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INDIAN DRIVER SAILESH BOLISETTI TO RACE FOR LOTUS IN BRITISH GT
January 23rd, 2012 
LotusOwnersClub
Lotus Sport UK has signed Sailesh Bolisetti to race in the 2012 Avon Tyres British GT Championship. The 23-year-old from Visakhapatnum, on the east coast of India, will race the Lotus Evora GT4 which took three wins last year, the team’s maiden season.
Bolisetti began racing in 2007 and went on to win India’s inaugural Volkswagen Polo Cup in 2010. As part of his prize, he was promoted to the Volkswagen Scirocco R Cup, a support series for Europe’s DTM championship. Now he’s preparing to make the step up to sportscar racing, alongside some of the toughest tin-top competitors in the business.
Commenting on his appointment Sailesh Bolisetti said: “Being associated with such a well-known name in racing is a great opportunity for me, especially one with such a rich pedigree across a uniquely wide range of disciplines. But I don’t take it as a pressure, I take it as a privilege – I’ll be driving for the same brand as some of my all time heroes and sporting legends and I’m really looking forward to it.”
British GT’s seven-race season kicks off at Oulton Park on April 7. In addition, Bolisetti will contest the Indian i1 Super Series in the Middle East and Asia, in order to get as much experience under his belt as possible.
Gary Ayles, Team Manager, Lotus Sport UK said: “Sailesh is a strong talent that hadn’t been discovered in Europe, until now. I first got to know him and his father through my contacts in India, having been involved with the A1GP India team and raced over there in F3. We kept in contact and now Sailesh has come of age and is ready to race here in Europe with our team. You need to keep an eye on this lad. He’s a star in the making
LOTS FROM LOTUS AT AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL
January 23rd, 2012 LotusOwnersClub
Group Lotus Commercial Director Tony Schulp and Factory Driver Johnny Mowlem took to the Autosport Stage today to announce a series of exciting new developments. For those of you who missed it, we’ll try to keep it top line…
LOTUS RACING
LOTUS INKS ITS DRAGON TATTOO
Lotus has chosen the Autosport International Show to announce its full factory partnership with the Dragon Racing IndyCar team. Lotus Dragon Racing will be an official Lotus team, racing in the black and gold colours that are shared by the marque’s Formula One programme. Owned by Jay Penske – Chairman and CEO of the Penske Media Corporation, and son of US racing legend Roger Penske – Dragon Racing debuted in 2007, picking up fifth at the Indy 500 straight out of the box at the hands of Ryan Briscoe. In 2009, its first full season, Dragon driver Raphael Matos took the Rookie of the Year honours. In 2012, the Lotus Dragon Racing line up is a particularly strong one: Katherine Legge, the first female driver to win a major open-wheel race in North America, and four-time Champ Car Series champion and former F1 racer Sebastien Bourdais.
Claudio Berro, Group Lotus Director of Motorsport: Claudio Berro: “We are very pleased to be able to announce this new and exciting partnership with Dragon Racing today, a team which has demonstrated its potential and which we believe will achieve great success thanks to the Lotus IndyCar engine and the security of a major backer. Last year was Lotus’ first foray into this prestigious open-wheel series since Jim Clark won the Indy 500 back in 1965. We have a tremendous legacy in this sport, and are determined to become winners again. The American market is one of the most important to Lotus in terms of road car sales, hence our aggressive marketing strategies through US auto racing. We believe Lotus Dragon Racing and our other partner teams will give us the best opportunity to achieve our ambitious goals.”
INDIANA CLONES AND THE FAST CRUSADE
In 2012 no less than four teams with an anticipated minimum eights cars will be packing Lotus power in the IZOD IndyCar Series. The company’s all-new twin-turbo V6 has its first shakedown today at the Moroso circuit in Jupiter, Florida, with Lotus HVM driver Simona de Silvestro working the loud pedal. The engine program, which was announced in November 2010, has come together quickly without teething problems, and fire-ups away from the track have ticked all the boxes. Lotus Dragon Racing, Lotus HVM Racing, Lotus Bryan Herta Autosport, and Lotus Dreyer & Reinbold Racing are all confirmed as engine partners. The Autosport International Show marks the first public appearance of this ambitious powerplant.
