With the Melbourne Grand Prix around the corner all eyes are turning to the world of Formula One. This season promises to be one that will hold the worlds attention for more reasons than just the German who wins everything as well.
Firstly it must be acknowledged the impact that Michael Schumacher’s accident will have on the season. While it is true Schumi has retired, his legacy still looms large over the world of F1, and it would be remiss of any writer not to pay due respect to what this will mean to the drivers, many of whom are still waiting on news of someone they consider a friend or a brother more than just a racer.
Secondly the debut of a new style car, different engines and essentially a whole different style of racing will potentially throw a very large feline in amongst the avians. However, one team that already seems to be struggling in Lotus, begging the question are the Lotus guys even likely to be contenders this season?
French driver Romain Grossjean describes the preseason as ‘Frustrating’ saying on the Lotus team site that the team is not as well prepared for the 2014 season as they were last year. It could be suggested though that Lotus has not done itself any favours, missing the pre season testing in Spain as their new E22 car was not ready. This truncated the teams preseaon, which can only serve to increase stress levels. Further, different steering wheel set ups have caused some confusions as well, Grosjean stating ” We’re changing settings sometimes four or five times a lap which is a little bit too much. However, it was the same first time out with KERS back in 2009 (at Monza). It was a disaster – I remember we had to change the maps around five times in at least five corners. It’s just part of adapting to the new technology; it’s hard to get everything working together immediately. But it makes it more rewarding when we do get everything working as we want.”
The E22 itself is something of an odd creature. Given the new regulations, which state the cars nose must be lower for safety reasons, teams have been forced to get very creative in not only car design, but in rule interpretation. BBC sport suggested that some rivals of Lotus have described the new Lotus twin pronged nose cone as “daring”. Which apparently is supposed to read “Are they going to get away with this?” In answer, Lotus technical director Nick Chester said “We have just taken an innovative direction, and one that’s different to the other teams. Where there are so many variations in design, there is always bound to be a little talk, but we remain relaxed and focused on our design and progression.”
Another change for Lotus this year is the second driver, Venezuelan Pastor Maldonaldo stepping from Williams to join Grosjean in a reunion of sorts, as both raced together in their junior years.
Maldonaldo brings with him a wealth of experience and skill from his strong racing pedigree, and the existing relationship with Grosjean will assist him in his transition to the new team. Maldonaldo himself said about his team mate ” he’s a good guy. He’s a great driver and we’ve competed in the lower categories together. We’ve both always been at the top so I’m really looking forward to working with him. I think we are both real fighters on track, so I hope we can both do our best for the team.”
Team spirit and good intentions aside though, can Lotus really compete? They’re going to need to have a lot of cards fall in their favour if that’s going to happen. The gamble on car design will need to pay off, the drivers are going to need to find a flow quickly, and the team can not afford any more delays. Losing crucial preparation time will be costly, any more preparation screw ups could well prove fatal to this team.
In simple terms, for Lotus to be a contender they’re going to need a lot of luck, and a lot of praying. Mind you, if the gamble does pay off, things could suddenly get very interesting.
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Picture Credits: F1 Fanatics
