The 2009 Formula 1 season ended at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and it was Jenson Button who managed to clinch the Driver’s Championship two weeks earlier at the Brazilian Grand Prix. His team Brawn GP also made headlines as it also went home with the Constructor’s title.
The entire Formula 1 fraternity is now focusing on the 2010 season. Some familiar faces won’t be around next year like BMW and Toyota and possibly Renault, but there will be new faces. These include teams like USGPE, Manor, Campos as well as Malaysia’s Lotus F1. We have more interesting news to share with you regarding the new team. The term “spygate” may just stick around but instead of McLaren and Ferrari, the term is being associated with Lotus F1 and Force India.
According to Force India, its former wind tunnel operator Aerolab which is owned by Fondtech (an aerodynamics specialist) has leaked vital aerodynamic data that belongs to the team to the newly established Lotus F1. Force India revealed that the front wing assembly on Lotus F1’s wind tunnel model looks similar to the one featured on Force India’s Formula 1 car.
The team also claims that the wind-tunnel tires on Lotus F1’s wind tunnel car have hand-writing that belongs to Force India’s staff. Lotus F1’s technical chief Mike Gascoyne who also served for Force India in the past denied the allegations. At the same time, Aerolab is taking legal actions against Force India but its not regarding the matter above. Instead, its because Force India did not fulfill its “obligations” over a previous three-year deal with Aerolab.
In another development, Kamui Kobayashi, who stunned the motoring fraternity with his excellent drives in Brazil and in Abu Dhabi for Toyota is rumored to join Lotus F1. He recently revealed to the press that if there are still options for a race seat and that he had to choose a team, he would choose Lotus F1. Kobayashi was the third driver for Toyota’s Formula 1 outfit and replaced injured Timo Glock for the final two races of the season.
He showed some ballsy driving moves in both races and even made a sensational pass on World Champion Jenson Button in Abu Dhabi. With Toyota’s withdrawal from the sport, the Japanese driver is now looking for a 2010 race seat. Talking about drivers, Fairuz Fauzy who has been linked with Lotus F1 ever since it was given the green light to join Formula 1 is very likely to become the team’s third or reserve driver. “Fairuz will be in the team probably as a reserve driver or a test driver. He has the talent but we don’t want him to ‘crash and burn’ in the race because of his inexperience,” revealed Mike Gascoyne.
Gascoyne told The Star, “Take (Fernando) Alonso for example. He was signed as a test driver and didn’t get a race seat until after three years with Renault and he went on to win trophies. This is exactly what we want with Fairuz, for him to have enough experience because racing in the Formula One is at a much higher level than he used to.”
Taking that into account, Kobayashi’s move to Lotus F1 as the team’s second driver makes more sense. It is also also a good move to retain Fauzy as a reserve driver until he has more experience under his belt. Lets learn from what happened to Alex Yoong’s drive for Minardi when he raced for the team in 2002. There is no indication who will take the remaining seat but fingers are pointing towards Jarno Trulli, who drove for Toyota along side Kobayashi.
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F1 is getting complicated…lol
"It is also also a good move to retain Fauzy as a reverse driver until he has more experience under his belt."
It's going to be tough driving the car in reverse. :P
3rd
we don’t want him to ‘crash and burn’ in the race because of his inexperience,” revealed Mike Gascoyne
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LOL. At least someone talks with sense and use their head to think… Unlike
those silly fellow who want Fairuz to drive just because he is Malaysian.
What?????Lotus F1 copy Force India….ROTHLMAO…..better copy Brawn or Red bull Lah much better………
its a relief that fairuz fauzy gets to be a test driver 1st. for me i think that he is too young to take on the role as the main f1 driver. driving the formula 1 car is different than driving other types of car. he should gain experience testing and getting accustomed to the car 1st THEN only can he perform well when he is called to be the main driver. This should really be the way
haze said,
November 10, 2009 @ 7:31 pm
its a relief that fairuz fauzy gets to be a test driver 1st. for me i think that he is too young to take on the role as the main f1 driver. driving the formula 1 car is different than driving other types of car. he should gain experience testing and getting accustomed to the car 1st THEN only can he perform well when he is called to be the main driver. This should really be the way
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Too young? If your reason for Fairuz not to drive in F1 is because he is too inexperienced, maybe. If it's age, tell that to Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, and Nico Rosberg. They're young but doing fine.