Claudio Berro, Group Lotus Director of Motorsport: “The engine has performed extremely well so far, and we and our partners are very pleased with the results. We had our first fire-up in a Dallara chassis in Palma, Italy on 21-23 December, then the engine was sent to America, and today we’re having our first on-track shakedown, at Moroso, which is very exciting. On January 1st we opened a Lotus facility in Indianapolis which will be our US engineering and logistics hub, so it’s all go. We’ve still got a lot of work to do before the start of the season, but I couldn’t be happier with the progress we’re making.”
LOTUS MOTORSPORT BECOMES LOTUS RACING
In order to reflect the broad range of Lotus’ competition activities, Lotus Racing becomes the new umbrella name for Group Lotus’ racing division. All of our official works teams will now race in the evocative black and gold livery. These include the Lotus F1 Team, GP2 and GP3 team Lotus GP (formerly ART) and Lotus Dragon Racing. Partner teams, such as the Lotus-engined IndyCar teams Lotus Herta Autosport, Lotus Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will also run in black and gold with Lotus HVM Racing running in predominantly green, yellow and white. Customer teams have the option of running other classic Lotus liveries, such as Lotus Sport UK’s ‘Gold Leaf’ red, white and gold, which was raced to victory in the British GT Championship last year.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
As mentioned earlier this week, Lotus has formed one of the most exclusive members clubs in the world – Lotus Club GT. It’s a gentlemen’s – or ladies – club with a difference. No leather Chesterfields, wood-panelled walls or cigar smoke – here, you’ll find bucket seats, carbon-panelling and the smell of burning rubber. It is the ultimate club for sports car enthusiasts. The club’s current entry requirements are met with the purchase of one of Lotus’ premium race-bred models – the Evora GT4 and Evora Enduro with club specification. Member benefits include one-to-one driver tuition catering for drivers of all abilities from our professional works drivers and the Lotus F1 Team. Members also receive exclusive VIP access to Lotus events, like going behind the scenes at the Lotus F1 Team’s high security HQ and in the pits at glamorous grands prix.
Matthew de Morgan, businessman and Lotus Club GT member: “You will enjoy it, and I think what you get out of it is more than what you give. We aren’t out there to be pseudo Michael Schumachers, we’re there to have fun competing, to enjoy ourselves in an environment which is safe, educational and challenging. I think this is what the GT club is all about. I didn’t come here with a previous history of driving cars round a track and having done it I’m delighted. Frankly it’s probably the best thing I’ve done for myself in the last ten years.”
Claudio Berro, Group Lotus Director of Motorsport: “Through all our activity on and off the track, we want to make the driver experience as incredible and unique as possible so creating the Lotus Club GT was a natural step for us. Our clients have come to expect more than just to be handed the car keys, they want to be part of the team and to really understand how to get the very most from their investment. Everything is tailored to match the individual expectations of our clients allowing them to truly realise their potential behind the wheel. So far the feedback we have had from members is fantastic – they really become part of the Lotus family”
Check out the Lotus Club GT in action
F1 TEAM PIMPS OUR ULTIMATE RIDE
Lotus’ Formula One customer experience, the Type 125, has become even more F1, thanks to its final phase of development work by the Lotus F1 Team. Newly-announced driver Romain Grosjean put the car through its paces in Portugal recently as engineers honed the car’s set-up to replicate those of a current generation Formula One beast, while keeping it safe, easy to drive and reliable for Lotus’ private customers. A normal F1 car requires a huge crew just to start it up, yet the single-seat Type 125 can be fired up at the touch of a button. It’s 640bhp 3.5 litre Cosworth V8 engine is linked to a six-speed gearbox with paddle shift. It weights just 560kg resulting in a phenomenal power-to-weight of nearly 1000bhp per tonne. The Type 125 mule sits in a race bay at the team’s Enstone factory, where the 2012 F1 car is being prepared. It has now reached the end of its comprehensive development programme.
Romain Grosjean: “The idea was to bring the car as close as possible to F1 level. We needed a car that was close to the lap time of a Formula One car, but that was also easy to drive. Development is something that I love to do, and the Type 125 has been a really interesting project for me. Some things were quite funny, like the auto clutch the car has for when you leave the garage and the option of auto up-shift, which seemed odd the first time I used it – a bit like a computer game – but it works well. We achieved a strong level of performance and sensation, but it is not too hard or too on-the-limit to drive which is important, because this car is designed for private customers. We did a lot of laps during our three-day test in Portimao and we had no reliability issues at all. Everything worked perfectly.”
