Lotus believes it will not be disadvantaged by Renault in 2014

In 2014, we will see the emergence of the new V6 turbo engine that will replace the current V8s, and Renault plans to supply four or five teams. The French manufacturer has worked a lot with Red Bull so far, but James Allison, technical director of Lotus, does not believe that his team will face a major disadvantage.

« Renault is an honest engine supplier, it’s one of the lovable things about them, said Allison in Jerez. « They would be delighted to see all their customer teams fighting tooth and nail for pole position and they would never offer preferential treatment to any of them. »

« They offer fair treatment. They are fully aware that it is not only essential to have a powerful engine in 2014 but also a good chassis. They are thus in constant contact with the team dedicated to the chassis to get their perspective and try to apply their recommendations to the engine. We really feel like we have Renault’s full attention. »

Allison claims that the 2009 regulation changes are not comparable to those coming next year, namely the transition from the naturally aspirated V8 to the turbo V6. In 2009, a change was made in aerodynamics to limit downforce and encourage overtaking. It was a major upheaval for the paddock at that time, but for Allison, it was still nothing compared to the tsunami awaiting them in 2014.

Most teams have divided the work since some are working on 2013 while others are already focusing on 2014. Lotus therefore had to hire additional staff to try to be ready to handle this small revolution, which has been planned for a few years already. “The work on 2014 already started in 2011,” said Alison. “The regulations have evolved a little since then, so to some extent, you have to keep up with these regulatory changes. These are not things we undertook at the last minute.” The engines are currently in their final stages of development, but next season, there will be no more winter testing than those planned for 2013. However, it seems that this will be enough to make the cars reliable.

« From a performance standpoint, we are facing a big, big change and I am sure the hierarchy will be altered, but in terms of reliability, and on the question of whether you can be ready after three blocks of winter testing, the test benches are advanced enough to inform you about the strength of an engine and a gearbox. »

« What remains in question, continues Allison, « is whether the car can sufficiently cool the engine, and that’s a real challenge for 2014. But then again, the wind tunnels are not bad, so most things should be sorted out before the car hits the track, and the winter testing will make it perform well.