Disappointing Sepang weekend for Lotus Racing

Disappointing Sepang weekend for Lotus Racing

Lotus Racing has had the best start of the three new teams joining the 2010 Formula 1 season before Sepang – both cars were classified in Bahrain, Heikki finished 13th in Australia – but the “homecoming” Malaysian GP was a disappointment for the team as Heikki Kovalainen wasn’t classified as a finisher and Jarno Trulli came in 17th and last. Expectations were higher than normal – the combination of the results so far, the “home race” factor and the relatively good qualifying session where Heikki made it to Q2, a first for the team – saw to that.

The Finn who started in 15th place had a tricky race. Off the grid, his T127 was caught in a tussle with Virgin’s Lucas Di Grassi which caused a left rear puncture, leading to a quick pit stop on lap 12. He had to pit again 20 laps in with a hydraulics issue but was wheeled out again after a quick fix to gain more track time and give the fans something to cheer for. He completed 46 laps, 10 laps less than the leading 11 cars.

Disappointing Sepang weekend for Lotus Racing

“We made a good start, but then on the second lap I was hit by Glock, which made me spin, and from then on my race was compromised. Despite that I got the car home to the end and that shows our focus on reliability has been worth the effort,” Trulli said of his race.

“The beauty of sport is that you have highs and lows, and after the high of yesterday, with Heikki in Q2, it was a bit of a low today. Jarno had some handling problems due to damaged bodywork at the rear, and did a great job to bring the car home. With Heikki, he had some very high temperatures which we managed to fix in the pit, and as soon as he was out again he was very competitive, took the car to the flag, and really showed what the car was capable of. So it was disappointing, but at least we managed to get two cars to the flag. We’ve learned a lot and are looking to move on and be on good form for China,” said Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer.

Disappointing Sepang weekend for Lotus Racing

Team Principal Tony Fernandes felt the same. “It was good to get two finishes; obviously we’re unhappy with the position, but as we’ve always said it’s a major achievement just to finish. And we did – as you could see later Heikki’s car had good pace, so that’s encouraging. We take a lot away from this weekend, and we’ll take everything we have learned with us to China, and from Barcelona, as we’ve always said, we’ll be looking to build on the very solid start to the season. I’m proud of the effort the whole team put in today in tough, hot conditions, and we’re here to fight another day.”

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • We Malaysians are so proud of you Lotus!!!

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  • Neo.S on Apr 05, 2010 at 9:55 am

    keep on going Lotus !!!!!
    about the problem you have ………change the supplier la lol

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  • ktas09 on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:03 am

    Why is HE so happy??? Not even top 15 after 3 races!!! Lotus 1Malaysia is similar to Minardi team that already pack and dissappeared through the sunset. Better focus in upgrading AirAsia to better service.

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    • frossonice on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:26 am

      That is what we normal human being call optimism or positive thinking. Like countless other people who never stop in achieving their goal, I guess Tony and Lotus Racing is being optimist and know their limitation, thus setting their goal to be achievable within a specific time frame.

      You on the other hand want to be number 1 instantly because perhaps you loves so much to eat Maggi Mee or McDonald’s which easy and tasteless.

      That Red Bull Renault took 5 years to reach their level now. Force India took 3 years. If you really can do it instantly, why don’t you set up your own race car team and do it.

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      • proton on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:09 pm

        haha, look at the brawn team, 1 year right after honda dump them, the all UK F1 team, won champion, that is the kind of story we’re expecting. but wait, how many percent of this team is from malaysia? hem……1 driver, 1 boss……how bout engineer and mechanics? well, that is a very expensive training ground.

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        • Paxter on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:59 pm

          wei grow a brain la

          brawn isnt a new team…… that car that won was design during the time the team was called honda and BTW UNLIKE LOTUS which is NOT a direct successor to the original LOTUS TEAM this team was supposed to be called litespeed till the whole lotus-proton tie up, BRAWN on the other hand was formerly honda, formerly BAR and FORMERLY TYRELL… Their racing linage goes back right to the 60s AND ALL those teams i mention were major teams in F1 especially Tyrell!

          TOLONG la wei BRAWN magic is bcs of years of experience, and true British ingenuity which came from EXPERIENCE!

          Lotus is barely a year old and only 3 races experienced… Compare them to Force india la dong… that team sucked when they started look where are they now… even maclaren had problems overtaking sutil yesterday.. hamilton was complimenting the Force India car! And they won a couple of races last year! Give lotus 3 years to build the team before u say such things…

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        • Just give them the chance la..