Arnaud Boulanger, Head of External Projects, Lotus F1 Team: “Lotus asked us to take on the Type 125 in September 2011 through to its final development. The programme was not to re-engineer the car completely, but to hone the set-up and the car’s performance envelope as close as possible to Formula One, and match the build quality to 2012 F1 standards, while also making it safe, reliable and easy to drive. We needed a car that was exhilarating to drive, that was reasonably forgiving, that was relatively easy to operate but that still offers extreme performance – very close to F1. Our programme had the added benefit of development from a current F1 driver, Romain Grosjean when he ran the car at Portimao in mid-November and gave us the valuable feedback we needed.
“Working closely with Group Lotus, we have managed to fulfill all our engineering objectives in a very short space of time. The performance is just a small step back from Formula One, so as to allow the practical aspects I mentioned, but still provide the F1 experience customers crave. It’s going to be very physical still, and not many drivers will be able to cope with more than a few flat-out laps. Drivers will be thrilled with the finished product.”
BACK TO BASICS
You’re never too old to drive a Lotus. You’re never too young either. Arguably the most fun, raw and inspirational racing machine on our stand in Birmingham is the new Lotus Racing Kart, built in Italy to the highest standards by Wildkarts. The official Lotus Racing Karts team will be evaluating drivers at the end of the month in Lonato, and will compete in the CIK-FIA KF1 Karting World Championship. Championship events will take place at Varennes sur Allier in France (29 April), Suzuka in Japan (20 May), Brandon in UK (22 July), Sarno in Italy (9 September) and Macau-Coloane (21 October).
Lotus Racing Karts has also set its sights on the Asia-Pacific zone and, represented by a Japanese partner, will form a team in the exciting All-Japan Championship.
Another important task for Lotus Racing Karts will be CIK-FIA «U18» Karting World Championship. This new series is aimed at promoting drivers between 15 and 18-years-old through an FIA World Championship in which costs are rigorously limited, in particular thanks to the free allocation of engines and tyres to all participants. Free? That’s not a word you hear often in this business, is it?
TEAM BULLRUN’S NEW BABY
Team Bullrun will be running a Lotus Evora GT4 in the 2012 Britcar MSA British Endurance Championship. The team has previously won the series’ production car titles, while the Evora placed a very credible third in the Britcar 24 Hours last October, but this will be the first full season’s racing for Lotus’ endurance model. Former Britcar Production Champions Richard Adams and David Green will be joined by 2011 BTCC driver Martin Byford. Formula Ford veterans Fluid Motorsport are joining forces with Bullrun to manage the team.
Team Bullrun refers to the US-based luxury rally in which fun-loving and cash-rich enthusiasts take the public roads by storm. Expect some eye-catching Lotus models as well as Burt Reynolds look-a-likes on the Bullrun this year, which kicks off in Hollywood on June 23 and promises seven days of high-octane hedonism. A few thousand miles from Tinsletown – and with no pressure to obey the rules of the road – the first round of the 2012 Britcar series will be held at Silverstone on March 24.
Claudio Berro, Group Lotus Director of Motorsport: “We are delighted that Bullrun share our view that the Evora could be a serious championship contender this year. It is clearly good news to see a British team, with a British car competing for a British title. The overall package Bullrun has managed to put together looks very strong and we look forward to closely following their progress throughout the season.”
Lindsay Allen, Fluid Motorsport co-founder: “We have been considering a move in GT racing for some time – the combination of Bullrun’s track record in Britcar, its trio of experienced drivers and our own race preparation and championship expertise should make for a very strong team. The new Lotus Evora package Bullrun have secured looks to be very competitive. We are very much looking forward to running this alongside our usual Formula Ford operations.”
UP FOR THE CUP
The Lotus Cup Series, which sees enthusiasts race wheel-to-wheel across the globe, is set for even more action this year. In addition to the Elises, Exiges and 2-Elevens that already make up the grids, we will be welcoming Evora V6 entrants worldwide, including the GTS and GTN variants. Lotus-On-Track, which runs the Cup, has its own stand at the Autosport Show 2520 with the GTS on display. Here, you can also view the GTS/N conversion kit, which will turn your production-spec Evora into an out-and-out racer. Bolt it on, and stand well back.
The Lotus Cup has proved massively popular, with 350 participants racing worldwide on some of the most challenging and legendary race tracks and this year there is the added incentive of a prize for the most successful Evora running in the 2012 Cup. Championships are held across the UK, Europe, Eastern Europe, Italy, the USA and Japan, and we’re hoping to add some more territories in 2012.
