romain Grosjean: ?It was a very good race, I really enjoyed it. To be up there fighting with McLaren and Red Bull is a great feeling and I?m happy to have got my season started properly. We?ve had high hopes since P3 on the grid in Melbourne, and now after a few setbacks it?s time to aim higher.?
INDYCAR ? LONG BEACH GRAND PRIX
A tough weekend for the Lotus-engined teams in California. Having been sidelined for much of practice and qualifying due to bad weather and a water pump issue, Lotus HVM?s Simona di Silvestro suffered an engine failure 11 laps from the end of the 85 lap race, demoting her to 20th. Lotus Team Barracuda BHA?s Alex Tagliani, who qualified tenth, struggled during the race and was also hit by EJ Viso, forcing him to pit for a new front wing. Ultimately, he retired and registered 21st place. Lotus Dragon Racing?s Sebastien Bourdais finished 17th after hitting a tyre wall and losing two laps. His team-mate, Katherine Legge, also lost her front wing ? she crossed the line in 19th. The highest Lotus finisher was DDR?s Oriol Servia. He dropped two laps due to a kafuffle in the pits, but passed champion Dario Franchitti on the last lap for 15th. However, a car pile-up bumped him back down to 16th, after he stalled and needed his crew to push him across the finish line.
Oriol Servia, Lotus DDR: ?We lost a wheel nut and that's what put us two laps down. Not the best day out there, but I'm really happy with the team, they kept their heads down and in the end that's what will give us the results."
Alex Tagliani, Lotus Team Barracuda BHA: ?I think the car was decent in the race. We made some passes and I think the car would have been good to have a decent finish if we ran the whole race.?
Simona De Silvestro, Lotus HVM Racing: ?We had issues in practice and qualifying and only ran like six laps total going into the race, so we were excited to be running such a great race. We had good pit stops and only 11 laps to go when we lost the engine, so it?s really frustrating. Not fun!?
Sebastien Bourdais, Lotus Dragon Racing: ?I lost the car on brakes, lost the rear, and went sideways. By then, it was too late, I was in the tyre wall. I thought for sure the car was all broken, but when I checked for damage, there was nothing, When the safety team got me going, I was two laps down, but decided to bring it home.?
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES ? LONG BEACH
Lotus AJR?s Evora took the chequered flag in its first ALMS race at the weekend, at Long Beach. Bill Sweedler was at the wheel at the start of the race and was hit from behind as he braked to avoid a stopped car. He was spun around and then, moments later, hit for a second time which caused severe damage to the exhaust and robbed the Evora of valuable horsepower. The crew made repairs, but Sweedler and team-mate Townsend Bell were down several laps. They soldiered on to take the flag.
Bill Sweedler: ?It was an unfortunate start. There was pile up in the Fountain Turn, I got hit from behind by a GTC car and he spun me. I was getting back underway when a prototype came in and hit me harder. That caused the exhaust pipe to be crimped by about 90-degrees, so we were putting out about one-tenth of the horsepower. The guys did a good job to make the repairs and keep us going.?
Townsend Bell: ?The team hustled and worked hard to replace the exhaust and keep us in the race. It was nice for me to go out and drive this car against competition for the first time. We have a long list of things to work on with this car. We are realistic about the challenge ahead of us. I got to ride around the streets of Long Beach in a fast Lotus today, so that wasn't all bad.?
LOTUS CUP UK
The Lotus Cup UK and Elise Trophy seasons got underway at Silverstone this weekend. In the Elise Trophy races Steve Quick and Rob Boston took one win each, whilst Martin Donnelly and Steve Williams (owner and fellow co-driver of SW Lotus) achieved a great result for the debut of their newly built GTN Evora S race car which was up against some well established competition and secured a ?best in class? victory.
Martin Donnelly commented ?Qualifying went very well considering the car had only just been completed that morning! I am very please with the result, we where third overall and fastest in class which is incredible considering the timeframe we had to get the car ready! With some more track time between now and our next race at Brands Hatch which supports the German DTM Championship we will be looking for the out right win.?
