I was browsing through the papers when I stumbled on an article about the return of the Formula 1 season in yesterday’s business section of The Star (12 March). In the piece, the writer expressed his hopes that Malaysian owned Lotus Racing “may just spoil it for the big boys”. He also mentioned “podium finish” and “national anthem” in the following paragraph. Well, let’s hope that Malaysians tuning in this weekend won’t have the same expectations, because they will be sorely disappointed. Take this not from us, but Lotus T127 pilot Jarno Trulli.
The Italian, in an interview with Autosport, shared about the ups, downs and burdens driving for Lotus. When asked if there’s any possible strategic move to get ahead of the established teams given the lack of outright pace, Trulli answered: “No. We will be four seconds off the top, and we will be three seconds off the last car from the top group which is too much. The aim is to finish the race with both cars and to get experience.”
When quizzed whether Lotus is “expecting” to finish the race or merely “hoping” to do so, he chose the former. “We are expecting to finish the race. But in Formula 1 even top teams can stop because of little gremlins and a team like ours has more chance to stop especially as at the moment we haven’t had the chance to design every little bit on the car. This is our biggest issue. We are looking to change it, but at the moment the team is not running fully in every area. We are working on many things, but we have to take things step by step”.
The ex-Toyota driver also gave insight on the differences between driving for an established team and a start up, explaining that he’s happy with the high level of driver influence on the technical direction of the car as opposed to merely turning up to drive. “I jump in the car, say this is right, this is wrong and then in one day we gain a second. It is kind of satisfying to work in this way, even though it is not satisfying being four seconds off”.
I enjoyed reading the interview as Trulli came off as honest, as opposed to merely repeating the official PR script. Read it in full by heading to the source link below!
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Can finish race already good enough for me.
Car designed in 6 months, what do you expect?
this is like a racing to lose
.. nicely said. At least he has his feet planted on the ground and not giving false hope to anybody. Hopefully the new Aero package during the Europe run will bring the car up to speed :)
Brawn with Jenson was also a new team last season and look what they achieved. Nothing is impossible so let's hope for the best for Lotus F1 :)
Yeah… honest guy. Its always the case with new teams. Drivers play a more dignificant role in the car development.
go Lotus goooooo
don't give stupid excuses, like no time lar, very good if can finish the laps blah blah. Hey, this is my money wei!!!!
he might be honest , bt the facts are depressing ! anyway this business need ALOT of patience and money , we might have patience,not sure about the funds…fingers crossed….
eh…wat happened to tat buat malu kaum alex yong? how come no news? got fired ah?
l3ryan said,
March 12, 2010 @ 12:32 pm
Brawn with Jenson was also a new team last season and look what they achieved. Nothing is impossible so let’s hope for the best for Lotus F1 :)
Learn your fact first.. Brawn is not a new team just a re-badge honda 2009 (with new owner; same base; and staff) that evolve from British American Racing since 2000 and they do not start from scratch, to develop a base car in 6 months. Please be realistic…
Obviously, the Malaysian writer is a bit naive & probably know nothing about F1 & the reality of the business. ^^
I hope our PM didn't initiate this 1Malaysia F1 team project with the same attitude^^
Wang rakyat masuk longkang besar……..
So which engine will this team be fitted with?
My guess: Bottom 3 from the other team……..
Who knows……Might finish last……….
l3ryan said,
March 12, 2010 @ 12:32 pm
Brawn with Jenson was also a new team last season and look what they achieved. Nothing is impossible so let’s hope for the best for Lotus F1
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don't forget that Brawn (ex Honda) had a head start in car development for a year. they just took over Honda and do their own modifications. so in other words, Brawn is not a new team. just a new name.
Lotus on the other hand built the car from scratch and in 6 months… that's quite an achievement. of course i don't expect Lotus to be in the points so soon. as long as the two cars can finish the race consistently… that would be a good sign.
comon Lotus… make the other teams go green with envy. just prove all your critics wrong.
thunderbird said,
March 12, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
don’t give stupid excuses, like no time lar, very good if can finish the laps blah blah. Hey, this is my money wei!!!!
