Lotus Renault R31 “aggressive and innovative”

Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov, starting drivers; Romain Grosjean and Bruno Senna, third drivers; Jan Charouz, Ho-Pin Tung and Fairuz Fauzy, reserve drivers: here is the plethoric squad presented by Lotus Renault GP this season. Except for Fairuz Fauzy, retained by GP2, they were all there to present the news F1 produced at enstone, the R31. They were accompanied by Eric Boullier, team principal, and Gérard Lopez, president of the team.

“For Genii Capital and Lotus Renault GP, the 2011 season will be one of fruition,” declared Gérard Lopez. “We are now 100% owners of the team and we attack this championship with the intention of continuing to do things our way, but always with humility. I would like to welcome the arrival of Lotus Cars, an ambitious new title sponsor with a long-term commitment to us. Renault and Total have chosen to continue to support us and we warmly thank them for their effective contribution. Our ambition for 2011 is to continue our march to the top of the grid, seize the slightest opportunity and do better than last year, in both the drivers' championship and the constructors' championship. We feel ready for this new challenge. »

To face this challenge, Lotus Renault GP chose to work very early on this R31, in order to experience an even more fulfilling second season under the Genii Capital era. “All the work this winter focused on an important step forward for 2011. The result is this car, 92% new compared to the R30,” explains Erci Boullier.

This new car, which will evolve over the coming weeks and months, is therefore the weapon of an ambitious team. “The words 'aggressive' and 'innovative' are very popular in Formula 1 at the moment. But they seem appropriate to us with regard to the R31, specifies James Allison, technical director. It's true to say that it was designed with ambition and a glance at its appearance will confirm that its entire concept differs not only from last year's car but also from all those previously produced by this team. »