Lotus ambassador Jean Alesi reflects on the Chinese Grand Prix?
Kimi Raikkonen slid from second to 14th in the closing laps ? where did it all go wrong?
Well, first of all what a fantastic race. China was really thrilling right to the end, and it was thanks to the different tyre strategies the teams adopted. Kimi?s strategy was quite optimistic, staying out on his third set of tyres. I was so shocked when he lost all those positions in just a couple of laps. He did a great job of keeping those cars behind him as long as he did, but suddenly there was a big drop-off of grip and when Sebastian Vettel got past, Kimi was forced to go off line and picked up the discarded rubber marbles. He had no chance to clean his tyres and everyone else passed him. Fernando Alonso suffered more or less the same thing, but there weren?t so many cars behind him and he only lost a couple of places.
The two-stop strategy seemed to work better for Romain Grosjean, who rose from tenth to sixth?
Yes, he had good race pace. After his accidents in Australia and Malaysia he had to be more careful, he knew he needed to get to the end. I was quite happy with what he did, at a track he?s never driven on before.
The car is capable of more though. It must be frustrating for them not to be on the podium yet?
It?s really tough when your results don?t match your performance. Ferrari has a car that is uncompetitive, but after two rounds Fernando was leading the world championship. At Lotus, things are the other way around. They have a very competitive car but they haven?t pulled it all together. In this situation, it is important to stay cool and acknowledge they have the car, they trust the drivers, and the results will come. Unlike last year, when the Red Bull RB7 dominated, this season there isn?t a clear frontrunner and that means it?s all about detail. Because it?s so close out there, the winning team will be the one that makes no mistakes. One little detail missing, and the results won?t come. So Lotus need to stay calm, but keep an eye on every detail.
Double podiums for both the Lotus F1 and GP2 teams, plus a class win for an Evora at Donington. It was a super Sunday for Lotus fans.
FORMULA ONE ? BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
?#Wheresmypodium? tweeted the Lotus F1 Team throughout the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. Having come close in each of the opening rounds, the obvious pace of the Lotus E20 and the unquestionable skills of Kimi Raikkonen and young hotshoe Romain Grosjean, it was only a matter of time. Finally, in the Middle East, it came together.
It was the first time two Lotus drivers have been on the F1 podium together since Carlos Reutemann and Mario Andretti followed Patrick Depailler?s Liger home at Jarama, Spain, in April 1979.
Kimi qualified 11th, and in missing out on the Q3 cut-off he saved a set of Pirellis which would come in handy. Romain qualified seventh.
The start was scintillating from both Lotus drivers. Grosjean shot up to third, Raikkonen up to sixth. Then they set about picking off more rivals, and emerged from the pitstops second and third respectively. On soft tyres, Kimi was the faster of the pair and was allowed to overtake on Lap 24. Let of the leash, he began hunting down race leader Sebastian Vettel. Having reigned him in with DRS, and had a stab at the end of the straight, Seb and Kimi pitted together on Lap 39, the German maintaining his lead and slowly pulling away.
The Lotus is kinder to its tyres than the Red Bull but on this occasion Vettel?s RB8 was able to keep a gap to the fired-up Finn. They crossed the finish line a few seconds apart, with Romain taking his first F1 podium further down the road.
Lotus now leaps from sixth to third in the Constructors? Championship, sandwiched between McLaren and Ferrari.
Kimi Raikkonen: ?It?s a bit disappointing that I didn?t manage to win, but at least we got a podium with both cars. We?ve not been 100 percent happy with how the weekends have been so far, but finally we?ve got some proper results, so it?s an important step. I got one chance on Sebastian but I chose the wrong side under braking. In the end, there were no other chances to try. I don?t like to finish second, but I?m pretty happy to be up here.?
