Lotus In Trouble & Introducing: The E22

Lotus today announced that Eric Bouiller will no longer be with the team, and that Gerard Lopez will be taking over.

So let's get this straight.The only man who could stop the sinking ship, has been let go... Whilst the man who caused the ship to sink is taking complete control. Wow... Just wow.

I'm huge Lotus fan and not just because Kimi Raikkonen drove for them for two years, I was a fan of Renault before with Fernando Alonso, so naturally I just support the team.

The funding fiasco and the absolute gall not to pay Kimi Raikkonen last year really annoyed me but I figured every team hits hard times, and Kimi isn't ever going to be short of cash (not that it matters, it is the principal after all).

They then announced that they wouldn't be attending Jerez, but assured us that other teams wouldn't be either. Yet even the poorest teams managed to book their place. So now Lotus look weak and broke.

I unlike many other fans saw the sense of hiring Pastor Maldonado. Give him a half decent car whilst he brings in the cash. It was and still is a better idea than bringing in Nico Hulkenberg who would just have thrown the toys out of his pram because he wasn't getting his own way. 

However letting/making Boullier go is absolutely crazy. Most likely he will be destined for McLaren if you believe the hype. It could also spell the end for Romain Grosjean who is managed by Boullier.

Introducing: The E22

On a lighter note, along with McLaren today, Lotus tweeted an angled picture of their car, the E22. I thought it was a little bit childish to release a photo at the same time as McLaren had their's, but I digress:

Bar the streaks on the monocoque and the introduction of Maldonado's PDVSA sponsors (and others), little to nothing has changed. The stupid red is still present however, the first name of the driver is still atop of the car which I think is a really nice touch.

If you have seen the McLaren or the computer generated version of the Williams car, you'd know that the nose is just as horrific as the experts predicted. Yet Lotus have managed to alter the penis design and have adapted a two pronged/tusk style nose.

I'm no expert so I don't know the benefits and disadvantages of them both but aesthetically, it's a lot more pleasing than the anteater. The E22 is definitely still sexy... And it knows it.

Double Trouble

As we know by now, one of the more shocking regulation changes for 2014 was to offer double points to the top 10 finishers of the very last Grand Prix of the year.

The idea is that the motivation will increase competition, and make the championship fight extend longer, unlike the snoozefest's of 2011 and 2013 (yawn). 

There are conflicting beliefs within the paddock that the points system is here to stay, Ferrari's Luca Di Montezemolo says that it's only a temporary folly whereas Lotus and Eric Boullier are certain it's a permanent arrangement. 

It's only one more desperate attempt to make Formula 1 look interesting, when in actual fact it's making the sport look like an absolute joke. Imagine making tries in rugby worth double in the last ten minutes of a match, it's complete crazy.

Eddie Irvine was spot on when he said the sport is completely lost.What gripes me the most is that Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA have basically said that Abu Dhabi, and the Yas Marina circuit is worth more than Silverstone, Monza, Monte Carlo and Spa. Why should emphasis be placed on a below par circuit that has existed for all of 5 minutes, above REAL circuits?

Oh wow, you light up, cause that's what the fans want...

One thing is always for sure; leave it to Red Bell and Sebastian Vettel to shy away from the fact that this only helps them. 

I'm not saying they had any involvement with the decision making, that would be stupid-thinking. What I am saying is that Vettel coming out and calling it "absurd," and Christian Horner criticising the FIA is rather cheap considering they are the only ones who truly benefit.

Red Bull perform far better in the second half in a season. Asia is practically Vettel's playground, you know he's just going to pull maximum points every time. And with 3 wins in 5 races at Yas Marina, it's safe to say it's a Vettel track. What if Red Bull scrape by the whole season, get lucky (because we know it happens) at Abu Dhabi and steal it away undeservedly?! It says to the teams just give it your 100% at the last race of the season, it's worth the real points.


This is all assuming the order remains the same with the new engines however, maybe the change is so big that double points might actually prove to be a great thing in the sport. Right now, it makes it look weak.