          Brawn 2009 car is an exception, basically Honda dumped all their 2008 resources on the 2009 car. And if not because of that dumb double diffuser case, they would have been at best middle field.

          Lotus 2010, 6 months from scratch… for me, as long as they utilize the money well, is all ok. At least, now 100% money in, 100% money well used.

          And you think if “they” took the sponsor money and place it else where, u think it would be more useful meh? U know how it works, 100% input, maybe just 30% output… And that 30% might not benefit u..

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    • Stop being such a moron and start using that watermelon on top of your neck.

      All teams have their ups and downs. Even the top tier ones. Like you said, it’s only been 3 races.

      Additionally, AirAsia has never been about good service ala MAS. They’re a no frills budget airlines with a completely different business model. Think before you talk and make sure it’s constructive.

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      • theanswer on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:55 am

        yeap..no need to upgrade the service..what we pay is what we get. so far the service is acceptable. nway why bash new rookie team when u can bash ferrari team for not finishing top 2..or even the legendary schuey for not completing the race.
        from what i see this season, most of the teams got problem with reliability. maybe the car was running to heavy at the starting lineup(more fuel)?

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    • unsafe japanese car on Apr 05, 2010 at 11:43 am

      He has that winning mentality, thats why he is filthy rich and you are a still poor lad.

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  • Tiadaid on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:04 am

    Better luck next time Lotus. Hope they gain some benefit from this race

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  • lanwm on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:09 am

    No reason not to finish as there was no rain

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    • Sharfox on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:50 am

      No reason?…how bout Schumacher and Alonso? No rain and yet didn’t finish as well.

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      • paultan fan on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:03 pm

        tapi ni guna duit negara. Inilah masalah paling besar. Kalau banding team baru, memang Lotus menyerlah. Tapi adakah kita masuk bertanding just nak habiskan perlumbaan. Ingat ni wang pembayar cukai bukan wang sdn bhd tony seorang

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        • sapa yg kata pakai duit negara? ko ade bukti ke? dun talk nonsense bro

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        • @Momo, +1, support u.

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        • sri hartamas on Apr 06, 2010 at 9:00 am

          the spinning took care of tidak guna wang rakyat. If a GLC supports them financially, isn’t that wang rakyat? Whose money was used to set up the GLC’s ? Government money=rakyats’ money, in case you are ignorant of that too.

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        • how much u pay for ur tax…am paying only RM60 this year luckily…n i hav still not pay duit rakyat yet aka p*p*n…hehe..no complain for me..hehe

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  • jackielowe on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:42 am

    It’s rich boys’ toys

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  • myron96 on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:50 am

    Both Virgin beat Lotus yesterday…..Now, Lotus must be awared that, not only they can improve, so do other teams.
    The odd to see Fernandes in Virgin dress improved^^

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    • paultan fan on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:04 pm

      tak nampak pun sir richard pakai skirt. kan ritu kalah ngan tony. kali ni tony lak kalah.

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      • kazai on Apr 05, 2010 at 6:49 pm

        tunngu la sampai abis season. baru tau sapa yg kena jd stewardess.

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  • Mysticmind on Apr 05, 2010 at 10:55 am

    double up your works lotus!
    support you with RM10 to bought so called , ‘lotus racing tropical CANNED drink!.’
    what a cool cheap collector item lol. :D

    no lotus racing selling official product booth yet?

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  • kedaikopi on Apr 05, 2010 at 11:10 am

    kecewa~ tapi takpe.. lepas ni kena usaha lebih lagi :)

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  • Toyota drivers are idiots on Apr 05, 2010 at 11:12 am

    Hey Tony maybe you should dump those unreliable and slow Cosworths for something else. May I suggest those Rolls-Royce turbines from one of your A340s? Keep up the good work boys and make us proud!

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    • paultan fan on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:05 pm

      ha3. konpem laju dpt no1

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    • Good Idea, some more can bakar the ppl behind, so can make them go pitstop to replace their front wing, but fuel tank not big enuf, and cannot refuel woh…

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  • trav_da_man on Apr 05, 2010 at 11:12 am

    Luck is not on Lotus side but that motor racing, its unpredictable at times. It is still a long season but better luck for the remaining 16 races!