Romain Grosjean: ?I?m delighted and very proud of the team. We knew we had a quick car but at the beginning I think we were surprised by how quick we were. Our car is very competitive in what is a tight season so far. I think we can be very happy with what we did. Last week I earned my first points, this week I get my first podium. I?m looking forward to what comes next.?
GP2 ? BAHRAIN
Round 2 of the 2012 F1 feeder series, GP2, saw the black and gold Lotus cars reach the podium three times in the weekend?s two races.
Esteban Gutierrez started on the front row for Race 1, just behind Davide Valsecchi, while team-mate James Calado started seventh. The Englishman suffered mysterious handling issues which dogged his weekend, but his pace was still clear to see. In the race, he got up to P2 while Esteban had a slow pitstop and slid down the field only to recover in style. Taking Johnny Cecotto for P5, the Mexican was forced off the track and across the sand, but still made his thrilling move stick. Battling with tyre degradation, James was passed by Luiz Razia and then Esteban for fourth. While Calado had to accept fifth position, Gutierrez set off after Max Chilton?s Carlin and, on the final lap at the last opportunity, he nailed him and slammed the door shut. Third place, and a very happy Mexican.
The results meant Calado started Race 2 in fourth and Gutierrez sixth. And what a start it was. Down into Turn 1 the Englishman stole the lead while Esteban chased in third. Fabio Leimer was sandwiched between them and on Lap 2 was mugged by Esteban on the main straight. The two Lotus team-mates fought each other hard for the lead, a slight contact snapping off a small but not insignificant part of Gutierrez? front wing. Calado locked up into Turn 1, they touched, and Leimer came between them again. Struggling at the front, the chasing pair managed to slip passed Calado who would finish in third. Then Leimer was given a drive-through for ignoring yellow flags, and that promoted Gutierrez to the lead. Behind him, though, Valsecchi had been nursing his tyres and was ready to pounce. On the final lap the Italian DAMS racer took the position, with Gutierrez and Calado crossing the line to seal a double-podium for Lotus ? the first of the day, but not the last.
Esteban Gutierrez: ?It was a very positive weekend for me, with two podium finishes. I hope we can build on this consistency for the rest of the season and make a small step forward so we can fight for wins every time.?
James Calado: ?Around right-hand corners the car understeered terribly. It was like the front left wheel was off the ground. So this is something we need to look into. We made some changes after Race 1 but they only made the problem worse. It led to the tyres overheating, and that made it extremely difficult. So given that, I think we can feel very fortunate to finish where we did.?
BRITCAR BRITISH ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP ? DONINGTON
Team Bullrun?s Evora GT4 crossed the line first in their class at the Donington Park endurance race and is leading the way at the top of the table after the second round.
David Green: ?We are delighted with the win at Donington in difficult weather conditions and against strong opposition. The Evora performed very well with the constantly changing levels of grip and gave us added flexibility to adjust our race strategy accordingly. With a quarter of the season already gone we are exactly where we want to be - leading both the Class and Overall Championship."
Claudio Berro, director of Lotus Racing: ?A fantastic weekend for Lotus Racing and well done to all the teams involved ? the Lotus F1 Team, Lotus GP and Team Bullrun. It?s such a thrill to see a pair of Lotus drivers back on the podium. It?s been 33 years since we?ve had two F1 drivers up there, in their black and gold suits, and we?re all very proud. There?s plenty more to come from Kimi, Romain, and the Lotus E20 so stay tuned. Congratulations to our GP2 drivers, we saw some really spirited racing there. And it?s wonderful to see our Evora GT4 show the rest how it?s done in the Britcar series.?
Kimi Raikkonen bagged his second podium on the trot in Barcelona, charging hard to finish third behind first time grand prix winner Pastor Maldonado and, by just half a second, Fernando Alonso.
The Finn was disappointed not to finish on the top step, though, claiming that the Lotus E20 had the potential to have won every race this year so far. Nevertheless, he is now fourth in the Drivers? Championship, just 12 points behind leaders Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.
