Zitat Speed traces show Lotus getting too close for comfort
Posted on July 14, 2013 Red Bull’s preferred method of winning races is to do the damage to the opposition at the start, create a margin and then manage the race from there. But the lap time traces from the German Grand Prix show that Lotus got a bit too close for comfort, according to JA on F1 technical adviser Mark Gillan.
“Vettel tends not to push too hard in the second half of the race,” says Gillan. “But in Germany he had to push because Raikkonen was catching. If you study the traces you can see that Raikkonen took a bit too much out of the soft tyres in the final stint, so he didn’t have the pace in the last few laps. In my view it is not the case that if he had had a few more laps he might have won. Raikkonen’s tyres were not in good shape.”
The later stages of the race are to the right in the graph. You can see the curve rises as the lap times drop off. Despite falling just short in Germany, these fuel corrected traces show that the Lotus was as fast, if not a shade faster than the Red Bull. They are likely to contend for victory with Red Bull again in Hungary, although Mercedes looks a shoe-in for pole position in Budapest.
Lotus may be coming good at the right time. After the summer shutdown – a compulsory two week factory closure in August following the Hungarian Grand Prix, most teams will focus attention on the 2014 cars. So the state of play may not change as much during the second half of the season as in previous seasons.
So arguably the opportunity for Lotus is on the 2013 car; there is a very real possibility of finishing second in the Constructors’ Championship, which carries a significant financial benefit. It is likely that Romain Grosjean will have a stronger second half of the season as he went better on last year’s tyres than he has on this year’s and the new specification Pirellis, from Hungary onwards, will be similar to the 2012 models.
At the team’s factories there will be two design groups, battling for time in the wind tunnel and CFD departments. After the shutdown the 2013 group will lose the initiative to the 2014 group, as the rate of development on the 2014 project is very rapid and the management will be nervous about losing ground to rivals on 2014 development. There are quite a few areas of carry-over for 2013 to 2014 and these will continue.
Mercedes clearly has to keep working on its thermal management of tyres in races as this will be a carry-over weakness in 2014 if it does not address it. Force India will want to stay ahead of McLaren, but will be torn on splitting their limited resources.
It is a huge job to master the new 2014 hybrid powertrains and incorporate them into a new chassis design with significant aerodynamic changes. Lotus team principal Eric Boullier told this website last week that he is “very optimistic” about the 2014 car because Lotus started work on it a long time ago.
ZitatLotus warns against expecting 2014 F1 driver line-up changes By Jonathan Noble Monday, July 15th 2013, 09:22 GMT
Lotus owner Gerard Lopez has warned rival drivers they may be wasting their time if they hold out in the belief there will be a vacancy at his team for next year.
With Kimi Raikkonen being courted by Red Bull, and Romain Grosjean's inconsistent form casting doubts over his Formula 1 future, a number of drivers have already approached Lotus to see if there is a chance of a move there for 2014.
But as well as being optimistic that his team can convince Raikkonen to remain on board, Lopez thinks there will be no reason to replace Grosjean either if the Frenchman can keep up the form that helped him fight for victory in the German GP.
"Romain just needs to keep doing what he is doing now," said Lopez, when asked by AUTOSPORT about what the team was looking for from Grosjean to hand him another contract.
"There are a lot of drivers and agents sniffing around - but they are sniffing around just as much to replace Romain as they are to replace Kimi going somewhere else. But we are not in a rush to do anything."
That stance means that highly-rated drivers like Nico Hulkenberg, who are considering options for next year, may face a difficult call in deciding whether to wait for Lotus or commit elsewhere.
Lopez believes that the fact that Lotus has a quick car at the moment means it is in a strong bargaining position over its 2014 driver line-up.
And he says the only criteria the team is looking for is pure talent – rather than chasing fashionable names or those with impressive records.
"It is important to have a good driver," he said. "I don't care if he is a world champion or not.
"Kimi probably could have won more world championships that he did, or he could have lost the one he won at the last minute.
"I don't care either way: he is a just a really, really good driver.
Lotus E21 F1 2013"I wouldn't have somebody with 10, 11 or even 12 titles if they were not good enough."
