Indian driver Karun Chandhok will test with Team Lotus this week in Jerez, Spain, with the ultimate hope of landing the test and reserve driver spot for TL this season. He was present at the team’s first test session at Valencia as spectator.

Besides the session in Jerez, the 27-year old Chennai born driver is also set for some drive time at the third pre-season test of 2011 in Barcelona. A decision should be made by then, but things are already looking good for the former HRT man.

“We would like him to be reserve driver but we’ve got to see whether it all works out, that’s the plan,” Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes told Reuters: “He is going to get a couple of slots in the testing now in Jerez and Barcelona, and then we’ll decide after that. Mike (Gascoyne, tech director) and Riad (Asmat, team CEO) and everyone else feel he’s the right guy to add value to the team.”

The names ‘Senna’ and ‘Lotus’ are together again, although you won’t see the famous pairing challenging for race wins. It’s not Ayrton and not a Lotus chassis, but the late great’s nephew Bruno has joined Lotus Renault GP as third and reserve driver. According to the team, Bruno’s test driving role with “is very development focussed and will see him provide valuable input into all Lotus cars, both track and road.”

“It’s a really exciting opportunity from both Group Lotus and Lotus Renault GP. To be able to develop my Formula 1 career within a World Championship winning organisation and to do so in conjunction with some hugely interesting work for such an iconic sports car company as Lotus is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Lotus has placed a great deal of faith in me and I am looking forward to beginning work on the technical side of our relationship. Giving feedback into the development of the Lotus road and race programs will be a fun but challenging way to spend time between my Formula 1 commitments as a reserve driver for Lotus Renault GP,” Bruno Senna said.

Lotus Director of Motorsport Claudio Berro is happy with signing the ex-HRT man. “We’re delighted to have Bruno on board. In his young motorsport career he’s built up a great armoury of skills and experience. He’s a fast learner and this talent combined with his ability to shift between different types of race car will make him a great asset to Lotus. Normally people like to talk about the ‘technology transfer’ between F1 and road cars but in Bruno’s case we’re opening this up to an intellectual transfer – we’re certainly going to keep him busy!”

Lotus Renault GP’s two race seats are filled by Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov. Their army of test drivers include Senna, Romain Grosjean, Ho-Pin Tung, Jan Charouz and Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy.

Team Lotus, or “Tony’s Lotus” as the team is sometimes referred to in reference to the AirAsia boss, has launched its new T128 challenger for the 2011 Formula 1 season. And the reigning “best new team” is in bullish mood – the target is no longer to beat Virgin and HRT, but challenge the likes of Williams and Lotus-Renault, which is of course the other player in the Lotus vs Lotus saga.

“I think when you look at this car, it looks like a front-running car in every area. We’ve said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams, and I think that’s very achievable,” said chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne. “But that line has to continue going up, so we’ll have to target being up there with Toro Rosso, Sauber and Force India, and then end the season by targeting Williams and Renault,” he added.

Team Lotus COO Keith Saunt prefers to set the target in figures. “A lot of people might say I’m too optimistic, but I’d like to think we’ll get between 40 and 50 points this year. I think we’re targeting eighth strategically, but I doubt there’ll be a lot between sixth, seventh and eighth. Depending on how the other guys are doing, seventh could be achievable.”

That’s huge progress Team Lotus is talking about, and we’ll only know if it’s possible once the longest season in F1 history gets underway come March in Bahrain. What do you think of TL’s optimism?

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Team Lotus’ 2011 F1 car, the T128, was launched today exclusively in Team Lotus Notes. The special launch edition of the team’s magazine contains a number of first-see images of the 2011 car.

Also in the magazine are insights from key players within Team Lotus into the design and build process of the new car, including people from the aero, R&D and vehicle dynamics, design as well as from the senior management.

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Here’s a sampling of what they had to say about the T128.

“I think that basically this car looks like a front-running car in every area. We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that’s very achievable. The 2011 challenger is almost a totally new car.” – Mike Gascoyne, chief technical officer.

“We’re definitely going to take a step forward with this car. Quite how much we’ll close the gap to the teams in front of us we’ll see, but my hope is we’ll be competing with the teams that were a second or two ahead of us last season.” – Elliot Dason-Barber, head of R&D and vehicle dynamics.

“You can just see that this car will be faster than last year’s. It’s got the right sweeps and curves on it – it’s the very latest iteration of what an F1 car should be.” – Keith Saunt, chief operating officer.

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“The biggest design challenge was trying to package everything a bit smaller. We were trying to get that area around the driver really tight so the aerodynamicists were happy with it.” – Lewis Butler, chief designer.

“I think the front half of the car is quite a big step away from the 2010 car. Last year’s car was a bit blocky in the sidepod area, but this one looks a lot racier – it’s a lot smoother and curvier around the sidepods.” – Marianne Hinson, head of aerodynamics.

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“T128 takes Team Lotus in exactly the right direction. We have said since day one of the Team Lotus dream that the plan for our second year was to take the fight to the midfield, and with this car we are all confident that is what we will be able to do.” – Riad Asmat, chief executive officer.

And of course, let’s not forget the man.

“There has been so much focus off-track, it’s a thrill to be able to get back to talking about racing. The launch of the T128 is a big step forward for Team Lotus and I want to thank the whole team for the amount of hard work that has already gone into the car, and I want to thank Renault and Red Bull Technology for their tremendous support in helping us make this step forward and for being such great team partners.” – Tony Fernandes, team principal.

Well, it looks like March 21 will be the day that the naming row over Lotus goes into full trial. In a summary judgment application hearing at the High Court in London yesterday, the judge rejected Group Lotus’ application to prevent the case from going to a full trial.

At the hearing, Justice Peter Smith also felt that it was in everyone’s best interests to bring the hearing date for the full trial forward earlier, instead of allowing the situation to continue to simmer until sometime near the end of the year.

Fixing the date of the beginning of the trial at March 21, which is after the season opener in Bahrain, Justice Smith nonetheless urged both parties to attempt to settle the issue amicably before then.

Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes was of course delighted by the initial outcome of the case. “Very very happy over the judgment today. And extremely happy that full trial brought forward to March 21. The good do always eventually win,” he wrote on his Twitter feed.

“Today’s case is Group’s desperate attempt to use their one-way unlawful termination of license agreement of Lotus Racing. Saying One Malaysia can’t use Lotus. Part of post-termination clauses. So nothing changes on Team Lotus,” Fernandes stated in another Twitter post.

So, while the “Battle of the Lotuses” continues to run, one thing’s for sure right now – there’ll be Group Lotus’ Lotus-Renault GP and Tony Fernandes’ Team Lotus on the starting grid for the 2011 F1 season.