Starting on the second row behind team-mate Romain Grosjean, he passed the Frenchman at the start. He held third till the second round of stops, and when Alonso pitted from the lead on Lap 45 the Iceman enjoyed two laps at the front, before being passed by the resurgent Maldonado. Struggling with degradation, he was soon holding up Alonso before pitting for late rubber on Lap 49 and then setting off on a final sprint on fresh rubber. As the laps counted down he slashed the gap to Alonso by a couple of seconds a lap while the Spaniard struggled with grip. He entered the final of 66 laps 2.3 seconds behind the Ferrari and screamed across the line just 0.6 adrift.
Romain took the chequered flag just ten seconds behind his team-mate, securing fourth place. He had lost several positions at the start, and lost a bit of front wing to Bruno Senna which didn?t help matters, but he recovered to score 12 points.
Currently sitting third, Lotus F1 now moves within 14 points of McLaren and 25 behind leaders Red Bull Racing in the Constructors Championship.
Kimi Raikkonen: ?I had a good start, but I hit the rev limiter and couldn?t take the other two, and then we fell back too far in the middle stint. By pitting late the third time I had a lot of speed for the finish and, given one more lap, I probably could have overtaken Fernando, but that?s easy to say afterwards.?
Romain Grosjean: ?Both cars finishing strongly in the points is great for the team. It was pretty difficult for me at the start of the race as it was hard to get the front working properly with the wing damaged, but we made some changes and at the end of the race the car was really flying.?
GP2 ? BARCELONA
Lotus GP?s James Calado took a storming pole position and second place in Barcelona?s Saturday round, followed by a strong drive to fourth on Sunday to push his way up the driver?s standings to third.
While others, including team-mate Esteban Gutierrez, were impeded by a yellow flag on their flying run in qualifying, Calado was two tenths faster than anyone else. In the race, traffic and a bold tyre strategy from rival Giedo van der Garde pushed Calado to second. Starting P7 in Race 2 he then battled Gutierrez through Turn 1 and then hunted championship leader Davide Valsecchi down but just missed out on the final podium place, finishing fourth.
Gutierrez left with five points to show for a testing weekend. Qualifying 11th because he had to abort what looked like a pole lap due to yellow flags, he finished Race 1 tenth and earned a further two points for setting the fastest lap. On Sunday he fought his way up to seventh.
Lotus GP sits second in the team standings on 128 points, behind leaders DAMS on 157.
James Calado: ?Race 1 I started from pole and was quite aggressive with Fabio [Leimer] at the start. I was leading when I came into the pits but Fabio was right behind, and we left side-by-side. Giedo [van der Garde] only changed two tyres, which is how he managed to move ahead in the stops. We should look at that for Monaco because there?s obviously a lot of time to be found. From there I just tried to save my tyres, and had to make do with second. Race 2 I made a good start but then got boxed in at Turn 1, where Giedo and Esteban got past. Then I made it past him and Max Chilton too. I got right up behind Davide [Valsecchi] at the end there, but I couldn?t get past and seize third because the car was sliding around too much while I was in his slipstream and I was hitting the rev limiter at the end of the straight.?
Esteban Gutierrez: ?The result is not ideal, and our qualifying position affected us a lot. But I did my best. I enjoyed the latter stages of Race 2 as I fought with Giedo [van der Garde], but unfortunately I wasn?t able to take sixth. Five points from this weekend is better than nothing, but I know we are capable of a lot more. We?ll keep pushing!?
GP3 ? BARCELONA
Lotus? American GP3 driver Conor Daly took his first GP3 win on Sunday at the Circuit de Catalunya, at the opening round of the 2012 GP3 Series.
On Saturday, he qualified his black and gold car on the front row behind Antonio Felix da Costa, with team-mates Aaro Vainio in P3 and Daniel Abt in P6. Abt made a jump start, managing to get into the lead before he being penalized. Meanwhile, Daly went backwards and finished sixth. Vainio battled throughout to retain his third place.