Usually the role of a reserve driver is good for grooming a driver.
However, the in-season testing ban this year and next makes it no difference whether the rookie is the main driver or just as reserve..
Although the off season test is available, new teams like lotus which has yet to finalize their car will definitely loose testing time.. The first test in Jerez for new drivers is already in a few weeks time.
So its a shame for Fairuz Fauzy really.. Even as a reserve driver, he will probably not drive the car at all, unless Lotus can complete the car with sufficient time before the start of the season..
Therefore, yes it is best for Lotus to take experienced drivers (though I hate Trulli), but on a driver's personal note, its better to just throw Fairuz in the car like Torro Rosso did with their drivers, instead of just being designated reserve driver without doing anything.
simple. team lotus wants sponsors from japan.
He is 27 this year, if like Alonso and waited 3 year before can drive, he'll be 30. Not sure if he will ever race in F1.
jazeman? how come he doesnt get a mention… youngest driver for formula maybe?
ABBO said,
November 10, 2009 @ 8:25 pm
He is 27 this year, if like Alonso and waited 3 year before can drive, he’ll be 30. Not sure if he will ever race in F1.
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So? Nigel Mansell was 39 when he won the championship. Age is not a factor.
good job said,
November 10, 2009 @ 8:23 pm
simple. team lotus wants sponsors from japan.
_____
that true…!
good deal making good sponsorship…
good job said,
November 10, 2009 @ 8:23 pm
simple. team lotus wants sponsors from japan.
_____
that true…!
good deal making good sponsorship…
– – – –
genius one think
Ok lah tu. Ada gak pendapat yang bernas dari orang yang benar2 arif ttg dunia F1 ni.
Baik jadi 3rd driver atau test driver dari jadi driver F1 tak sampai full session
Lotus team making lots of headlines even before started? Like Mclaren spy saga now version 2.
Good to take Kobayashi. He is very very quick. Let Fairuz learn the ropes first. Only release once mature
Mansel was driving the best car on the grid when he won.
Belum apa-apa lagi dah kontroversi. It must a headache for tony fernandes after this. Going to court. Hopefully he has a no frill lawyer firm. :-)
proton sohai
It's a sad case when Fairuz has shown his worth by finishing runner up at World Renault Series, beating the likes of Jaime Alguersuari and almost at the same pace as Vettel in GP2 last time, only being given test driver role while too old to say veteran Villeneuve and newbie Kobayashi touted being 2nd driver.
Should be grateful for Fauzy's position as test driver. Wats wrong to view it as training stage? As mentioned by many experienced F1 drivers b4, F1 machines r like no other to handle.
Also, wit the recent dismiss of some big names from F1, d management of Team Lotus should think properly on the risks in their hands.
what the hell? Even before the race started…..there are so many issues already. Wait till when the race starts, when failure occurs, money run dry, politic steps in, etc.
Good luck, guys
First off, the terms used in Paul's article is incorrect. The team is NOT called 'Team Lotus'. This team is called 'Lotus F1' because naming rights 'Team Lotus' is owned by Mr David Hunt. 'Team Lotus' is the historical F1 team started by the late Colin Chapman that went bust in '94 which had drivers like Senna driving in the 80s.
As for the Fondtech/Aerolab wind tunnel scale model issue with Force India, I think it's just sour grapes. Nothing for Lotus F1 to really worry about. The model used in PR images would likely be a red-herring anyway. The team and Fondtech /Aerolab may be guilty of giving out fake, old model photos at best. Why would Gascoyne actually want to copy Force India(FI) design just because because he worked with FI?
The regs for 2010 is different from 2009 anyway. 2010 cars will have a large fuel tank, which lengthens the wheelbase of the car, which in turn affects the aero profile of the car, which means the front wings may have to be quite different from 2009 design as the airflow to the rear, directed by the front wing, needs to be modified.
