COVER STORY Harder, Better, Faster - Enstone s systematic climb back to the top. by Jay Eff F1 Traveler Magazine March 2013
If there were any doubts behind Kimi Raikkonen s return to F1 last season, the iceman clearly proved everyone wrong by finishing third in the 2012 driver s championship with 207 points and one win. The Lotus team however finished fourth overall, behind Mclaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull. Will 2013 see Lotus as a top podium contender? Eric Boullier and Co. sure seem confident. 9
A HISTORY OF SUCCES Altought the current incarnation of the Lotus F1 Tean is fairly recent, the soul of the team has been around since 1981 as the Toleman team. Toleman debuted at the 1981 San Marino Grand Prix and would continue until the 1985 season. The Toleman team never won a Grand Prix, and only finished on the podium three times, however they are responsible for introducing the world to the sport s greatest hero; Ayrton Senna. The team would assume the Benetton name, and Michael Schumacher would win two Driver s Championships. Alonso would win another two Driver s titles behind the wheel of the Renault Team, as it was known from 2002 to 2010. Our ambitious plan to turn ourselves into one of the top teams in Formula 1 is coming to fruition and now we need to harness this with strong and regular podium results, said Boullier, Team Principle of the Enstone based Lotus Team. Boullier believes that the Enstone s ability to win championships (three constructors & four Drivers championships) combined with a world champion driver and an ambitious young driver is a good mix for a competitive team. We have a fantastic facility at Enstone and one which has benefitted from significant and strategic investment over the past couple of years. Enstone in Numbers Grand Prix Starts: 515 Wins: 48 Podiums: 174 Pole Positions: 36 Front Row Starts: 69 Fastest Laps: 54 World Championship Points: 2,196.5 Race Drivers: 42 ERIC BOUILLER F1 Traveler Magazine March 2013
THE KIMI FACTOR After having spent a couple of years disputing the FIA World Rally Championship, Kimi Raikkonen returned to F1 with determination and conviction, winning the Abu Dhabi GP and finishing an overall third in the Drivers Standings. The Finn has contested 177 Grand Prix, and has lifted the winner s trophy 19 times in F1. The 2007 World Champion believes Lotus has what it takes to win a championship. It s clear from working with them that they are racers, and you can see in their history that they ve won championships, says Raikkonen. Nothing I saw last year made me think that another championship was impossible in the future. Of course, there is some pretty tough competition out there and everyone wants to win. The team have beaten everyone before and there s nothing to say they can t do it again. Kimi in Numbers Grands Prix Contested: 177 World Championships: 1 Race Wins: 19 Podiums: 69 Pole Positions: 16 Fastest Laps: 37 KIMI RAIKKONEN 11
THE E21 Lotus F1 s Technical Director James Allison has made it clear that they are entering the 2013 championship with high expectations. The official target established by the team s owners is to achieve a minimum of third place in the Constructors Championship, stated Allison. In terms of goals and targets, we never set out to build the second-fastest or third-fastest car; we set out to build the fastest and most effective car that we possibly can. 4.9 How many seconds it takes for the E21 to reach 200 km/h from standstill. The E21 in numbers 1.6 The time in seconds for the E21 to decelerate from 100 km/h to standstill. 6 How many hours it takes for a complete rebuild of the car at the track with 12 mechanics (assuming sub-assembly is already complete). From scratch at the factory it would take 150 people seven days. days. F1 Traveler Magazine March 2013
1,100 In degrees Celsius, this is the temperature a brake disc can reach during the race. As for the E21, the latest machine from Enstone- some technical alterations have been made which build on last year s E20. The front and rear suspension layouts have been substantially revised to try to give the car better aerodynamic opportunities. The rear wing system has been further developed in order to acheive a satisfactory level of rear downforce stability while maintaining maximum DRS switching potential. Of course, having the same driver combination also offers several minor advantages such as not having to re-design seats, pedals, and steering components. 130 Measured in decibels, this is how loud the RS27-2012 engine is at full revs. 30,000 The number of individual parts that make up each E21. 250,000 The amount of man hours that have gone into the design of the E21. 13