It seems to me like this is a quick fix to a really terminal problem with Formula 1. Along with the introduction of the Vettel Trophy (trophy for most pole positions), these are just really bad decisions. If the FIA wants to emulate the success of other motor racing series', introduce interesting scenarios like reversed grids, or ballasts like in the BTCC, not something that belittles 18 races of hard work.

Jerez: Day Two

Day two saw a few driver changes, such as Perez, Hamilton, Razia and Force India's James Rossiter got to run a few laps towards the end of the session.

Final Standings

1. Romain Grosjean (Lotus) 1m18.218s
2. Paul di Resta (Force India) 1m19.003s
3. Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) 1m19.134s
4. Mark Webber (Red Bull) 1m19.338s
5. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber) 1m19.502s
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1m19.519s
7. Sergio Perez (McLaren) 1m19.572s
8. Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 1m19.914s
9. Pastor Maldonado (Williams) 1m20.693s
10. James Rossiter (Force India) 1m21.273s
11. Giedo van der Garde (Caterham) 1m21.311s
12. Luiz Razia (Marussia) 1m23.537s

Romain Grosjean affirmed team boss Eric Boullier's prediction of competitive times when he set the fastest lap time of the session and the test so far. He was nearly 0.8s quicker than the next car down, which just happened to be another blinder of a session by Paul di Resta.

Day two was an extremely tight session with seven cars being split by under a second. Both van der Garde (typing his name out is going to be a bag of fun this season  and Razia went quicker than the teams previous times (Chilton ran day one) with the Caterham still ahead.

Without doubt the biggest disappointment of the day came from Lewis Hamilton (albeit not his fault). His maiden run for his brand new team ended in disaster when his brakes failed, rendering him a passenger as his car headed for the tyres. Luckily he was unharmed but the problem couldn't be mended in time to get him back out. Two major problems in two days is pushing it, even for testing. He remained fairly upbeat and he was posting fairly quick times before the failure. There was hope yet.

Lotus E21

It's the day I have been waiting for since Brazil had ended! It's the time of year when teams start unveiling their brand new machinery for the season ahead. Lotus F1 opened the honour for us, live on YouTube and Sky Sports News. 

I provided live coverage on Twitter and now I'm going to review the Lotus E21. The 'E' stands for Enstone which is where the team is based, and the number is the amount of years the team and their previous incarnations have lived there. I watched the launch live on YouTube and the photos used are all screen shots from my laptop. The fact that teams are now unleashing their new beasts to the public is great and I loved seeing Kimi again, however it's not all highs as I'm about to explain. Here's my review of the Lotus E21 through live pictures.

The screen to the live feed on YouTube. The music was SO annoying!

The ceremony was supposed to be outside in a marquee, however due to heavy winds the event was moved in doors. It took the team only 90 minutes to do so. Well done to them!

Gerard Lopez, chairman of Lotus Formula 1 Team. He was discussing the success of last year and the ambitions for the upcoming season, including challenging both championships and placing 3rd overall.

Eric Boullier, Lotus F1 Team Principle. When discussing Kimi, he noted how he proved the doubters wrong, stating his motivation was nothing but well driven all season. When questioned about Romain Grosjean, he noted how great his qualifying results were but he also mentioned that he "raced well." Now correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the team principle sits at the side of the track and views both drivers performances live. Did he miss all of Grosjean's mishaps?! Particularly the one that nearly killed Fernando Alonso?! There were better drivers Eric, but making sure Romain knows he is without doubt a number 2 driver like Massa and Webber before him is a well thought through move.

James Allison, Lotus F1  Technical Director. More from him later.

Romain Grosjean. 3 podiums in 2012 including a second place in Canada.

Kimi Raikkonen 2007 Drivers World Champion. 7 podiums in 2012 including winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Notice the new Alpine Star race suit and the extra red.

Both drivers taking the cover off the brand new E21. For being the worlds fastest drivers, they took their time taking it off!