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  • Really like Tony positive way of thinking… Tak cepat melatah…

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    • theanswer on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:29 pm

      because he knew that f1 is not an easy competition. he’s being ealistic.

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      • sri hartamas on Apr 06, 2010 at 9:03 am

        Why the xxxx did he want to go into F1? to benefit AIr Asia of course…which is actually to benefit him and his cronies, and political masters.

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        • In case you’re a little thick about the term ‘Business’, that’s the whole idea isn’t it? A businessman/entrepreneur ventures into something for their benefit right?

          Besides, like him or not, his competitive spirit is what made AirAsia what it is today. Truly a world class organisation. Ask any AirAsia employee and they’re proud to be associated with it.

          You do realise, all this vented out frustration reflects a person’s shortcoming. Switch positions and I doubt you’re gonna be singing the same tune.

          Just my 2 cents. Cheers.

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  • ryan_doohan on Apr 05, 2010 at 11:19 am

    Lotus must need to push very very hard in future, my question is LOTUS is a car manufacturer, not like Virgin, HRT, William, why use Cosworth Engine? not a lotus engine?

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    • proton on Apr 05, 2010 at 11:53 am

      lotus engine? you mean something like campro from proton or a toyota celica engine? hahaha, its been a long time since lotus use they own engine in their own car.

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    • Sharfox on Apr 05, 2010 at 12:00 pm

      Lotus naver build their own engine laaaa… They build cars but not engine. They even used Ford engine when they beat on the previous F1 races….long time ago. Constructors and drivers champ yes but they never run on Lotus engine.

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      • Mysticmind on Apr 05, 2010 at 12:38 pm

        they do build own engine lah. do read.
        and they also Joint venture with cosworth before to build engine too.. JV mean, the engine is cannot be claim by coswoth itself only la. patehthic you.

        cosworth current engine not well tuned by them yet.. oh come on.. others established team took ‘A year’ preparation for engine and car for the upcoming season, while them has so little time to make the engine and the car.

        too much things to do, too little time to waste. ;)

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        • Paxter on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:02 pm

          Lotus in general never did use their own built engine… they were similar to sauber where by they will retune a suppliers engine… At one time lotus even used honda engines….

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      • Jaybond on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:38 pm

        Spot on. And in those era, Cosworth V8 engine was also not the most powerful N.A, F1 engine, unlike Ferrari Flat 12 & Alfa Romeo V12.

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        • Mysticmind on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:32 pm

          Paxter, no! you wrong.
          back in 80’s, they do built their own engine.
          but since they not a ‘mass car maker’, it mean such a loss. waste investment.
          not economical to built engine. so better use others engine then just tune it.

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    • ryan_doohan on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:03 pm

      Hahaha…next time should change from COSWORTH to Campro..must get pole position.

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  • carloverRX8 on Apr 05, 2010 at 11:48 am

    Yes i agree

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  • Out-of-Tune on Apr 05, 2010 at 11:58 am

    A BAD investments just like Tune Money, Tune Hotel… stagnate growth business model

    Not everything as successful as AirAsia… success due to Msia govt assistance in every way… until build TWO LCC terminals for FREEE for AirAsia ; and MAS victimised to re-take loss making local routes which was a precondition of AirAsia’s rights to operate

    Tony owes Kalimulah and Kamal Badawi BIG TIME for the $$ in his pocket and his fame

    But today, Tony cannot replicate his “success” as no more big cables to pull …. esp in F1

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    • qwerty on Apr 05, 2010 at 12:31 pm

      Can I know which two LCCT you’re talking about?

      Lol.

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      • paultan fan on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:07 pm

        tapi tune hotel tu menguntungkan lor.

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        • Paxter on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:03 pm

          lol tune hotel a flop? do u know how hard it is to book the rooms at tune hotel bali? cakap angin la u a true 1 malaysian….

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        • sri hartamas on Apr 06, 2010 at 9:07 am

          dont believe everything you read about tune hotel. If hard to get rooms at their bali hotel, its done on purpose, give the impression that they are doing a roaring business. Of course, if u book today for a room tomorrow, definitely its fully booked.

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      • tokmoh on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:40 pm

        I think he’s referring the current LCCT and the under-construction KLIA LCCT (much closer to the main terminal compared to the current LCCT, about 1.5km distance). Some details about the LCCT under construction:

        http://www.klia.com.my/index.php?ch=80&pg=204&ac=3989

        Hmm… my lecturer once said that looking at Air Asia’s financial statement is very scary. But TF has ACCA qualification, I just hope he knows what he is doing… wouldn’t want to have a Malaysian Enron…

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  • Five-Laps-Behind on Apr 05, 2010 at 12:02 pm

    “Disappointing Sepang” not correct …..

