Posted on 27th January 2015
On Monday afternoon, the Lotus F1 team have released the first images of the Mercedes-powered E23 Hybrid it hopes will help it bounce back from a frustrating 2014 campaign.
The team has switched from Renault to Mercedes after a hugely disappointing campaign last year which saw Lotus score just 10 points. The team has retained the predominantly black colour scheme it has carried since 2011.
The most obvious difference from the E22 is the nose (see picture above). With its predecessor ran a striking twin-tusk concept on the front wing, Lotus struggled last season with its finances and was one of the teams to threaten a boycott at the United States Grand Prix in protest at the uneven distribution of wealth. It also restructured its technical operation to ensure a return to form this season was possible.
In an interview with the media on Mon afternoon, Lotus CEO Matt Carter says the team is boosted by the arrival of Mercedes power and the hard lessons it learned over the past 12 months. Carter stated the following:-
'The E23 Hybrid represents a new era for Lotus F1 Team, not only in the change to a Mercedes Benz Power Unit, but also it is the fruition of a busy winter behind the scenes. Improvements within our design, aero and simulation departments have all contributed to the development of a car which is a huge step forward.
'As a team we are confident that the new car coupled with additions to the race team will enable a huge leap forward and we are full of optimism going into the new season. It is time to put the disappointment of last season behind us and benefit from 12 months of hard work; we are ready to return to our rightful place at the pinnacle of the sport.'
It is clear that this season is a big change for the Lotus team especially from changing from Renault to Mercedes power which the team believed was needed in order to get back to competitive ways as quickly as possible. Carter believes that as a result of this change and also their performance from last season, he has seen improvements with the design, aero and simulation departments who have been working hard behind the scenes to get the car in the best possible position it can be before the start of pre-season testing this weekend in Jerez.
In my opinion, this season is going to be massively important for Lotus. As Carter rightly points out, last season was a massive disappointment for the Lotus team but now it is time to learn the lessons of that and transfer that into a car that should be capable of delivering on the track especially with the talented Romain Grosjean staying with the team for another season with Pastor Maldonado who needs to show why he was signed for his supposed “talentâ€, otherwise he could and should be shown the door for 2016 if he can't deliver the goods.
This season has to be the season where Lotus has to make small steps forward back to the front of the grid where they belong. They clearly have been working very hard on the E23 behind the scenes from early last season which looks to be a reasonable looking car in my opinion, has crisp and clean lines reflecting that and is clearly a step forward from last season already without it having run it out on the track yet.
As I have argued in previous articles on Lotus recently for Driving for Pleasure, there is no excuse for them anymore not to deliver on the track. They have history, prestige and the experience of winning races and championships, they have some talented people working for them who can produce a competitive car, they have a talented driver in Grosjean who can deliver when the chance is presented to him and also they have the best power unit on the grid which will benefit them greatly.
But as I have said before, if Lotus cannot put all these ingredients together and deliver where it matters on the track; then there's nothing else anyone can do for them and if that happens, they could lose Grosjean to another team as a result of this and also may have to get rid of Maldonado despite the capital he brings to the team and try something different for 2016.
At the moment, the Lotus team is yet to confirm its schedule for the four-day test in Jerez which begins on February 1. But on February 1st, the spotlight will firmly be on Lotus to improve on their 2014 performance and get back to where they should be, which is at the front of the grid sooner rather than later in a car that is reflective of them as a team.
Sarah Jones
