Lotus F1 Team launches the 2013 season with the E21

The red may have made itself comfortable in the livery, but the recipe remains largely identical to last season for Lotus. During the launch of the E21, the Enstone team, the first to unveil its car, presented to journalists, photographers, and guests what appears to be a renamed E20.

James Allison, technical director and principal actor in the development of the new single-seater, admits that the team has focused on the details that make the difference: « The single-seater looks visually similar to last year’s, but we have spent a lot of time redesigning certain hidden parts of the car. This is the philosophy we have adopted for a few years now. The front and rear suspensions are completely redesigned to allow for more aerodynamic opportunities while the front wing is in the continuity of what we have been doing since the 2009 regulations were adopted. »

In the game of spot the differences, we notice new exhausts that are visibly inspired by those of the reigning champion Red Bull, with the work facilitated by a series of new deflectors mounted upstream of the sidepods, cleverly designed to optimize airflow around what has become a critical element in the performance of the single-seaters over the past three seasons.

On the other hand, the smooth transition between the nose and the body remains absent for now, despite the FIA lifting its ban. A choice motivated by mass distribution imperatives: « For now, the nose is like this to avoid adding extra weight to the front of the car, » explained Allison on the English channel Sky Sports.

It should be noted that Lotus has chosen to retain the Double DRS, a passive aerodynamic system designed to reduce the drag generated by the car at high speeds for a gain in top speed. The system is not present on the car presented but on the computer-generated images, so we’ll have to wait until Jerez next week to see if any changes have been made to the 2012 version. In any case, according to James Allison, it’s a system that does not revolutionize the car’s performance but can provide an advantage.

Regarding team composition, the main drivers, as previously announced, remain Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean. On the test drivers’ side, Nicolas Prost and Jérôme d’Ambrosio are joined by Davide Valsecchi, the reigning GP2 champion, who will officially take the position of third driver. The Italian is naturally thrilled about this new adventure: “I am very happy that the team wants to work with me, and I am very excited about the future. I hope this is a good start for my F1 career. My last year in GP2 in 2012 was really something I focused on, and in the end, I succeeded. Now, in Formula 1, my goal will be a bit different, but my commitment to doing the best work will remain the same.”

Valsecchi, 25 years old, hopes to take advantage of this opportunity to establish himself in the premier discipline: “I really hope to enter Formula 1 step by step as a race driver, and being here as a third driver is as close as one can get. It’s a great opportunity; if I do my best this year, it will increase my chances for the future and we’ll see if I’m up to it.”

Eric Boullier, the team director, has reasons to be ambitious: “It is legitimate to think that we can do great things in 2013. The leap forward we made between 2011 and 2012 shows that we are capable. Our ambition is to fight for podiums and victories in every race and thus be among the best in 2013. Enstone has already won championships. We know the taste of victory and we want to taste it again,” explains the Frenchman.