    “PATHETIC Sepang” is

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  • anonymous on Apr 05, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    what a pity better luck next time

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  • jong84 (Member) on Apr 05, 2010 at 12:30 pm

    AirAsia Service is getting worse, better use the money to upgrade the service. Just a waste of money, Tony’s action just like burning the money!

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    • paultan fan on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:08 pm

      bukan duit tony seorang la. duit kita. Proton, Lotus tu kan aset rakyat tu. Maxis pun ada share rakyat dlm tu via KWAP

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    • frossonice on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:12 pm

      So, now we are questioning how he spend his money? Maybe next time you can question how I spend my money. :P

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      • run budget on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:16 pm

        yes,definitely right! ha,ha. dont melalut laa guys..we talk about lotus performance. negative thinking laa..

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  • nabill on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:01 pm

    even ferrari had a horrible day…..as long as we see progress along the season thn we will be proud….GO LOTUS !!

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    • Jarum on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:19 pm

      Ferrari has a better day than loud mouth Lotus! The started behind loud-mouthed Lotus and managed to get one of their cars to obtain some points. Alonso drove brilliantly with a screwed up gear box until the engine failure.

      What did loud mouthed Lotus get?? +5 laps. If you have read my earlier post in another thread (Bahrain GP) I was spot on about Lotus finishing +5 laps behind the winner! Hahahah!

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  • proton on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:05 pm

    can we afford a F1 team? did US, canada, UK, Germany,France has their own team like this? are we better? SIngapore, taiwan, thailand, indonesia all dun have F1 team.

    Malaysian so kaya?

    Look at our taxi!!! saga BLM?? last time our proton saga is bigger!!! so are we richer or poorer?

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    • kemakmuran on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:18 pm

      richer..

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    • theanswer on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:33 pm

      dol..the latest blm only look smaller from the outside. inside much more bigger than old saga. i drive both version already. plus, saga blm chasis much more firm than old saga.

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    • Paxter on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:18 pm

      urm those countries listed above all had an f1 team at one time or another… the list is too long to list so i pass u a link.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Formula_One_constructors

      I think you are mistaken in thinking Lotus is a gov team…

      F1 teams are privately own by individuals its up to the individual to market the team base on its locality . U think italians dont associate them selves to think ferrari represents Italy, or maclaren representing the UK or Renault representing France, Wolf representing Canada, or even Theodore representing Hong kong? Some teams pride themselves to being associated to its owners country… FORCE india is a damn good example…

      Whats wrong with Lotus being associated to the teams owners home country… U KNOW what yesterday on the way home there was a proton satria in lotus colors… We drove pass it to see a mat salleh inside in team colors… At the race so many of them were wearing lotus shirts or carrying their flags….

      pls la grow a brain why everything in this country has to be so direct baru boleh faham ke?

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  • Blurry D on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:09 pm

    Come on people give it a break. I know all of you are all frustrated in everything that is going on. However, lets use the energy to create better future for everyone.

    I believe Lotus can be where Force India is and in a few years time of course. Ferrari has been around more than 40 over years and they still have bad seasons. See if from a different point of view, then you will understand what is truly behind the scenes.

    Remember the car is not sponsored by Tune Group only, the is a collective sponsors. Proton, Naza, CNN, Lotus, Maxis & Bridgestone.

    Let all be positive about it, Tony is where he is today because he never gave up.

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    • Bigsby on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:06 pm

      And he’s got the guys to stick it to the big boys, to the man and go against the norm. Not many Malaysians dare go against the grain and here’s one that we should all be proud of.

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  • thaithi on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:29 pm

    u know why the driver cannot do well on home ground cause they r not malaysian.if only to qualify ask any malaysian racer also can la, put 1Malaysia on tha machine only the driver not even 0.0001% a malaysian.

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  • Tengokaje.. on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    Try another time and learn from the mistake. Improve from time to time.
    Good luck Lotus Racing.

    Salam..

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  • may be Lotus forget to tell thier boss, LOTUS home ground is in Silverstone no Sepang leh…. hehe,

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  • farghmee on Apr 05, 2010 at 1:57 pm

    hmm..