Echoing our famous Formula One livery, the Lotus Cup gets a lick of paint this year and a new logo in keeping with the refreshed Lotus Racing brand strategy.
HOWDY PARTNERS
Lotus is pleased to announce a couple of new corporate partners to our racing stable.
OCS is an international facilities management company, which provides many businesses with cleaning, catering, security, waste and maintenance services – and, by partnering with Lotus Racing, it hopes to wipe the floor with the competition.
OAMPS is one of the UK’s leading independent insurance brokers, with a broad range of general and specialist insurance solutions – such as motor racing – as well as associated environmental, health and safety services. Partnering one of the most successful marques in motorsport they, too, are in safe hands.
Both brands will be carried on our GT championship Evoras. In addition, on the stand at the NEC, we have a Petronas-plastered Evora GT4. Our collaboration with the Malaysian petrochemical giant is going from strength-to-strength and it’s great to have their growing support.
A PETROLHEAD’S SMORGASBORD
Lotus’ stand at Autosport International is showing off some of our most exciting track-born and race-bred models. In addition to the Petronas-sponsored Evora GT4, in which Lotus Sport UK scored two wins during its maiden season of British GT, we’re displaying a Lotus Renault GP F1 car; the black-and-gold R31 took podiums in the Australian and Malaysian grands prix last year. Then there’s the Evora GT Enduro, our new 440bhp evolution of the GT4, which will be used in the Lotus Club GT. Finally, the NEC boasts the sensational Evora GTE – the ultimate road-going Lotus and by far the most powerful too. With its aggressive face and eye watering stats, it stole the show at last summer’s Pebble Beach Concours, so we were compelled to put it into production.
Car sales Edinburgh
January 17th, 2012 dave787
Car sales in the Edinburgh are quite buoyant at the moment as new car buyers are attracted by the new number plates and there are some great used car bargains to be found in the forecourts of Edinburgh car dealers.
Edinburgh is the city of cars and there are literally hundreds of dealers of all kinds. Franchised dealers specialise in selling new cars and used cars less than four years old; independent car traders tend to sell used cars that are a little older, maybe up to five or six years old, and the small traders that operate from the more modest premises in the back streets of Edinburgh tend to sell even older cars.
Also there are hundreds upon hundreds of private sellers who are offering just about every type of car you can think of. The advantage of buying from a private Edinburgh seller is that you can find huge savings compared to the price you would have to pay for a car of similar specification and condition from a car dealer.
The only downside regarding buying a car privately is that you do not get the same legal protection that you do when buying through a dealer. Although a private seller is not permitted to misrepresent their car and they must describe is accurately in any advertisement they place, that is where their legal obligations end.
If you buy from either a franchised dealer or an independent car trader the you have a considerable amount of legal protection and if you subsequently find that there is a fault that you failed to notice initially and that you were not informed about, the dealer must fix it or refund your money.
Unfortunately at car auctions, where it is also possible to find a car with a lower than usual price, you get no more protection than you would through a private car sale.
A hint of what’s to come at the Autosport International Show this week…
January 13th, 2012 dave787
Lotus Club GT Group Lotus is welcoming applications to one of the world’s most elite clubs – the Lotus Club GT. Here you won’t find leather Chesterfields, wood-paneled walls or the aroma of fine cigars; instead you’ll find bucket seats, carbon-fibre and the smell of burnt rubber.
Lotus Club GT’s current entry requirements are met with the purchase of one of Lotus’s premium race-bred models – the Evora GT4 and Evora Enduro with club specification. Club events come courtesy of the marque’s professional works drivers and the Lotus F1 Team. Club GT will ensure members get the most from their cars and from themselves, and become legends in their own lifetime.
All will be revealed at this week’s Autosport International Show at the Birmingham NEC which kicks off on Thursday (12th January). And, being Lotus, we’ve got plenty more to talk about – from developments with IndyCar and rally, through to some very exciting partner and sponsorship announcements, an update on the newly formed Lotus Racing kart team and the latest F1-honed development of our Type 125 programme.
For fans of the brand, the official Lotus stand (2520) is not to be missed – every available square metre has been exploited and crammed full of Lotus’s latest racing models and Lotus factory driver Johnny Mowlem and Commercial Director Tony Schulp will be there to talk about Lotus’ exciting motorsport activities for 2012. Both gentleman accompanied by some very special guests will be taking to the famous Autosport Stage from 12:45 on Thursday to reveal Lotus’ plans for 2012 including the rebrand from Lotus Motorsport to Lotus Racing.