*******************************************
Where is your name on the car? i cant see any words of THUNDERBIRD…
gluck lotus team
The spirit of Lotus my foot..The so called "Spirit of LOTUS" has probably been sacked or retrenched when proton took over.
The LOTUS F1cars are not even using LOTUS engines..it's called COSWORTH CA2010…
Sometimes money is spent so foolishly…And the thing is the investment will be spent to disgrace the country not promote it. (last place in race)
Eh, all the comments' font is in italic? Paul? Danny?
l3ryan said,
March 12, 2010 @ 12:32 pm
Brawn with Jenson was also a new team last season and look what they achieved. Nothing is impossible so let’s hope for the best for Lotus F1
>>> Their car was already under development since 2008. Plus, Brawn is THE MAN. It's as if he has the Midas touch: all that he works with will become the world champion. Benetton. Ferrari. Hon… I mean, Braw… I mean Mercedes!! Yep, Mercedes. Only idiots will rule out Mercedes GP for this year's title contender. NEVER. UNDERESTIMATE. ROSS. BRAWN. And Michael Schumacher at that.
But I'd still support Sebastian Vettel lol. Go Vettel Go!!
Well, on Lotus… Don't bite more than you can chew. Your rival is not Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull. Yet. But I would still pick it as my favourite underdog team for the moment.
Bahrain GP… Let the race begins!!
l3ryan said,
March 12, 2010 @ 12:32 pm
Brawn with Jenson was also a new team last season and look what they achieved. Nothing is impossible so let’s hope for the best for Lotus F1 :)
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Brawn is not a new team my friend..they were a new rebranded team!
screw you its your money! it's NOT.
Watching the Bahrain FI first timed practice lap now. Bad news for Lotus. They are not 4s slower. Make that 12 bloody seconds slower…I will put my money on Lotus or the Virgin team dominate the back rows^^
need balance as well.. cannot expect inject a lot of money then can win.. think twice.. :)
I pray Lotus didn't put that stupid "1Malaysia" sticker on their car anymore!! People will be confused seeing a backmarker Lotus with a No. 1 on their car.
I thing fr sure, we are the No.1 laughing stock of the world. TQ ??….but no thanks!!
Will somebody buy a stewardess outfit and prepare makeup for Mr. Fernandez?
Cold_Fella said,
March 12, 2010 @ 3:57 pm
Watching the Bahrain FI first timed practice lap now. Bad news for Lotus. They are not 4s slower. Make that 12 bloody seconds slower…I will put my money on Lotus or the Virgin team dominate the back rows^^
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Buddy, it's just the beginning of 1st Practice. 2 more practice sessions and quali to go. Make yoru judgement after quali will you.
However it is realistic to expect them to be near the back with Virgin but probably ahead of Hispania Racing Team
We just hope for the best for this team. Yes it will take time but with the current talents, it is the best of the new teams. Even force india from a backmarker has improved tremendously.
Dont expect a Brawn GP fairy tale for the Lotus team though.
any new team built in less than a year with a limited budget to race and do everything from preparation as well as research…lotus have done a tremendous job to keep the spirit alive….
i'll give them this whole season to develop themself…and when the time is come for next season 2011,this team will join in the fierce battle at the middlepack or better top of the line…..
The Lotus team should be free from politic people.
Let the team race first then we will see how they do.. i hope they will kick ass…even Ferari strugle last season with their car…Hope Lotus will perform well veil gluck Lotus. Make us proud of you..
Cold_Fella said,
March 12, 2010 @ 3:57 pm
Watching the Bahrain FI first timed practice lap now. Bad news for Lotus. They are not 4s slower. Make that 12 bloody seconds slower…I will put my money on Lotus or the Virgin team dominate the back rows^^
_______________________________________________________________
Hey dumba**,
check yr fact before posting yr not so-clever-comment.