    1. when the team say “hydraulic problem”, what it is actually mean?
    i’m noob here..

    2. i think cosworth engine is not as competitive as other makes.

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    • theanswer on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:37 pm

      2. agree..u can check at wiki where only 1 time cosworth engine won the f1..year 1994 driven by schumi. the last and the only win they got is in 2003 from fisichella.

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      • Tiadaid on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:29 pm

        Sorry, but you’re wrong. Cosworth was THE engine to have, ever since Team Lotus introduced the engine in 1967. In the 60s and 70s most of the teams are on Cosworth power. They’ve won over 150 races and countless championship, so they can win.

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    • proton on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:01 pm

      hydraulic? your power steering also using hydraulic.

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      • farghmee on Apr 05, 2010 at 4:55 pm

        yup..

        focusing in F1, what is hydraulic issue really mean?
        steering, damper, fuel line?

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        • bobby on Apr 05, 2010 at 7:15 pm

          Hydraulic issues generally categorized under mechanized compartment. Brakes, steering, accelerator etc.

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  • Bigsby on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:04 pm

    The trouble with Malaysia is that Malaysians don’t trust Malaysians. All the naysayers here are probably sniffing up some western team’s behind.

    Lotus has a target and I believe the target is to beet the other noobs which they are doing with a fair amount of success today. Reality is that nobody comes in fresh into anything in the real world and runs away victorious right away.

    Ps. I rather my tax money be spent on an F1 race team than some fatty’s pocket.

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  • MyCarMyLife on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:09 pm

    My Dig in this issue is we have to let one of the 2 ‘old pros’ go inorder to save the team,
    This is to put pressure on the remaining one to drive his butt out rather than ronda around the track and get paid, also we have to give F F our local .potential’ to prove himself comparing against the likes of K Chandok and the other rookies before his flame of passion dies out with more dismal results .
    Remember all eyes are on you Lotus.F1

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  • Jaybond on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:32 pm

    Lotus they do have some experience in engine design, BUT NOT F1 engines. And speaking of Cosworth engine, I think it is still a pretty decent F1 engine though maybe not the most powerful, possibly on par with Renault but not quite match Mercedes or Ferrari. And F1 competition these days is mostly about aeros & handling. Toyota had one of the most powerful engine back then but the car chassis/aero was crappy. The stunning performance of Red Bull car is mostly credited to the brilliant chassis/aero package.

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  • Jarum on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    I think the Mercedes GP car is the most sexiest one there. Love the way the car looks!

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  • RON96 on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:34 pm

    Just wonder who pay the overpriced cars that our government forced down our troat?? Certainly not CNN!!! Proton, rakyat subsidized their oversea customers. Naza, rakyat pay for their APs. Maxis, rakyat pay for it’s services. Bridgestone name appeared on the Lotus car (& so are all other F1 team’s) bcos Bridgestone is the sole supplier of the racing tyre!! And each team need to “PAY Bridgstone” in order to get their tyre supplies!!! Who do u think pay for government “oversea” trip to UK to officiate Lotus F1 events???? You & my pocket la!!
    So, we have the right to be critical. We, the Rakyat is the MAIN SPONSOR for Lotus!!
    Why do your think Malaysia name is on Lotus F1 car!!! Bcos we sponsor mah!!!

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  • TOONEY on Apr 05, 2010 at 2:59 pm

    proton says:
    5/4/2010 at 1:05 pm
    can we afford a F1 team? did US, canada, UK, Germany,France has their own team like this? are we better? SIngapore, taiwan, thailand, indonesia all dun have F1 team.

    Malaysian so kaya?

    Look at our taxi!!! saga BLM?? last time our proton saga is bigger!!! so are we richer or poorer?

    YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT !!

    This is the Malaysian mentality “EGO OVER SUBSTANCE” and hope for a BAILOUT later

    Lets see how many millions Tony has to burn from his AirAsia dividend before admitting HIS MAJOR SHORTFALL in such costly & precision sports like F1

    I sokong NICOL DAVIDS !!!
    I sokong Badminton !!!
    I even sokong Gymnastic !!!
    I even sokong Swimming !!!

    but never F1 for Malaysians, even if we ever podium a F1 … its only by luck ( other team breakdown) , not by capability

    Cheaper and more effective to put the LOTUS Sticker on the REDBULL

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    • US did tried but failed.. USF1
      UK got a, Mclaren not a team? Virgin not?
      Germany got a, Mercedes not a team?
      France no meh? Renault not counted a?
      India oso have, Force India lo..
      Spain oso have, HRT, although they still sux..
      Red Bull, Torro Rosso, BMW Sauber Ferrari and Williams are more mixed than the others…

      Wah, if podium, then we can have holiday woh, I sokong this!