Lotus Exige S V6 Preview at Bell & Colvill
December 21st, 2011 dave787 
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GÉRARD LOPEZ – “IT DOES SEEM LIKE A MOTIVATIONAL DECISION.
December 3rd, 2011 dave787 
Kimi came to Enstone today – how was his visit?
It was good. It felt like the right thing to do to bring him here today. We decided that bringing Kimi into the team was the right decision to make. We had to be forward looking in terms of performance and, regardless of how good any car is, you need a good driver. Kimi has proven himself as one of the fastest drivers around and he’s still in his prime. In terms of motivation, I think he’s more motivated than ever. The more people that question it (his motivation) the better, because it’s only going to motivate him further. It’s a very important step in getting the team to where we want it to be, which is one of the top teams in Formula 1.
What was the exact reason for choosing Kimi?
I can summarise it in one word. He is fast. I think he will fit in very well with the way we do things; it’s a good place for him to fit in.
This can be seen as a real statement of intent…
There’s no question of that. We’ve given some drivers the chance to shine. I think they have done ok, but have not all lived up to expectations, but it’s difficult because it’s Formula 1. It’s very different to GP2 or karting. As a midfield-placed team hiring Kimi, you do so with the intent of being at the top.
Is there now an upbeat feeling in Enstone?
Yes, I think there is. We don’t make decisions for the outside world to take note, we make them to help this company succeed. Whether people believe that our past decisions were taken in the interests of business or not, the decisions were taken for the staff. So, if we hire Kimi to come in as race driver we are making the right statement internally, which is that it’s the right thing for the staff, the engineers, mechanics, anyone in this company. I think it’s very motivational; I haven’t got all the feedback yet but it does seem like a motivational decision.
From a press side of things, the noise has been great…
Yes, from a press side I was surprised because I had no expectation, positive or negative. From what I’ve seen so far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’m very positively inclined towards this, which the press seem to be too. The fans are obviously looking forward to it too.
This is a massive boost for the whole company…
Everyone knows that if you are given a good car, we are going to be back at the top again.
The interest seems to be higher than when Schumacher made his comeback…
I wasn’t aware of that, but that’s fantastic!
ERIC BOULLIER – “WE CONVINCED KIMI TO COME BACK TO FORMULA 1”
December 3rd, 2011 dave787
Eric, the announcement of Kimi Räikkönen’s return to Formula 1 with LRGP is big news for the team and for F1 in general…
It is good news for the sport and of course it is good news for the team. Strategically, it is good to have a big name, a high class driver and Formula 1 World Champion to join us. He is committed to racing for us and he is definitely a very good character with the experience he has from driving for McLaren and Ferrari. Also, to have someone like Kimi signing with us shows that the package we have offered was good enough – we convinced Kimi to come back to Formula 1!
There is only about 6 days of testing available per driver during the winter season – how will the team help get Kimi ready for the 2012 season?
First of all, in not so long we will have our simulator ready – this is good news for him and for us. I think that we will also be able to plan a couple of days with the demo car.
Today’s announcement is a real statement of intent from the team and its ambitions for the future?
There are many things that the team will announce soon, in the coming weeks and the coming months. Let’s not forget that the team’s current identity is only a couple of years old and it is clear that we have made some strategic investments like the wind tunnel, like the CFD pole and like the building of the simulator– it will be a state of the art simulator.
We are also in the process to reinforce our team with the recruitment of some key people, some of them have already joined us and some are to be announced soon but we can’t say too much at this stage as some of them are currently on gardening leave.
Next year, we will also have an upgrade of our facilities trackside, in fact it is going to be a complete change with a new engineers truck, a new infrastructure for the team garage, which of course will also have an impact on our image and obviously Kimi joining us is a big step in reinforcing the investment Genii Capital is putting in the team at every level.
Kimi’s Q&A
December 3rd, 2011 dave787
Kimi, good news today, you have decided to come back to Formula 1. Why are you coming back?
The main reason was that I never really lost the passion for racing in Formula 1, just maybe for all the other things around it. But when I did some NASCAR races this year I noticed that I was increasingly missing the racing side – to race against each other – because in rallying you really race against the clock. And then I got the call from certain people in Formula 1. All sorts of things happened and we managed to have a nice conversation with Lotus Renault GP and make a deal – I’m really very happy with that!
Why did you choose Lotus Renault GP?