Its 7+ secs off la dude. check out the the link below.
this wat happens when u post without blindly
http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2010/824/6…
2010 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIXPos No Driver Team Time/Retired Gap Laps
1 14 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:56.583 18
2 8 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:56.766 0.183 18
3 11 Robert Kubica Renault 1:57.041 0.458 19
4 7 Felipe Massa Ferrari 1:57.055 0.472 19
5 1 Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:57.068 0.485 19
6 2 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:57.163 0.580 19
7 15 Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:57.194 0.611 19
8 4 Nico Rosberg Mercedes Benz GP Ltd 1:57.199 0.616 15
9 6 Mark Webber RBR-Renault 1:57.255 0.672 17
10 3 Michael Schumacher Mercedes Benz GP Ltd 1:57.662 1.079 16
11 17 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari 1:57.722 1.139 18
12 10 Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:57.894 1.311 20
13 5 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault 1:57.943 1.360 17
14 16 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari 1:58.399 1.816 13
15 9 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:58.782 2.199 11
16 12 Vitaly Petrov Renault 1:58.880 2.297 13
17 22 Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 2:00.250 3.667 18
18 23 Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 2:01.388 4.805 11
19 24 Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 2:03.680 7.097 8
20 19 Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 2:03.848 7.265 21
21 18 Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 2:03.970 7.387 15
22 25 Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth No time 2
23 21 Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth No time 3
24 20 Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth No time 0
If they make it to the finish line on Sunday with both cars, i would consider that Job Well Done for Bahrain.
However I will support Mercedes GP Petronas as they'e also Malaysian backed team..
People who say its their money just do not understand the workings of a PLC… oh i forgot… they may not know what PLC stands for… its PUBLIC LISTED COMPANY! which proton is…
unless you own shares in proton… don't say its your money…
It is just a place where some people can burn some $$ and in the same time channels to someone's pocket. period. Lotus F1? all Msia projects which one give result? Anyone? It mean to SPENT money. Not result oriented.
Watching the Bahrain FI first timed practice lap now. Bad news for Lotus. They are not 4s slower. Make that 12 bloody seconds slower…I will put my money on Lotus or the Virgin team dominate the back rows^^
_________________________________________________________
Buddy, it’s just the beginning of 1st Practice. 2 more practice sessions and quali to go. Make yoru judgement after quali will you.
However it is realistic to expect them to be near the back with Virgin but probably ahead of Hispania Racing Team
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If u think finished at 3rd row from the back feel any better than the last row, well there u have it, the Spirit of Satu Malaysia (pun) Boleh^^ U got nothing(zero point!!!) for finishing 20 or 21^^
Money CANNOT buy success (remember Toyota + Real MADrid), but no money to invest will gurantee back rows…..!!
theracer said,
March 12, 2010 @ 3:09 pm
The spirit of Lotus my foot..The so called “Spirit of LOTUS” has probably been sacked or retrenched when proton took over.
The LOTUS F1cars are not even using LOTUS engines..it’s called COSWORTH CA2010…
-———————
Lotus NEVER raced in F1 with their own engine before. It's either the Cosworth DFV, the BRM H-16, the Coventry Climax, the Renault, the Honda and Lamborghini if I'm not mistaken.
Hey, dumb arse88.!!
Look at the the bloody time when I posted.
Dil nia sing, that is in the beginning of the practise round.
So, shut the f#%@ up!!!
So, who is the one who posted blindly!!??
P.S: Visit your kedai cermin mata today OK??
Lotus, please dont give excuse that lotus is still newbie of this and that, little time given, etc. Nobody forced you to go into racing.
If you wanna play with the big boys, you behave like big boys. OK?
This excuse reminds me of Proton. When failure comes, always claimed themselve they are small, newbie in the autoworld. When wanna show-off time, proton claims they are becoming world player, with renowned design, etc..