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      • Mysticmind on Apr 05, 2010 at 5:06 pm

        Tipical malaysian.. Support only winner / popular one.
        Soccer = MU chelsea etc.
        Superbike = Loris etc.
        F1 = Ferrari..

        what the F.

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  • LooneyTunes on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:15 pm

    Welcome to Tony’s Looney world of F1 !!

    That’s Flinstones’1

    Its Flinstones on wheels !

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  • Tujuhpendek on Apr 05, 2010 at 3:56 pm

    the photo …..looks like DOPEY in the 7dwafts with 2 thumbs up

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  • johnnyporno on Apr 05, 2010 at 4:06 pm

    best performance yet – 5 laps down at the finish. last place in the race. lol!

    to be fair, it took plenty of effort to get on to the starting grid in just 6 months. ironically, that also proves to be the biggest setback as 6 months of work and development time is only good enough to be at the tail-end of formula 1. even if lotus were to hook millions of dollars of sponsorship from the very beginning, it is unlikely they will get anywhere in just 6 months of development time. it will take both money and time to progress and both are real challenges for the team at this point in time. then there is the question of getting the right talent to build a competitive car. if budget had been a constraint to hiring, it is surely reflected in the performance thus far.

    Frankly if you’re spending millions in formula 1, the last place you’d want to be is at the back of the grid. heck, lotus was so slow in sepang that they never even had an opportunity to inherit the lead or be in the top 10 when the leaders pitted. no one expects lotus to be at the front of the grid but i’m willing to bet that none of the sponsors or the team funders for that matter, expected them to finish the race several laps behind as well. not to mention that this results in extremely limited coverage of the car during the live telecasts which in turn affects visibility for the sponsors.

    personally, i hope that the return of lotus to f1 was not an impulse decision made at the spur of the moment when someone popped the idea. this would be devastating. Then again, since it is deemed to be a privately-funded ventured, so what right?

    just for argument sake, minardi was founded in 1979. and according to wikipedia, on the track, their cars were regarded by many as well-designed for their tiny budget (in comparison to front-runners such as Ferrari and McLaren), their low position recognised as a result of a lack of funds (and engine power) rather than a poor car. They also resisted employing paid drivers. more importantly, minardi began as a formula 2 team first copeting 4 years prior to entering formula 1.

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  • still funny bashers… keep on entertaining….

    I guess you guys dont even follow F1… dont even know F1…

    look at the timing, Kovalainen’s timing was 3sec faster than Virgin’s consistenly… I have to give compliment to Chandhok (is it that how it is spelled??) from HRT… he’s definitely fast… Lotus is definitely faster than everyone else yesterday, only a little hiccup (the so called luck on breakdown) is causing them to slow down…

    what??? winning on other’s breakdown is luck??? it just shows ours is more reliable, and we win there!!!!! it’s no luck… reliability is not achieved by luck…

    i still remember the day when Force India started… They were just as slow as we are… They’re from well established team (though not the fastest), but still no one said anything when they started as slow as we are… and now??? even McLaren can’t smoke them… even the reigning world champ, Lewis Hamilton can’t smoke Sutil (which actually makes me LMAOL yesterday looking at Hamilton struggle)… only for 3 years…. can’t you guys give the same amount of time to Lotus before bashing??? we should give them more since they start with 0% experience….

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    • Mysticmind on Apr 05, 2010 at 5:13 pm

      I second that.

      I saw yesterday also how hard hamilton’s pushing toward Sutil.
      and i just can’t believe Sutil’s Force India is that fast too!…

      beside of that, i also enjoy how bad ferrari are when they start at the behind.
      I wish to see ferrari and mc laren doing overtake by overtake by overtake all cars to gain top 5. but it wont be easy in any way.

      Schumi did start 10th, reach 6th place if i now mistake, before the car out.

      please do harder lotus!.

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    • Bruce Ban (Member) on Apr 05, 2010 at 7:05 pm

      Agree…

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  • Jason Lim on Apr 05, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    yeah..give Lotus F1 a chance, just like the rakyat gave Proton a chance, 25 years and still hopeless. 1Malaysia Boleh (Blah)!

    and to F1 Lotus supporters, nak membazir for F1 instead of nation building, infra building, then guna duit kepala bapak kau, not tax payers money. Bodoh.

