Lotus Renault GP: Launch of the R31

The media from around the world discovered the new Lotus Renault GP 2011 this morning during the presentation of the R31 at the Ricardo Tormo circuit in the Community of Valencia.

Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov joined Gérard Lopez (President) and Eric Boullier (General Director and Team Principal) to unveil and present the car on which the entire team’s hopes rest for returning to the top of the grid.

« For Genii Capital and Lotus Renault GP, the 2011 season will be one of realization. », declared Gérard Lopez. « We are now 100% owners of the team and we are entering this championship with the intention of continuing to do things our way, but always with humility. I would like to acknowledge the arrival of Lotus Cars, an ambitious new title sponsor committed to the long term with us. Renault and Total have chosen to continue to support us, and we thank them warmly for their effective contribution. Our ambition for 2011 is to continue our ascent up the grid, seize any opportunity, and do better than last year, both in the drivers’ championship and the constructors’ championship. We feel ready for this new challenge. »

Eric Boullier echoed these sentiments and paid tribute to the enormous effort of the Enstone team: « All the work this winter focused on a significant step forward for 2011. The result is this car, 92% new compared to the R30. But technical innovation is not the only key to performance. Since last year, we have reviewed all our internal operations, and our overall efficiency has increased by 15%. This means we should be more competitive than last year, on the track and at the factory. »

The Technical Director, James Allison, explained the team’s approach in designing the R31: « The words « aggressive » and « innovative » are quite popular in Formula 1 right now. But they seem appropriate to us regarding the R31. It is accurate to say that it was designed with ambition, and a glance at its appearance will confirm that its entire concept differs not only from last year’s car but also from all those previously produced by this team. »

Robert and Vitaly were enthusiastic about discovering their new car and very eager to start the season.

« After a long winter break, we always feel ready to jump into the car, Robert described. « For now, it is difficult to predict the competitiveness of our package, but the engineers have relied on an innovative design and that’s very good. »

Vitaly added: « It’s very exciting to start my second F1 season, and I can’t wait to try out this fantastic car. With a year of experience behind me, I feel more confident and determined to give my best. I want to do well and fight fiercely for this team. »

The third drivers were also presented, with Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean bringing new strengths to the driver team. Jan Charouz, Ho-Pin Tung, and Fairuz Fauzy (who was unable to attend the presentation due to his GP2 commitment) have also been confirmed as reserve drivers (and members of the LRGP Academy).

More photographs and information to come.