Aiyoooooo……
Don't just blame the engine (powetrain).
To succeed you need the best of whole package (chassis + powertrain + drivetrain + aerodynamics + driver + crews + strategy + management + budget)
Thats right Lotus never had their own F1 engines neither did they ever have their own engines for their sports cars except probably for a version of the Esprit if i'm not mistaken
It's nothing compared to 'BMW Sauber Ferrari'. Try explain that!
Lotus doesn't make engines.
I don't expect a new team to make an impact the 1st season.
Tiadaid said,
March 12, 2010 @ 5:50 pm
theracer said,
March 12, 2010 @ 3:09 pm
The spirit of Lotus my foot..The so called “Spirit of LOTUS” has probably been sacked or retrenched when proton took over.
The LOTUS F1cars are not even using LOTUS engines..it’s called COSWORTH CA2010…
-———————
Lotus NEVER raced in F1 with their own engine before. It’s either the Cosworth DFV, the BRM H-16, the Coventry Climax, the Renault, the Honda and Lamborghini if I’m not mistaken.
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thats true lotus never use own engine when race…i suggest theracer google some more info n don just flop info in ur bonehead
lotus f1 a newbie? r u ppl been living in mars all this while?… come on lar… at the end of the day…. they hv mike gascoyne in the team… he's not a kid in f1 anymore…. but one for sure…. he is DEFINITELY not the best like Ross Brawn… . so how come like that pun consider a 'newbie" ker??? I don't care if car came out in 6 months or not… all that a bloody smokescreen lar or more like "excuses", if no success, being a "newbie" justify the big money spent down the drain for the sake of "R&D"…. ahhahahaha… thank u all my generous sponsors… be it PLCs, private money or whatever… you guys have been "conned"… just like the rest of M'sia… i salute you all…
and i would like to put this extract here from the ppl who lives in the land of Lotus Cars:
"Phillip McCavitie February 12, 2010 11:10 PM
It's not a Lotus, it's not even a works effort. It's a cynical marketing ploy designed to make us 'like them'.
The outcry that a Malaysian company (Petronas) backed Mercedes has caused a national outcry – this is seen as a Malaysian national team not a Lotus team effort and the Petronas backing was seen as part of that.
I'm not buying this as a Lotus, I might change my name to Brad Pitt but it doesn't make me Brad Pitt………"
nice one, Phil…
Second practice timing
Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Rosberg Mercedes 1:55.409 23
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1:55.854 + 0.445 22
3. Schumacher Mercedes 1:55.903 + 0.494 23
4. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1:56.076 + 0.667 28
5. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1:56.459 + 1.050 18
6. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1:56.501 + 1.092 26
7. Massa Ferrari 1:56.555 + 1.146 30
8. Petrov Renault 1:56.750 + 1.341 26
9. Alonso Ferrari 1:57.140 + 1.731 25
10. de la Rosa Sauber-Ferrari 1:57.255 + 1.846 24
11. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1:57.352 + 1.943 27
12. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1:57.361 + 1.952 29
13. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1:57.452 + 2.043 21
14. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1:57.833 + 2.424 29
15. Kubica Renault 1:58.155 + 2.746 29
16. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1:59.799 + 4.390 31
17. Webber Red Bull-Renault 2:00.444 + 5.035 12
18. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 2:00.873 + 5.464 23
19. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 2:00.990 + 5.581 14
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 2:02.037 + 6.628 3
21. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 2:02.188 + 6.779 21
22. Senna HRT-Cosworth 2:06.968 + 11.559 17
23. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1
24. Chandhok HRT-Cosworth
All Timing Unofficial
KZM said,
March 12, 2010 @ 8:53 pm
thats true lotus never use own engine when race…i suggest theracer google some more info n don just flop info in ur bonehead