I doubt teams want to reveal confidential detailed designs to the public anyway at this stage. At the best they would give distorted angled images or images with generic bits on their cars that won't give secrets away.
As for Fairuz, he is not 'too young'. He is already 27 years old and really is not lacking in single seater experience. He has been racing single seaters all his adult life starting from karts at a tender age. He has done it all, multiple seasons of F3, FFord, GP2/GP2Asia, A1GP, WSbR. Against his peers in europe, he is considered very experienced. He has certainly stepped up his game tremendously in recent years with occasional good shows in A1GP and WSbR.
The problem with Fairuz is that he has done all this racing all this years and he has yet to show a single championship win. He is outclassed by much younger drivers. He is not a bad driver but when compared against other drivers in the driver market he doesn't look too attractive to F1 bosses.
Having said, he has been working hard these recent years and so out of sympathy maybe a break into F1 would be good for him because there is nothing much he could do as a F1 test driver these days. The again maybe he could be significantly outclassed by his team mate and that would certainly kill any F1 future for him. The F1 pressure environment is very different to WSbR or A1GP. F1 will chew him alive and spit him out instantly if he is not mentally prepared.
As a fan I don't support Malaysian drivers who just want a 'been there, done that' F1 t-shirt. I want to see a driver who wants a 'been there, WON IT!' t-shirt.
azrai said,
November 11, 2009 @ 8:18 am
Belum apa-apa lagi dah kontroversi. It must a headache for tony fernandes after this. Going to court. Hopefully he has a no frill lawyer firm.
—
NO!.. it's no headache!
It's a good thing. 1words : PUBLICITY
+++
Jarno Truli? a big NO NO.
IF Renault not in 2010 season,
please take that ROBERT KUBICA!
Kubica, Kobayashi , Fairuz
nuff said.
Among the 4 newbie teams, it seems our LotusF1 is the most promising according to reports. There are doubts on whether USGPE will be ready. Rumour has it that Campos are trying to abort and sell their slot. Manor seems to be strong with Virgin backing them but there are doubts on their car because they claim they are relying solely on CFD simulation to design the car whilst the experts are saying that the very best CFD simulation without serious windtunnel time will not give them enough development time in time for Bahrain. None of the existing front running teams are relying on just CFD simulation.
Teams should have already done crash tests but many of the new teams are silent. Gascoyne on the other hand reports that LotusF1 tub crash testing has already begun and we have seen circulated images of their tub being fabricated in Germany by a company called Capricon GMBH
Unlike the old days where the test driver does laps on Friday practice and other test sessions, it's not beneficial being 3rd or test driver anymore with little or almost no testing nowadays. But may be better to put Fairuz as 3rd driver for 1st season then into a race seat since he's proven himself in Renault series.
He needs to get used to the car and the racing anyway. Not every seasoned F1 driver can fit into every car. Look at how Fisico is doing at Ferrari compared to Force India.
Instead of entering F1, better channeled the money to improve P1's RnD and extend their distribution network.
Volkswagen, Porsche, Hyundai, Kia, Skoda, Nissan, Chevy, Buick, Aston Martin, Bentley, Daihatsu etc. tak pernah and tak payah masuk F1 pun boleh jual kereta.
Hehehe, example only maaaa…….
Ermm… i know what do u mean by young.. comment by Tiadaid, i think its pronounce as "YOUNG" interm of lack of experience and motivation due to numbers of race by fairuz fauzi. Anyway.. 3rd or 4th.. doesnt matter for me.. the more important is he need to gain as much as he can experience on this F1 world. Gambatte Kudasai!
p/s – Just wanna share some info with u paul and all of you guys, The New KIA Forte Will be Launch on 24th November 2009 with estimate price around RM 74,000.00 – TBA.
