Kovalainen impressed with T128

Heikki Kovalainen is feeling upbeat about the new F1 season after some encouraging performances with the T128 during the pre-season test in Jerez

The 29-year-old was able to keep pace with some of the more established teams in Spain last week and his 1:21.632 on the final day was good enough for P6.

Kovalainen admits he's impressed with the team's 2011 challenger and feels they've reached another level.

"When it comes to speed, the car is much better shape in comparison to last year," he told Finland's Turun Sanomat.

He added: "The balance is much better. It has more grip and it can be driven harder. The chassis is also a lot more modern and the engine, gearbox and hydraulic system were completely modified and we are now at the level that a modern F1 car should be.

"When comparing the mood in the garage and the team's progress from a year ago, it's like night and day. I'm really happy with it."

Lotus' impressive times in Jerez have raised expectations about a possible midfield finish, but Kovalainen is not thinking about that just yet.

"I'm not thinking about whether or not we are going to catch up with Toro Rosso, Force India or Sauber, but my personal goal is to score points."

Source: Planet-F1

Räikkönen can replace Kubica?

Examining the possible candidates for the injured Robert Kubica, Kimi Räikkönen, many are called, as the only rider who could immediately provide good results.

Among the five reserve pilots Lotus Renault - Bruno Senna, Roman Grosjean, Fairuza Fawzi, Ho-Pin Tung and Yang Harouza no rider capable of consistently earning points from the first Grand Prix. Everything depends on the task team - if the Lotus Renault firmly focused on progress and high position in the Constructors' Championship, the end justifies the means - to do everything possible to get a better racer.

As such, called Nick Heidfeld, Pedro de la Rosa and Nico Hulkenberg, but many believe that Kimi Räikkönen - the best option.

In the coming days the team will have to decide to not miss the opportunity to familiarize pilots with the car in winter testing.

Source: F1news.ru

Photos: Lotus Renault GP R31 launch 2011

Lotus Renault GP R31 launch Today!

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Team Lotus unveils 2011 car

Team Lotus on Monday revealed its 2011 car.

In an edition of its online magazine Team Lotus Notes, the team published the first photographs of the new green and gold T128 featuring a Mercedes-style unconventional airbox shape.

The new livery features more yellow and prominent Renault signage, reflecting its new engine partnership with the French marque.

The car itself, with a rear end supplied by Red Bull, has a high and straight nose similar to the other designs seen so far including the Ferrari and Mercedes.

The special launch edition of the team’s magazine has a number of first-see images of the 2011 car and insights from key players within Team Lotus into the design and build process of the new car, including people from the Aero, R&D and Vehicle Dynamics, Design and Senior Management Teams.

Here are a few selected highlights, but click on this link to the launch edition on the homepage of Teamlotus.co.uk for the whole story.

Marianne Hinson, Head of Aerodynamics: "In aero we started thinking about the new car around Spring last year, a bit before any of the other departments. The start of the process is a really fun period, when you’re looking through the new rules, thrashing out ideas and trying to find loopholes."

Lewis Butler, Chief Designer: "The biggest design challenge was trying to package everything a bit smaller. We were trying to get that area around the driver really tight so the aerodynamicists were happy with it."

Elliot Dason-Barber, Head of R&D and Vehicle Dynamics: "We’re definitely going to take a step forward with this car. Quite how much we’ll close the gap to the teams in front of us we’ll see, but my hope is we’ll be competing with the teams that were a second or two ahead of us last season."

Keith Saunt, Chief Operating Officer: "You can just see that this car will be faster than last year’s. It’s got the right sweeps and curves on it - it’s the very latest iteration of what an F1 car should be."

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: "I think that basically this car looks like a front-running car in every area. We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that’s very achievable."

Riad Asmat, Chief Executive Officer: "T128 takes Team Lotus in exactly the right direction. We have said since day one of the Team Lotus dream that the plan for our second year was to take the fight to the midfield, and with this car we are all confident that is what we will be able to do."

