Team Lotus reveals carposted in F131 | 01 | 2011

TEAM LOTUS has lifted the wraps from its 2011 racer, the T128 Formula 1 car, and the model is clearly a more aggressive replacement for the car which struggled for pace last season.

The team, understandably, hopes the T128 will catapult it into the midfield and points contention and though it will not be seen in the metal until Wednesday's second day of the test at Valencia, the new car is more in line with modern F1 practice, and features Renault V8 power and transmission systems from Red Bull.

From the images the team has released so far, it's clear the car features a more intricate front wing design, an airbox and roll hoop reminiscent of the 2010 Mercedes and sharply sculpted sidepods.

"I think that basically this car looks like a frontrunning car in every area," the team's chief technical officer, Mike Gascoyne, said today. "We said very clearly that we want to start challenging the established teams and I think that's very achievable." The new car was also welcomed by team boss Tony Fernandes.

"There has been so much which has taken a lot of the focus off-track it's a thrill to be able to get back to talking about racing," Fernandes, referring to the ongoing legal dispute over the use of the Lotus name, admitted.

"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 T128, 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."

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Jim McGill