Well these new teams might just show how full of sh*t Bernie actually is. I'm glad to see they are on track.

Just one month after confirmation of its entry into the 2010 Formula One World Championship, Lotus F1 Racing is heading into the wind tunnel with a scale model of its first challenger.

The as yet undesignated model is the product of the recent collaboration between chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne and the team’s technical partners.

“The start of any wind tunnel testing is an important step in the development of a new car, but it is particularly exciting for us as we continue preparations for our first season," said Gascoyne. "It has been a very busy time since our entry was confirmed by the FIA. We had been working on the entry for several months so we already had aspects of the team infrastructure in place; the finances, the factory and the top management. Once our entry was confirmed in mid-September, we were able to accelerate our recruitment and car development process and this is really where we are at now.

“We have been working with Fondtech to develop the aerodynamics, as well as with gearbox specialists Xtrac. We have an engine supply deal in place with Cosworth and we also have the support of engineering and composites teams in Malaysia who will play an integral role in developing the car.”

Gascoyne - who has a long history in the sport working with Jordan, Renault, Toyota and Force India - went on to explain that the Lotus entry has only been made possible due to financing from the Malaysian private sector and support from the Malaysian government through its 1Malaysia initiative. While the team will have a British base initially, the longer-term vision is to create a centre of technical excellence at the Sepang circuit.

"Lotus F1 Racing will be a Malaysian team through and through - we have already started planning together with Tony Fernandes and his associates," Gascoyne said.

"Naturally this takes time, so we have opted initially for a UK base at the RTN facility in Hingham from where we will run the F1 operations while we establish our Malaysian facilities. Ultimately, the team will be headquartered in Malaysia, but we will keep a small UK base which will give us a logistical advantage when we are racing within Europe.”

Along with the other new entries for the 2010 season, it is a race against time for Lotus to complete the car and get the team up and running ahead of the Bahrain season opener.

"I am confident that we are up to the task in hand," he said. "Our target is to get the car ready for a roll out by the middle of February so that we can carry out pre-season testing in preparation for Bahrain in mid-March.

“We need to remain realistic in our aims for the first year. We are a new team and we are starting our development late, so it will be an achievement just to get two cars on the Bahrain grid. I hope by the middle of the season we will have established ourselves as the best of the rookie teams and then continue to make forward progress for the rest of the year.”

The team admits that while it has been looking closely at the driver market, no decisions have been taken. "We need versatile drivers," Gascoyne explained. "We need reliable and technically-minded drivers who can help us develop the car during the season, but at the same time we need drivers who are hungry for results and who can extract every little bit of performance from the car at all times.”

F1 : All systems go for Lotus - LOTUS - F1-Live.com

 

Great news! I'll be looking forward to seeing Lotus back on the grid but it's a shame they'll be more Malaysian than British this time 'round.

 

Yeah that part sucks, but that also means they will be within a few hours of me

 

Cool to see Lotus joining in! I really have to follow some of the F1 races now.