Team Principal Tony Fernandes: "There has been so much focus off-track it’s a thrill to be able to get back to talking about racing. The launch of the T128 is a big step forward for Team Lotus and I want to thank the whole team for the amount of hard work that has already gone into the car, and I want to thank Renault and Red Bull Technology for their tremendous support in helping us make this step forward and for being such great team partners."

Source: Nextgen

Kovalainen to get first taste of TL11

Heikki Kovalainen will have the first opportunity to put Lotus' 2011 challenger through its paces thanks to a rather interesting decision making technique...

The TL11 will be introduced to fans on Monday, but will only hit the track in Valencia on 2 February, missing out the first day of pre-season testing.

Kovalainen has revealed that he, rather than team-mate Jarno Truli, will be behind the wheel next Wednesday.

"I will be driving the car first, we tossed a coin and I won..." the Finn announced on his Twitter page.

Source: Planet-F1

Full Lotus court battle set for March 21

A High Court judge has set a March 21 trial date for the Lotus naming dispute, meaning two teams will start the season using the historic name.

Group Lotus had applied for a summary judgement on Monday in the hope its side of the argument would be so conclusive that a decision would be made immediately. However, Mr Justice Peter Smith said all the claims would be settled at a hearing at London's High Court in eight weeks time, the earliest possible date both sides could agree on.

The trial will start on the second Monday after the Bahrain Grand Prix, meaning both teams will turn up at the season opener under Lotus signage and one may have to change its identity midway through the season.

Monday's hearing focused on Group Lotus' decision to withdraw Team Lotus' naming rights, but the full trial will deal with further issues of breach of contract and Group Lotus' use of Lotus' F1 history, which Team Lotus' says it owns.

The whole issue stems from Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar's decision to end his company's naming rights deal with Tony Fenrandes' Team Lotus (which was in place before Bahar joined in 2009) and sponsor a more established team instead. That prompted Fernandes to buy the naming rights to the original Team Lotus, which had been dormant since 1994 and were owned by David Hunt.

Group Lotus believes it has the sole right to use the Lotus brand in Formula One, while Fernandes is confident he has bought the separate Team Lotus brand from Hunt. Due to the complexities of the case it is very difficult to predict when a final decision will be reached, and if there are grounds for appeal it is almost certain it will rumble on.

Source: ESPNF1

Lotus dispute to hit High Court next week

Time is running out for the Lotus naming dispute to be solved before it hits London’s High Court.

Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said on Monday that he thinks the branding debacle, with the entirely separate Team Lotus also intending to use the name this season, will be "solved" before British legal action kicks off.

But it has emerged that the court hearings are scheduled to commence next week, after both sides appointed lawyers.

On January 24 (Monday), the High Court will hear Group Lotus’ application for a summary judgement - a ruling that would not require a subsequent trial.

Chief executive Riad Asmat said Team Lotus is pushing ahead for the 2011 season with no plans for a further rebranding.

"We know we are Team Lotus, so it’s really not an issue for us," he told the BBC. "It (the dispute) is what it is.

"We have a five-year plan. It’s unfortunate they (Group Lotus) decided to go their own way for reasons which to me are trivial."

Asmat also played down Bahar’s comments on Monday about the matter being solved amicably before the court action begins.

"We haven’t heard anything from them - we haven’t talked to them recently," he revealed.

Source: Nextgen

Lotus to launch at Valencia, not leaving FOTA

Team Lotus will have its 2011 car at the opening test in Valencia but is not planning a traditional "launch", a spokesperson said on Monday.

After a visit to the team’s Hingham (UK) headquarters last week, owner and boss Tony Fernandes said the new car "is looking great" and "much slicker" than its predecessor but warned that Lotus "won’t do (a) conventional launch".

But a spokesman clarified to Dutch website f1today.nl that, as per the plans of many rival teams, Team Lotus will be giving the new car its debut at Valencia early next month.

