Lotus T128: after a year of apprenticeship, performance is sought

While waiting for the decision that will clarify who will be able to use the Lotus name for their team, today Team Lotus (the one already present in 2010) today released some renderings and a preview photo relating to its new single-seater, called T128.

Apprenticeship finished
After a 2010 of 'tests', if we want to call it that, with Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli (both confirmed for 2011) Tony Fernandes' Team invested in 2011, reaching an agreement with Renault for the supply of engines and rear axle of Red Bull derivation.

Consequently and based on the information obtained in the first year in F1, the Team has developed its new single-seater which, as you can see from the image on the cover and from the one below, relating to its 'ancestor', has undergone a major intervention in all areas.

The Lotus T127, which made its debut in the 2010 World Championship

The 2010 car was in fact defined as having a 'conservative' policy, almost as if it wanted to run solely in order to collect data after data and subsequently concentrate on the following year's car.

Many news
The break with the (short) past is clear. The new T128 is, among those presented so far, the car that differs the most from the one that preceded it, and is much more 'current' in its lines (or perhaps it was the first Lotus too 'dated'?). Even if we still don't have 'official' photos other than the renderings and the preview we see, it is clear that, for example, the sides have been totally revised. They are no longer in the late 90s style, bulky and square but have been dug under the air vents (also renewed and more in Red Bull style) and are finally tapered towards the rear like the single-seaters of 'present days'.

The nose has been refined, it is no longer narrow as in the T127 but is sharper and has a wider base. The front wing has been restyled but may still be derived from the previous car.

We also note the adoption of the 01 Mercedes W2010 style airbox-roll-bar group, defined as 'knife'. This solution is rumored to be in conflict with article 15.4 of the technical regulations, which would not consider a roll cage of this type to be safe. It seems strange that the Lotus technicians didn't notice it, or it's more likely that a way was found (as usual, we add) to get around the obstacle. On the other hand, as we know, every year some team finds the 'hole' in the regulations.

This is regarding the aerodynamic aspects. As regards the mechanical aspect, as we have said, an agreement has been reached with Renault, and therefore the Team will be powered by its engine to replace the 2010 Cosworth and will practically adopt the entire Red Bull rear end. There is no confirmation yet regarding the type of rear suspension. As we know, in fact, Newey adopted a pull-rod on the RB6 in order to refine the aerodynamics as much as possible, and it is likely that this solution will also be adopted by the Fernandes team. Among other things, from the preview, this detail cannot be seen, but if we look carefully, the front suspension also lacks the strut that connects the hub to the shock absorber rocker arm and the steering arm. Generally, however, the solution at the front should be a push-rod, as has been the norm lately.

Conclusion
In any case, a clear leap in quality in the performance of this team is likely. On the other hand, the Renault engine and the Red Bull rear axle were excellent guarantees in 2010, and we don't see how they couldn't be so again this season. Especially for a small team like the one for which Kovalainen and Trulli will race for the second year in a row. And precisely for our Jarno we hope that this year there will be better satisfactions than those of 2010. He deserves them.

Alessandro Secchi
F1Grandprix.it