In Race 2, Daly started third. He outsprinted polesitter Robert Visoiu via the grass into Turn 1, while Tio Ellinas took the lead after a jump start. When he pitted for his drive-thru penalty on Lap 6, Daly was able to cruise into the lead and seal a popular victory. Vainio, meanwhile, finished fourth and Abt seventh.
After two races, Daly sits second in the championship behind Race 1 winner Mitch Evans. Lotus GP leads the Team?s Championship by three points.
Conor Daly: ?It?s really cool. I made a mistake yesterday in Race 1, I didn?t have the best start, and I didn?t put ourselves in a good position. I was lucky enough to redeem myself today at the start. It feels so nice to have my first podium and my first win. It feels really good to be in this form heading to Monaco. The car has been really good. The Lotus GP guys have been fantastic, the way we have worked together during testing has been awesome.?
BRITCAR MSA BRITISH ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP ? SNETTERTON 300
Team Bullrun?s Lotus Evora GT4 finished second in its class on Saturday at the Snetterton 300, just up the road from Lotus? headquarters in Norfolk. Martin Byford?s qualifying lap was enough for third on the grid, and team-mate Richard Adams did the first stint of the three hour race. There were six safety car periods during the race, and two were particularly costly for Team Bullrun as they, with third driver David Green, had to unlap themselves twice. Nevertheless, they adapted their strategy and managed to move up a position, scoring the fastest lap along the way, to finish second. The team now leads the championship.
Richard Adams: ?Our nearest rivals finished fifth, so this second place is really great news and now we lead the championship, which obviously feels fantastic. It wasn?t an easy race and we lost out twice behind the safety car, having to unlap ourselves. What really got us this result today was the Evora?s excellent fuel consumption. Driving behind the safety car for so many laps meant we were able to take a gamble and pit one time less than we ordinarily would have, and the gamble paid off.?
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES ? LAGUNA SECA
Lotus-AJR had a character-building weekend in Monterey, California, when they dealt with a series of technical issues which kept their Evora GT from the front. An engine issue meant the team had to switch to a 2011-spec powerplant and a lack of practice for driver Bill Sweedler meant the car had to start at the back of the grid. His team-mate Townsend Bell took the start, and he was catching his class rivals when the gearbox started to misbehave on Lap 22. After pitting for repairs it was Sweedler?s turn, but he too was dogged by a half-shift issue.
ALMS will take its yearly break for teams to participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The next event will be the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix, July 6-7 at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut.
Bill Sweedler: "It was a tough weekend all round. We are really pleased with how far the car has come since Long Beach, but we need some development and laps under our belt before we go to Lime Rock in July. I was able to turn some solid laps in the race when we went back out. It was nice to feel the progress that has been made by the Lotus AJR team since we ran at Long Beach three weeks ago. The team is going to continue on the development path during the Le Mans break, do some testing and keep moving forward."
Claudio Berro, director of Lotus Racing: ?First of all, congratulations to Conor Daly on his first win in GP3. It was a very promising start to Lotus GP?s campaign and, after this first weekend, the team leads the championship, so very well done to Frederic Vasseur and all his guys. The team earned strong points in GP2 too, with James Calado getting pole position and a second place. In Formula One it was another successful weekend, with Kimi Raikkonen reaching the podium twice in a row now. That kind of consistency is great for the championship, and I think it?s only a matter of time before Lotus is on the top step of a grand prix podium again. What a spectacular season this is turning out to be.?
INDYCAR ? ROOKIE ORIENTATION PROGRAM, INDIANAPOLIS
Jean Alesi got his first taste of IndyCar and oval racing last week as he and the Lotus-powered Fan Force United team gear up for America?s most legendary motor race, the Indianapolis 500. He might be a grand prix winner, but everything is new to him at Indy, and he is working hard to learn the ropes in a very short space of time. He?s been assimilating as much information as possible both in and out of the car, and downloading the knowledge and advice of his team?s experienced crew, which includes 1996 Indy 500 winner Buddy Lazier.