"We will present the car there," he said, referring to the permanent Ricardo Tormo circuit in Cheste, on the outskirts of the Spanish port city.

Meanwhile, after an HRT spokeswoman confirmed that the Spanish team elected to leave FOTA due to "politics", Fernandes said on his Twitter account on Monday that Team Lotus will not be following suit.

"We think Fota is very good and very important," he said.

Source: Motorsport

Money now too important for F1 careers - Trulli

Jarno Trulli believes wealth is becoming too important as the remaining spaces on the F1 grid fill up for 2011.

For the coming season, the likes of Nico Hulkenberg and Nick Heidfeld are facing the prospect of sitting on the sidelines, as respected teams including Williams and Sauber opt instead for race drivers with significant financial backing.

Trulli, one of the oldest and most experienced drivers on the grid, thinks the situation could have knock-on effects for the next generation.

"Today it is so difficult for young drivers," the Italian told Auto Motor und Sport during an interview.

"Money is playing too big a role and the lower series like Formula 3 are too expensive. I couldn’t repeat my own career these days," added Trulli, who made his F1 debut in 1997 with Minardi.

The 36-year-old has also raced for major teams including Renault and Toyota, but in 2010 he returned to the back of the grid with Lotus.

"It was not a good season," said Trulli.

In an interview published in Italian by italiaracing, he was more strident.

"I think I deserved a medal for being the unluckiest driver of the year," said Trulli, whose car regularly broke down last season. "There’s no need to say it was the worse season in all my life."

To the German publication, he continued: "It was a bit frustrating but it’s part of the business. I have accepted it as a transitional season."

Worse still, Trulli insists that the green T127 was not a car to his liking.

"I didn’t have what I needed for my driving style," he explained, "so it made the task doubly difficult.

"I need a stiff car that gives me good feedback, but from the first test it was clear that I wouldn’t have that."

He knows Lotus is pushing hard to catch up, but can understand some of the criticism of the new teams from established names including Ferrari.

"In the end we are all in the same race and the incumbents should respect those who are just beginning. On the other hand it is true that four seconds behind is too much.

"Now we are a year further ahead and we need a big aero step and a lighter and stiffer car. There is an awful lot to do and if we can do it, then we can fight with the back of the midfield."

But even that is not his goal.

"I must still have the skills that make some people keep believing in me, but just being here is not what I want, which is winning races and the title."

Trulli said he knows first-hand how difficult is Team Lotus’ task.

"I raced for Toyota, with great resources and unlimited possibilities, but they never achieved what they wanted to," he noted.

Source: NextgenAuto

Team Lotus Christmas message

Source: mylotusracing

Kovalainen in bed with heavy concussion

Heikki Kovalainen has been ordered to bed for a few days to nurse "heavy concussion" sustained at the weekend in Germany.



After clipping a wall, the Lotus driver crashed at the start of the Race of Champions evening in Dusseldorf when the throttle of his Audi R8 stuck open.

Finn Kovalainen, 29, was knocked unconscious for 30 seconds and sent to hospital for checks.

He then had some more checks in Switzerland on Monday and confirmed that he was "put to bed at home as a precaution" due to "heavy concussion" and a headache.

Kovalainen wrote on Twitter that he will have more tests in the next few days "as (my) head took a big hit".

His girlfriend and passenger Catherine Hyde was also injured in the crash, confirming a hairline fracture of her pelvis and hip, and damaged leg muscles.

"Both of us (are) on bed rest for a while," she said.

Source: NextgenAuto

Kovalainen confirms staying at Lotus in 2011

Heikki Kovalainen has given the strongest sign yet that he is staying at Lotus for 2011.

The Malaysian team is yet to confirm its driver lineup for next year, but it is expected that Finn Kovalainen and fellow grand prix winner Jarno Trulli are staying put.

Kovalainen told Finland’s Turun Sanomat that he is expecting the new outfit to take a major step forward in 2011: "That’s why I chose this team," said the former Renault and McLaren driver.