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Hello KZM, this is just a comment site and not a 2010 F1 Quiz Contest. So what, if I got my facts wrong..are you happy.?..you can take first place anytime…chill bro…
gangully said,
March 12, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
People who say its their money just do not understand the workings of a PLC… oh i forgot… they may not know what PLC stands for… its PUBLIC LISTED COMPANY! which proton is…
unless you own shares in proton… don’t say its your money…
……
aiyoo.. gov control Proton and other GLC with tax payer money, so my money la. Jangan pulak cakap rakyat Malaysia tak bayar cukai sbb jumlah pembayar cukai di Malaysia hanya 15%. Yang betul2 nya setiap barang yang kita beli, setaip perkhidmatan berbayar yg kita gunakan kita dah sumbang cukai secara tak langsung. Dgn syarat company tu buat untung dan tak mengelak cukai. GLC maksudnya Gov sbg pemegang saham terbesar dalam sykt tersebut dimana sbg pemegang saham terbesar Gov ada kuasa melantik ahli lembaga pengarah, dan melalui ahli lembaga pengarahnya menentukan perjalanan sykt dr semasa ke semasa. Dalam kes Proton, Gov kuasai lebih 50% share so gov la penentu jatuh bangun Proton. Pemegang2 saham kecil yg minoriti ni bukan ada kuasa sgt pun, jd pak angguk jer. Kalau bersuara pun yg menang majoriti share holder.
apapun gua sokong Merc GP Petronas. Gua rasa bukan Schumacer yg menang tp rakan nya, Roseberg. Team lain yg gua pilih Mc Laren. Hamilton potensi besar. Pasal Lotus F1, knp ya Petronas g buang duit ke pasukan MERC GP sedangkan dah ada pasukan sendiri. Tak ke membazir namanya. Gua kurang setuju pembabitan Lotus dalam F1 sbb masa x sesuai skrg, gov x da duit, x cukup duit. Tapi benda dah jd so gua harap Lotus boleh jadi antara 5 pasukan terbaik. Mustahil? Tak dak mustahil dalam dunia. Lagipun ini duit tax payer bukan duit peribadi keluarga Nasimudin dan Tony. Akui Brawn GP rebadge Honda, tp hebatkan Brawn sbb boleh bg kejuaraan berbanding perfomance Honda. Tp Brawn memang hebat dlm F1. Sentuhan ajaib dia buat semua team yg dia involve dpt hasil yg baik.
you guys are so f*****g ignorant… criticizing lotus for actually making it into the grid… you know how much of an accomplishment that is… talking about being off the pace… of course the bloody car is going to be off the pace… they had ONLY 5 months to develop the car… man, plus lotus so far are the most successful among the new teams and still you guys give them shit… you guys should grow the f***k up!!!
Good Luck Lotus!
This year u will only play catch-up with the front-runners. Being the fastest among newbies won't satisfied much. But with two very experienced drivers and many experienced staffs from Toyota, the forward way will hopefully progressed rampantly! Go Go Lotus!
Me, as an F1 fan would be extremely happy if lotus comes out top among the newcomers.
One cannot expect to barge into a multi million dollar sport and start owning the big boys straight off the bat with a start-up.
Well at least tony is safe from the steward uniform, unless trulli gets hit by a bus… and someone who finished 8 secs behind newcomer hulkenberg gets in the car…
The lotus name is of course, legendary in racing… 50 yrs ago…
The new lotus team has little to none of the old members, the name is the only thing that remains. It was basically pieces of teams tony put together. Essentially, lotus is a new team.
I remembered the news that schumacher was returning to f1 came a few days after petronas decided to go into mercedes.
Inside scoops, no?
If Lotus wins a race and get points, they will say they are good, with their unfailing lotus expertise, etc
If Lotus lose, they just say they are new player, with limited budget, etc
Expect to have such answers, guy.
Tony is NOT safe. The Bahrain race hasn't even started yet! And if he loses he needs to do serve as a stewardess not a steward. Branson's done it before on his own airline complete with lipstick and jewelery and facial hair but Tony would look scary