The Lotus E20 started for the first time

The Lotus F1 Team fired up their 2012 car for the first time yesterday at their Enstone factory. All the team’s engineers were present, along with the management, including Eric Boullier and, of course, the team’s three drivers, Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean, and Jerome d’Ambrosio.

The three men were able to witness the start of the Renault engine, under the supervision of Renault Sport F1 engineers. The operation went well, allowing the team to test its new single-seater for 2012, which will be unveiled online on February 5th.

« It has been an exciting day here at Enstone with the Lotus F1 team as the team started our 2012 engine for the first time, » shared Romain Grosjean on his Twitter feed.

The Lotus F1 team has also unveiled the name of its challenger for 2012, the cars driven by Räikkönen and Grosjean will be called Lotus E20. You can find the video teaser released by the team below.

«We have chosen the name E20 to commemorate the 20th single-seater produced here at our Enstone factory. History is in the making,» states Lotus F1 on their Twitter account.

Eric Boullier, the director of the Lotus F1 team, explained that this name is to show the importance of the Enstone factory in the team’s development.

The choice of the name of our chassis is to recognize the importance of Enstone in the team’s evolution, and it underscores our acknowledgment of the factory’s contribution and the staff who work tirelessly every year to build the best possible car, explained Eric Boullier, quoted by The F1 Times.