One of the key factors that will help Lotus pick the best talent available, rather than the best-funded drivers, is the financial boost that is expected to come from a link-up with new investors Infinity Racing.
Lopez said that discussions with the group were ongoing, although the deal had not yet been completed.
"It is progressing onwards; it also sits with us," he said. "We issued a statement because we had to; our group is a well-known group and we cannot just let things slip out.
"It is progressing and it is partially up to us to decide how we move forward."
ZitatLotus denies it has been sold to Infinity Racing
15/07/2013 Lotus has done a dramatic U-Turn and denied its own claims that a stake in the Formula One team has been sold to investment group Infinity Racing. Despite issuing a press release last month stating that "Lotus F1 Team has new part-owners as of today" it has now revealed that in fact the deal has not yet been completed.
The revelation is buried at the very bottom of an article on Autosport.com about Lotus' 2014 driver line-up. The article quotes Gerard Lopez, founder of Genii Capital, the investment fund which majority owns the team. He states that "one of the key factors that will help Lotus pick the best talent available, rather than the best-funded drivers, is the financial boost that is expected to come from a link-up with new investors Infinity Racing."
The article bluntly states that Lopez said discussions with the group were ongoing, although the deal had not yet been completed. He adds "it is progressing onwards; it also sits with us."
Lopez says that the team issued the press release "because we had to; our group is a well-known group and we cannot just let things slip out." However, this does not explain why the press release needed to say that the team "has new part-owners as of today." According to the articled, Lopez acknowledges that this is not the case as the sale may not go ahead. "It is progressing and it is partially up to us to decide how we move forward," he says.
Pitpass' business editor Christian Sylt was surprised when he first heard about the deal because less than two months earlier Lopez had confirmed in writing to him that 2% of the team had been sold to British property developer. This did not seem to be reflected in the Lotus press release which said that "Lotus F1 Team was previously 100% owned by an investment vehicle of Genii Capital." It is possible, for example, that Ruhan had bought into the team via Genii so Sylt contacted Lopez for clarification but he did not respond.
The question is why has Lopez revealed that the deal is not done when the whole world thought the opposite? If the deal was going to happen as per the press release there would seem to be little point in letting people know that it hadn't actually been completed. You have also got to wonder why the website in appears to have buried the news at the bottom of an article which has a very different subject matter.
The ownership of the team isn't just of interest to the F1 community but also the wider business world as there are reports that Lotus contractors are owed money and Pitpass is aware of at least one other party in this position.
It also follows Sylt's revelation that last year Lotus made the biggest team loss in F1 history.
The net result is one of confusion which doesn't do any good for Lotus' credibility. Not only was the original press release widely reported but one media outlet even interviewed Mansoor Ijaz, the chairman of Infinity Racing. It didn't stop there as the interview was even covered by other outlets. All the while, it seems that Infinity Racing has not actually got its hands on a share in the team.
It remains to be seen whether the sale will be completed but it isn't the first time that Lopez has been linked to a deal which hasn't come off. Regular Pitpass readers will remember that back in 2010 he was involved in a failed bid for Swedish car manufacturer Saab. That's a story for another day.
If kimi sign lotuscthan we know everything will become allright and things need to happen very quickly now! Guess kimi will sign something in summer break
Davide Valsecchi completed the second day of running at the Silverstone Young Driver Test as the third-fastest driver of the day. After completing 91 laps, Davide recorded the fourth-fastest time overall due to Daniel Ricciardo setting lap times in two different cars. Davide ran through a programme of aerodynamic assessments including analysis work on the team’s rear wing ‘Device’, more commonly known as DRD. Nico Prost returns to the car on Friday in a change to the original programme – which had seen Kimi Räikkönen set to take the wheel – made following clarification of FIA rules.
Davide Valsecchi: “Today was the highlight of my season and I really enjoyed my time in the car. Everything seemed to be going well and I hope that I’ve been able to contribute to the team’s efforts ahead of the next race in Budapest. We completed all the jobs on the schedule and I think I got some extra laps in too. I did miss the pit board for a few laps when the team was trying to call me in as the radio was broken. I stayed out until I thought they were going to throw the pit board at me, then I thought it was better that I came in!”
Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “Another excellent day from our perspective, with a full programme completed enabling us to develop our rear wing ‘Device’. It was perfect to test it here as we previously ran with the ‘Device’ at the British Grand Prix, so the data from that event combined with today’s work has allowed us to further refine it. Within today’s running we used the hard and medium tyres in high and low fuel configurations. We’re beginning to get a good understanding of the latest tyre evolution and have been looking at how best to get and keep them in their optimum operating window. We have some good data to study the tyre degradation characteristics and we’re well placed to go into the final day of the test and make further progress.”
Chassis: E21-03 Weather: Sunny, ambient 20-27°C, track 30-44°C Programme: ‘Device’ analysis, heavy fuel running, evaluation of latest hard and medium tyre compounds Laps Completed: 91 Classification: P4, 1:33.554
How do you drive a supercomputer round a Formula 1 track? Lotus F1 team gives El Reg a sneak peek into its pits By Joe Fay, 22nd July 2013 here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/22 ... rcomputer/
ZitatSTATEMENT FROM LOTUS F1 TEAM CHAIRMAN GERARD LOPEZ “Following the tragic accident on Wednesday 24th July 2013 involving the passenger train in Galicia, I and all within Lotus F1 Team would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of those affected and involved.
“As a Galician, I will provide all the help and support possible to those affected by this disaster, which has taken place in an area of the country I know and love so well. As an expression of support, I would like to reach out to those involved and show my unity to the region.
“Furthermore, as a mark of respect and display of moral support, Lotus F1 Team will drive with the Galician flag on the rear wing end plates of both E21 Formula 1 cars throughout the weekend of the Hungarian Grand Prix.”
Lotus team boss Eric Boullier has admitted that the much heralded cash injection from Infinity Racing has not yet materialised.
Speaking in a Hungaroring paddock where speculation over his team's finances is intensifying, Boullier admitted that the Enstone outfit is living beyond its means and working at its financial limit.
“The situation is that we are pushing very hard for the team,” he told Sky Sports. “We are on the limit of this team financially, maybe sometimes even spending more than we have.
“It is true that now we have some new investors in the pipeline and it is a very nice plan for us, but it takes time as it is a very ambitious plan. There might be some delay on it, but it is coming in definitely.”
The news follows Gerard Lopez' - founder of Genii Capital, the investment fund which majority owns the team - recent admission that the deal with Infinity Racing, which was said to have bought a 35% stake in the team had not yet been concluded.
For some time now the team has been the subject of speculation about its perilous financial state with various contractors either threatening to withdraw, or withdrawing, their services. On the heels of reports that the cleaning company hired to maintain the team's Enstone HQ had not been paid, over the course of the Young Driver Test at Silverstone Pitpass heard of the catering contractor at the team's HQ having pulled out after it too found its bills were not being met.
The financial situation is also playing a major part in negotiations regarding Kimi Raikkonen's future with the team, or lack of it.
Asked about the rumours about his pay, or lack of it, Raikkonen shrugged and said: "Some are rumours, some not."
When pressed, and asked if there might be a point at which he too might withdraw his services, he told Sky Sports: "There is a certain point at which a decision will be made and it might turn out to be not so good for any of us. If it goes there, it goes there, we will see.
"The team knows what is the main problem," he continued, "what is the issues and, for sure, this is one of them, the main issue. They know how to fix it, it is pretty simple in the end. But sometimes is doesn't seem to be as everybody wants."
In case further motivation were needed, Raikkonen's manager Steve Robertson (above) has made no attempt to blend into the background this weekend, holding talks with Red Bull boss Christian Horner in the clear view of journalists, photographers and Boullier.
Speaking on Friday however, the Finn said that money is not his motivation as he looks ahead to 2014.
"There is going to be the overall package and whatever feels right for me," he said at the official press conference. "Whatever the decision will be might feel stupid to somebody else, it might just feel right for me. I have no idea what will happen, we have to wait and see what will come, but hopefully whatever it will be it will be the right choice.
"Basically everything has to feel right," he added. "In the end it comes down to whatever I think is the right one. There will be no guarantee the choice will be a good one in the long run but I am fine with whatever the outcome will be. You live with your choices."
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