Really there were two options – it was this team or Williams. And everything worked out with Lotus Renault GP as we wanted, so that’s really the reason. Have you been following the team and the performance this year? I didn’t follow Formula 1 much at all last year. This year I followed it a bit more but not really any specific team. I watched the last 20 laps of the last race, the Brazilian Grand Prix, and because I knew this was going to happen I also watched how the Lotus Renault GP team did. But before that I didn’t know anything about what was going to happen or that there would be a deal in Formula 1 for next year, so I just watched Formula 1 as a whole. I saw a few races but nothing special.
Do you think Formula 1 will be very different for you from what you know from 2009, with the DRS, Pirelli tyres, etc?
Comparing 2009 to next year the biggest difference will probably be the tyres. I don’t think there is a lot of difference with the cars. DRS is a new thing but this is basically similar to before. The button that used to be for the front wing has disappeared, so now it’s for the rear wing. I would guess the main difference is really the tyres.
Personally, what’s the main difference from the Kimi Räikkönen we saw in 2009 – in which way are you a better driver?
I don’t know – I’ve been away for two years. I haven’t driven and I haven’t even sat in a Formula 1 car since the last race in 2009. I’m interested to get back into the car, I’m two years older now and I don’t think anything else has really changed. It has been really nice to try to learn rallying in the last few years. On some days it was hard. It’s been easier this year than last year but still it’s a very difficult sport. I’m really looking forward to coming back. At least Formula 1 is something where I know how everything works as I’ve been there for many years – compared to rallying when I didn’t know what would really happen. Then I went to NASCAR and I had no clue how it would be. So in that way it should be much, much easier to come back and it should be pretty normal.
Have you already changed your training routine?
I kept training the whole time for the rallying but of course it’s not so physical – in the rallies it’s more that you have to sit in the car for the whole week. In Formula 1, it is more physical but over a shorter time. A month ago I started to get back into proper training for Formula 1. The neck is the most difficult thing to get ready but we still have plenty of time.
When you think about your last race in 2009, what is the feeling you have of driving in Formula 1?
I certainly remember all the braking and how quickly everything happens. But compared to rallying, say, you have slightly more time. In rallying, it doesn’t give you a second chance. When you make a mistake you go off. There are no run-off areas. In Formula 1 you have a lot of run-off areas, you can run a bit wide and it is not such a big deal. You lose a lap in the practice or in qualifying but in the race you maybe don’t even lose a place. So this time, the braking and the G-forces will certainly come back very quickly. The biggest thing will definitely be to get the neck used to it again. All the rest will take a while but it’s not really a big thing.
Six world champions on the grid next year, you are coming back to Formula 1 – how big of a boost is it for your motivation?
I would not have come back if I wasn’t motivated. There is always a lot of talk about motivation but nobody really knows what I do or what I think apart from myself so I don’t really care about what people say. But I’m happy to be coming back. I wouldn’t put my name onto a contract if I didn’t think I’d really enjoy it – so it will be interesting and exciting to get back!
KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN BACK IN F1 WITH LRGP IN 2012
December 3rd, 2011 dave787 
Lotus Renault GP is pleased to announce that Kimi Räikkönen will race for the team next season. The 2007 World Champion, who left Formula 1 at the end of 2009 to pursue a career in rallying, has decided to make a comeback at the pinnacle of single-seater racing. He has now signed a two-year agreement with Lotus Renault GP.
Kimi’s F1 roll of honour includes 18 wins, 62 podiums and 16 pole positions. This experience and success is sure to help the team make a step forward next year. The 32-year-old Finn’s commitment indeed makes for a vote of confidence in Lotus Renault GP, demonstrating the team’s determination and new philosophy for the seasons ahead.
Kimi Räikkönen: “I’m delighted to be coming back to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and I’m grateful to Lotus Renault GP for offering me this opportunity. My time in the World Rally Championship has been a useful stage in my career as a driver, but I can’t deny the fact that my hunger for F1 has recently become overwhelming. It was an easy choice to return with Lotus Renault GP as I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid.”
Gérard Lopez, Genii Capital, Chairman: “All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle. Backstage we’ve been working hard to build the foundations of a successful structure and to ensure that we would soon be able to fight at the highest level. Kimi’s decision to come back to Formula 1 with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future. Of course, we are all looking forward to working with a world champion. On behalf of our staff, I’d like to welcome Kimi to Enstone, a setting that has always been known for its human approach to Formula 1.”