"It was a risk at the time to go with an entirely new team, but I’m happy with the choice that I made and what we achieved this season," added the 29-year-old.

Lotus Racing, likely to field an entirely new name for 2011, will be powered by a Renault engine fitted to a Red Bull gearbox next season.

"Expectations are high," admitted Kovalainen. "It would be a disappointment if we did not make a step forward."

The team’s technical boss Mike Gascoyne confirmed that Lotus is happy with Kovalainen.

"We always had confidence in Heikki and he delivered for us what we expected from him," he said.

"He performed well and he’s also a nice guy, making it very enjoyable for the team to work with him," added Gascoyne.

Source: Nextgen Auto

A Renault-Lotus deal could unlock Robert Kubica contract

Robert Kubica could be about to find himself free of his Renault contract, while Mike Gascoyne questions Group Lotus' F1 strategy.

Group Lotus is reportedly looking to get involved with the Enstone based team in a EUR 60 million deal that could involve the outfit being renamed Lotus-Renault in 2011 and beyond.

With the French carmaker Renault SA's involvement also reportedly changing, the situation could have knock-on effects for a range of existing team contracts, a report in Autosprint claims.

One of those contracts could be that of highly-rated Polish driver Kubica, who reportedly "would be free to choose another team".

On his hand, Mike Gascoyne has questioned Group Lotus' apparent intention to enter formula one next year in collaboration with the Renault team.

Mike Gascoyne is the technical boss at the team currently known as Lotus Racing, but the official naming license has been revoked by Group Lotus for 2011 and beyond.

This year's Lotus Racing cars have also run with branding of the Group Lotus owner Proton, but Gascoyne's boss Tony Fernandes is reportedly dismayed the sports car maker did not embrace the opportunity to tie up with his team, which will use Renault engines in 2011.

And Mike Gascoyne is now confused about the reports linking Group Lotus with a three-year EUR 60 million title sponsorship of Renault F1.

"If they want to advertise their road cars, why spend so much money on it? With us, they could do it free of charge," the Briton is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

The German report said Group Lotus is currently running at a loss, meaning it is essentially subsidised by Malaysian tax-payers due to its Proton ownership.

"The cynic might say they are going to blow away taxpayer money in formula one," said Auto Motor und Sport.

Source: Auto123

Lotus to confirm new Trulli contract before Korea

Confirmation of Jarno Trulli's extended stay at Lotus next year is due before the forthcoming Korean Grand Prix.

That is the claim of the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat, insisting that the Italian's current teammate Heikki Kovalainen has already penned a new deal for 2011.

It was reported from Suzuka that Trulli, 36, was bullish about the future, even though it had been expected that Lotus' 2011 lineup would have been confirmed by now.

Turun Sanomat said Finn Kovalainen - who is currently staying in Kuala Lumpur at team chief executive Riad Asmat's house - signed his new deal on the Sunday morning of the Italian Grand Prix last month, but that Trulli's salary talks were ongoing.

The report added that Trulli still hasn't signed a contract, but that news on the driver front is sure to be announced before Korea.

Lotus has been making many announcements recently, including the termination of its Cosworth contract, an altered name for 2011 and the Red Bull technical deal.

Confirmation of the Renault engine deal is still pending.

Lotus joked about the situation after qualifying was rained off at Suzuka last Saturday, revealing that the team "has nothing to announce for the first time in several weeks".

Source: Motorsport.com

The Secret Life of Jarno Trulli

He’s Italian but he’s never driven for Ferrari; he’s scored 246.5 points over the course of his 14 year Formula One career; his first - and only - victory came at the 2004 Monaco Grand Prix; he has raised almost 670,000 Euros for Abruzzo since a devastating earthquake hit the region in April 2009; and he owns a vineyard. These are just some of the things you probably do know about Jarno Trulli. Now find out a few you don’t, with the help of the latest installment in our Secret Life series…

Q: Are you the kind of guy to have a ‘Plan-B’?
Jarno Trulli: No, a ‘Plan A’ guy, definitely.