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    • keypad (Member) on Apr 05, 2010 at 6:24 pm

      weii tunjuk lah dokumen yang sahih yang kata lotusF1 ni guna duit RAKYAT
      setakat dengar ceramah idola potitikus kau jek boleh jadi bebal otak…

      wanna talk about about politics go to TKO, MYKMU, blog tok guru nik ajis, blog nuar evraham, blog najibtuya 1malaysia…. haa masuk blog najibtuya tu dan tanya pasal LOTUSF1 ada ke tak guna duit RAKYAT; dari kau merengek dalam blog paultan ni pasal duit rakyat duit rakyat duit rakyat..

      pffft

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    • Tiadaid on Apr 05, 2010 at 7:54 pm

      Where’s the proof that your money is used for Lotus? Hard proof, not some rumours or innuendos.

      Plus name me one car company that’s successful after only 25 years? Who only designed their own cars in half that?

      Please la, you know why Malaysia suffering? It’s because people like you! Negative no-good people who’s contribution to the country is miniscule, but expect the country to give them the world. Pegidah! Bodoh!

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  • lotus supporter on Apr 05, 2010 at 6:26 pm

    im didn;t put a high expectation on lotus f1 team…
    bcos it is still a new team…
    but o really hope..
    they could compete with other new team….
    it make me feel better if lotus could kick their ass…
    hee…
    anyway….
    go…go…lotus…lotus…

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  • Vezeroth on Apr 05, 2010 at 9:45 pm

    If tony keeps talking about lotus the team to beat and most reliable, his team is gonna go down the drain… the talk about them being the team to beat and they’re reliability is stale talk… they just got beaten at their home town! pretty embarrassing. they need to buck up and stop talking like they own, they don’t they just got lucky and their luck has run out… I support you lotus but quit with the you’re the best when you’re not…. finishing the race and being last isn’t something to shout about even if you’ve just developed the car in 5 months, already 3 races down… stop partying with the boleh mentality and get down to work on your engine and aero upgrades… Ig you’re gonna shout about being last every race and that you’re great you’ll loose my support.. BUCK UP!

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  • samat on Apr 06, 2010 at 12:25 am

    Tony Fernandez thinks he can con everyone.
    He is just a spin doctor selling crap as if it is gold.!!
    Don’t waste your time and $$ supporting a loser !!

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  • CocoBear on Apr 06, 2010 at 12:54 am

    Being lapped by 5 laps is not a comforting end. Just like the Minardi team, Lotus will be the black sheep and nobody will ever care that crap Lotus.
    Shame shame……..booooooooo

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  • sri hartamas on Apr 06, 2010 at 8:55 am

    Tony Fernandez, master con man and spinning king, really good in acting…and talking. At the expense of others of course.

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  • well, I guess virgin being the best newbies this time is on luck… coz Lotus breakdown… that’s what you guys said… win on other breakdown’s luck… look at the timing you already know the potential of Lotus…

    as the best credible source of information we have right now is Wiki, Lotus Racing is backed up by government through Proton… how do Proton gained that money, maybe from the sales of their “not-so-great” cars… or maybe government give them the money that is taken from you via taxes… we never know… unless you guys have a solid prove, show it here…

    Lotus usually only lapped by 2 laps… not 5… this time it’s 5 because, they’re having troubles!!! you guys dont even read…

    and again, if the performance is not that promising, no fools gonna sponsor you… and Lotus’ sponsors is increasing… first CNN (which i think not a fool in any way in marketing their name) and now Maxis give the sponsors too..

    like what I said before, if Lotus is no good the sponsor won’t keep on coming…

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  • Hameed Koyakuti on Apr 08, 2010 at 4:12 pm

    Tax = an amount of money levied by a government on its citizens and used to run the government, the country, a state, a county, or a municipality. It is money due to the government and the ownership is passed once paid.

    So no issue on gomen wasting taxpayers money, its their perogative…if u dont like how they spend the tax money, change the gomen, not whinning about the expenditure…., coz it is not your money, it is money due by u to the gomen….

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  • Hameed Koyakuti on Apr 08, 2010 at 4:16 pm

    Congrats the team for their performance….hehehe….
    which part of the team makes it a Malaysian???(quiz)

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