The first glimpse of the E21. Right after last season ended, Lotus announced a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola owned energy drink Burn. The logo also appears on the drivers suits.

Continuing the iconic black and gold colours, we see the first hint of red on the side pod, but my worst fear had come true, the stepped nose is still there. More on that later.

The first full picture of the Lotus E21. What first struck me is the addition of the colour red. For me this is straying too far from the classic livery. 

A great angle. Notice Kimi's name above the drivers cockpit. Kimi is displayed on both sides, as is the number 7 (Grosjean is therefore number 8 as displayed on his cap).

Another shot of the rear.

Lotus were very coy in letting the camera men view the car, notice there are no shots of the diffuser . Hiding something are we team? Back to the stepped nose; Allison stated that the team had chosen to keep the stepped nose as the cosmetic cover they had trialled weighed several grams.  He noted until they find a material that won't affect the cars performance, they will run the stepped nose all season. I find this extremely disappointing, I was looking forward to seeing the return of our beautiful shaped cars but if it's not beneficial to run a cover, then most teams will follow suit. McLaren didn't have a stepped nose last year and their car was by far the best looking in terms of chassis. If I was Bernie or Jean Todt, I'd force both Sauber and Caterham to cover their cars. They were by far the most extreme and disgusting looking. 

A close up of Kimi's name on the side, I think it is a terrific touch, really impressed.

Kimi made a series of very important comments tonight. When asked about why he stayed, he simply replied "because of a contract." From the outside this sounds like he had no choice. However at the end he went on to say he was happy overall. Lopez made a very good comment early on when he stated Kimi was not "relaxed", rather he was in his perfect environment, and I believe this is why he's happy and proved every doubter wrong. You know who you are and I simply say: "ha." 

E21

Overall I'm not really impressed. When I think about Lotus, I think about Senna making his bones, Graham Hill winning the World Championship, 7 constructors championships and all in a black and gold livery. There is far too much red and I suspect it has something to do with Burn being named as a major sponsor. It doesn't affect the performance of the car but because it's my favourite team, I have a fancy for the body work.

As for the technical side of proceedings, I'm not one for spotting it from afar whenever it's not written on paper for me to make sense of. I've been told they are running double DRS this season after last seasons failed development.

Kimi Raikkonen in the 2013 attire.

I was quite negative about the event after it. The amount of red had me feeling blue and then I wanted to step through the TV to cover up the stepped nose but the aspect that ruined my night was the coverage. I hate Rupert Murdoch, he is a fascist and neo-Nazi in disguise. Murdoch owns Sky, bought all F1 rights off BBC meaning I can't watch all races live. You can probably tell, I do not like Sky. Essentially Sky F1 consists of Georgie Thompson wearing literally NOTHING, Ted Kavitz being the team's bitch and Martin Brundle taking centre stage, often leading the programmed to be called "The Martin Brundle Show." Damon Hill also dropped in my estimations with his association with the show. Simply put, I hate Sky.

Romain Grosjean in the 2013 attire,

Now you know why I hate sky, I'll tell you why tonight was a huge disappointment. The arrogance and ignorance of the presenter tonight was appalling. In true Sky spirit, he was rude enough to take the spotlight away from Lotus to ask everyone (INCLUDING MY KIMI) about Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes. Who does he think he is? How dare he actually be that despicable and try to cover a big issue because it's the only live time they'll get with a team. His ethics were horrible but what can you expect from a man employed by some of the worst men and women in history. Criminals in suits.

E21

I hope the rest of the launches go down better than this one, you can find the dates here for the rest of the launches.

E21

Don't forget, I am also a writer for Let's Talk F1 who are providing reviews similar to this one for every car launch. On the 31st of January I will be reviewing the McLaren MP4-28, so be sure to keep up to date with the site throughout the season as our talented group bring you awesome articles through a passion for the sport like none other. You can follow us @LetsTalkF1 on Twitter.