Q: Who do you most look forward to seeing when you arrive in the paddock on a Thursday?
JT: My bicycle.

Q: Who is your dream date?
JT: My wife!

Q: Which film last made you cry?
JT: Ah so many! I don’t like watching romantic movies, I prefer watching action. CSI… things like that.

Q: What are you afraid of?
JT: I’m a bit afraid of flying because I feel like once they shut the door you’re a dead person, and when they open it again you’re alive

Q: What was the last book you read?
JT: It was one my wife gave me... quite a while ago.

Q: What is your favourite way to relax?
JT: Doing sport, being with the family and being away from Europe because if I’m in Europe people keep calling me, so I like being in Miami.

Q: Have you ever - or would you ever - dye your hair?
JT: No, and I don’t plan to.

Q: Name five things that you hate?
JT: Snakes, being late, when things are unjust, screaming and pepper on my food.

Q: Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
JT: None.

Q: What did your teachers say about you in your school reports?
JT: That I was always there, but not for studying!

Q: Who were your childhood heroes?
JT: Niki Lauda.

Q: Do you have any guilty pleasures?
JT: I like gadgets too much.

Q: Do you collect anything?
JT: I’m passionate about all sorts of things. I’ve got a couple of old jukeboxes for example.

Q: What do you miss most about home when you are on the road?
JT: I don’t really miss home as I know I’ll be back very soon.

Q: What was your worst buy?
JT: A lot of people think it’s bad, but I like it - it’s a Hummer.

Q: How do you take your coffee?
JT: I don’t drink coffee.

Q: Your ideal non-race Sunday morning?
JT: Get up early, go out for some training and then go home to watch sports on TV.

Q: What was your first vehicle?
JT: A go-kart.

Q: What’s the most embarrassing mistake you’ve ever made?
JT: I’m not really embarrassed about anything I’ve done.

Q: What is the best thing you can cook?
JT: Salt fish - fish cooked in a salt crust.

Q: When was the last time you were really angry?
JT: Saturday in Spa [where Trulli felt he was blocked during qualifying].

Source: Formula1.com

[Video] Kovalainen previews Singapore GP

Source: YouTube @fran83b

Heikki Kovalainen: Hiking the Karhunkierros trail in Finland

Source: OfficialKovalainen

Heikki Kovalainen - Fonecta TV Spot (HD)

This new ad is one of the biggest TV spots ever made in Finland. If features my dad, Seppo, digging the telephone cable to find out who called him from unknown number ;)

Source: OfficialKovalainen

Heikki Kovalainen - Sportsvibe TV Interview

Source: sportsvibeTV

Comfortable Kovalainen to stay at Lotus

Heikki Kovalainen has admitted he feels more comfortable at Lotus than he did in the last two seasons with McLaren.

The Finn took a big backwards step down the grid with the new Malaysian backed team in 2010, but he told Holland's formule1.nl magazine that he is not complaining.

"Here at Lotus everything feels better," said the 28-year-old, who in 2008 and 2009 was Lewis Hamilton's teammate.

Kovalainen left McLaren late last year declaring that he was not always treated equally by the famous British team.

"I have much more of a feeling that I have things under control now compared to when I was at McLaren," he explained.

"At virtually every race I am 100 per cent sure what setup I need, and the engineers understand me and believe in me," added Kovalainen.

He would not go into detail about his misgivings with McLaren.

"I don't like to complain, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have done a number of things differently," said the winner of the 2008 Hungarian GP.

It is clear that Lotus will field an unchanged driver lineup next year, with Kovalainen again alongside fellow grand prix winner Jarno Trulli.

Technical boss Mike Gascoyne said Lotus decided to pay for two experienced drivers in the quest to unlock the commercial benefits of finishing the 2010 championship in tenth place.

"If there is a crazy race with a big start crash with rain or something," he said, "then Heikki and Jarno are more likely to score than inexperienced, young drivers," he said.

Source: F1 Complete