Jean ? who is driving the black and gold No.64 F.P.Journe-sponsored machine - has now completed all three phases of the Rookie Orientation Program, where Indy debutants are monitored at increasing speeds as they learn the track. Phase I constitutes ten laps at speeds of between 200 to 205mph; Phase II consists of 15 laps at between 205 and 210mph; the third and final phase sees the drivers demonstrate 15 laps flat out at over 210mph. The data is monitored by officials as the drivers progress through each phase.
In Practice 3, Jean drove at a speed of 211.516mph, lapping the track in 42.5499 seconds.
Jean Alesi: ?The car and the circuit are new and it?s been a long time since I last drove a single-seater in anger. The track is fast. It?s extremely important to concentrate all the time. You can?t go on the track and be relaxed. I respect very much the Indianapolis track. We have now finished our rookie program. I?m happy, but I still expect more from the engine performance. We are still very far away, but the engineers are working on it. The Lotus FFU team around me is very experienced, so anywhere I turn, when I speak to one of the guys, I get good advice.?
Lotus driver Simona de Silvestro (#78 ? Lotus HVM Racing) scored her best season finish in Sunday?s Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. After starting at the back of the field because of an engine change penalty, she?d worked her way up to 13th position by the time the checker flag flew.
?I think we can be pretty happy because we finished the race,? said the Swiss driver. ?The guys worked really hard the whole weekend just to get the car turned around and we had a really strong race car.?
Simona drove a solid race and kept up with the rest of the field. Strategy and good driving were the keys to Lotus HVM Racing?s great finish. The team engineers called for an early pitstop on lap 11, setting the stage for De Silvestro?s race. She ran as high as 11th at one point and was running 13th when the team completed their second pitstop of the day on lap 37.
Lotus HVM Racing team owner, Keith Wiggins was pleased with the team?s performance. ?It was hard work for a 13th place finish,? he said, ?but on the good side, the crew did a really good job on the strategy even though we had less fuel consumption than the other guys. Simona drove a really great, intelligent race. The reliability was better so that?s a step forward.?
Claudio Berro, Director of Lotus Racing, commented: ?We are very proud of Simona?s performance in the Detroit Grand Prix. She was consistent and had a strong finish. The Lotus HVM Racing team did a great job and came up with a really good strategy. We thank her and the team for all their hard work. We, at Lotus Racing, will keep working hard to give her and HVM Racing what they need to obtain good results."
Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship Race - Brands Hatch
Team Bullrun had a text book weekend at Brands Hatch for Round 4 of the MSA Britcar Endurance Championship.
Qualifying was tight, but a last minute run sealed pole position by 2 hundredths of a second giving an all important track position on the tight Indy circuit. Martin Byford started the race which saw a number of safety cars in the first hour, but costly safety cars at the last round at Snetterton were replaced by lady luck this time round. After the hour mark, the Evora was comfortably in front.
With some skilful driving through traffic, Martin handed over the car with over a thirty second lead, leaving David Green a comfortable drive to victory. Byford?s efforts were also rewarded with the Sunoco Driver of the Day award. The win stretches Team Bullrun's lead to 2 points at the halfway point in the Championship.
David Green commented: "It was a great weekend for the team. We did feel a slight bit of pressure to maintain the Championship lead, however, an amazing drive from birthday boy Martin in the first stint set us up nicely for the win. The car was faultless all weekend and seems to be getting stronger as we all get used to it and tweak the set up. We are looking forward to the second half of the season, especially as we are front of the pack."
Von der Invasion von Lotus in den Motorsport scheint zumindest die Sportwagenabteilung noch am leben zu sein. Ich denke ein Konkurrenzfähiges Auto für LeMans und co auf die Räder zu stellen ist auch einiges günstiger als das Engagement in der F1 und Indy.
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