As it stands the lotus team seems to be doing things right… to my surprise… malaysian bureaucracy is been kept at bay… Kobayashi is an amazing driver. He made the last 2 f1 races such a sight to enjoy… and true racer he is Pity toyota drop out. But considering toyota global financial loss and the fact after pumping as much money as ferrari they have yet to step to the top of that podium i guess it was time…
On the other hand i read petronas sponsorship is being sought after by all the teams. And they have yet to say who they will sponsor. My bet is still either the new Sauber, lotus, or Williams.
what a disgrace
I wonder those negative commenter ever read the whole article n actually understands it at all? If u guys, dont understand the underlying meaning, look for dictionary
It's "Look in the dictionary", not "look for dictionary"….
hopefully LOTUS F1 Racing will take Kamui Kobayashi to be in the team, he is really amazing!
Kobayashi overtakes Button (F1 season 2009 champion) video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkev3sOo3Rs
lotus f1 copying force india…oh…this will kill the nameplate of lotus forever…although the team not even related to lotus, established by colin chapman.
as a malaysian I prefer FAIRUZ FAUZY to be a 2nd driver.
If all off you follow the Renault World Series 3.5 you will see how
consistent he is. He can beat Jamie, he never make a stupid mistake,
Belum cuba belum tahu………BE A PATRIOTIC LAH
wahhhh fastcx……..u r top academician kaaaa??? This is a blog, not an academic forum……everybody have their own opinion, and it might not be parallel with yours…..negative or positive……
“Fairuz will be in the team probably as a reserve driver or a test driver. He has the talent but we don’t want him to ‘crash and burn’ in the race because of his inexperience,” revealed Mike Gascoyne.
HAHA see what i told ya, This kid is too inexperience for F1 at this moment. No point rush him for the sake of having a malaysian on the track. This will not only endanger himself but also the people around him.
replace Nuri heli for our army its better than this F1…very frust la!
As Malaysians we all want to see Fairuz in the team. Why? because he is Malaysian.. and that is the problem, because of his nationality. F1 is a not a 'finishing school'. F1 is the real world, not kindergarten.
As a Malaysian, Fairuz has impressed Malaysians and thats because we don't have that many drivers to show off anyway.
But in the F1 world, he is not sufficiently impressive for people like Gascoyne and all other F1 team bosses who are constantly on the look out for new promising talent.
Fairuz finished 2nd in the WSbR championship this year. Thats an impressive feat by Malaysian standards but we lack any reference for comparison.
In the eyes of the european motorsport community and F1, Fairuz is decent but is outclassed by many younger drivers. They see better choices other than him. This is his 3rd season in WSbR. He would be viewed differently if he finished 2nd in his first full season in WSbR.
He is 27 already and is considered old for a driver still aspiring to get into F1, yet he has not won a single championship series. That is what the F1 sees him as. Fairuz still needs to prove himself to F1 team bosses by winning championships. Even when he does that, when compared to say a 21-year old with similar talent, the 21-year old would be preferred because talent alone is not enough in F1. They're looking for a driver with the complete 'package' especially for commercial reasons. Lewis Hamilton is perfect in terms of package and he had the talent.
Thats why Gascoyne or any other F1 team boss are not excited to consider Fairuz as main driver. They unfortunately simply see him as 'not good enough'.. regardless of his nationality. Talent and ability is first and foremost and they're not confident that he makes the grade.
With car (and kart) prices so high, it'll be a longshot to develop any world class race drivers here. The Finns start driving karts at the tender age of 3-4 and own modded cars by their teens. And they don't come from rich families. Many of them are small town folk.
Squawk is right. That's why Alex Yoong, Fairuz Fauzy, Aaron Lim, Fahmi Ilyas, Jazeman Jaffar etc all look to europe. It is the same for any F1 hopeful from any country. They all race in europe, racing against the best to sharpen their skills.
The only thing that can be done locally is to help our future hopefuls to graduate to europe which is always the stumbling block because of the cost.
stop the corruption of this naza f1 team
Naza F1 team? Is that the 14th F1 team for 2010?
hopefully no GLC's money involved in this scam…. initially, DS Najib said there will be no investment from government becoz this team got money already, but now, our biggest fear come to haunt us…people money to be used for this scam….when economy is not flourish yet…
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/spor…
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opin…