Lotus E22 Pre-launch Speculation

[Pierce89]

Genii owns Lotus, its not a sponsor, they just pump money into a sinking ship each year.

As of right now they've "loaned" money to Lotus.

[Thunder]

The E22 won't be at the first Jerez Test. That sounds worrying. Especially this Year i think as much Track Time as possible is very Important.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112041

[Manoah2u]

i don't think it'll be that much to sweat about. It's not the first team that'll miss some first test, and perhaps others might follow.

they'll definately make a balance whether they benefit more from spending more time at the factory or participating in the first test. if they decide they're better off in the factory, then they'll do just that. doesn't mean they're in trouble. it's just
a decision. Redbull did before the same.

it's true it'll help collecting as much 2014 data as possible. but then, they'll get data with the next test. it's all matter of choice. and hey, what if the entire 2014 test goes up in smoke literally if pirelli's pop after every lap?

[Huntresa]

The E22 won't be at the first Jerez Test. That sounds worrying. Especially this Year i think as much Track Time as possible is very Important.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112041

It depends on how much you can get out of a windy and cold Jerez, especially if we assume ppl will stop more on track this year with new engines and cause more red flags then usual.

[Manoah2u]

+2. it's a matter of weighing the benefits to the costs. [it'll cost time, effort and resources that can be spent elsewhere too].

[Timstr]

Given that they had asked for a weeks delay, I think it's a matter of something throwing a spanner into their planning, resulting in the car not being ready for the first test.

http://adamcooperf1.com/2013/12/10/team ... erez-test/

[Bomber_Pilot]

The E22 won't be at the first Jerez Test. That sounds worrying. Especially this Year i think as much Track Time as possible is very Important.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112041

It depends on how much you can get out of a windy and cold Jerez, especially if we assume ppl will stop more on track this year with new engines and cause more red flags then usual.

Agreed. Jerez will basically be a power unit test. There are more Renault powered teams, which will allow Renault to get the necessary data, so why go there, when you can spend more time developing the car, especially when you are running on a tight budget. Unless Renault is far behind on engine development (given the rumours) there is nothing to be concerned about. (too much)

[the EDGE]

Jerez is 22'c at the moment, I was near there at the end of jan last year and it was as hot then, I guess whilst the other teams are storming around Bahrain lotus will be the ones causing all of the red flag there then, shaking down their car whilst everyone else has solved their issues from the first test

There's only 1 reason to miss this test and that is unfortunately because you are not ready

[Tim.Wright]

The E22 won't be at the first Jerez Test. That sounds worrying. Especially this Year i think as much Track Time as possible is very Important.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/112041

It depends on how much you can get out of a windy and cold Jerez, especially if we assume ppl will stop more on track this year with new engines and cause more red flags then usual.

Missing a test after such a massive regulation change is madness. There's no way that was part of the plan but it seems that its their only option now for whatever reason.

[Mika1]

You want to test the new engine ASAP, cold or hot weather.

[wesley123]

In previous years it wasn't much of a problem to miss the first test with the new car. You could just run the older car and learn lots from that. Now, with the new engine and rules, running the older car isn't a possibility. You'll be missing out on so much data on every part of the 2014 package.

Really, running your 2014 car asap doesn't require any consideration whatsoever, unless your car is not ready or you are not serious about your effort.

[LilDEF1]

No matter how anyone puts it, missing the first test is a disaster for Lotus or any team.

This year's regulations are totally different from the past, not even near. We got new wings, coolings requirements [batteries, intercoolers, etc], energy recovery systems etc.

On the first day in Jerez you are not sure how the car will behave with all the new systems connected together. Will the bumps on the road affect something? Will the battery overheat? Or will the water and oil boil over after finding out your radiators are too small? These are the important things to find out on in the first test. Cold weather is not even an issue. Whats important is that your car runs well and confirms your electric and power systems.

After this test you then go back to the factory and for the next 3 weeks you fix the problems encountered in the test and redesign some components. The last two test are the ones where you test your car's performance and prepare for the start of the season.

Obviously missing this test is not the end of the world but heck it doesn't make your job any easier going forward...

[FrukostScones]

of course it is bad, but Renault also didn't seem to be overly ready for 28th Jan.
in 2012 Lotus also missed out one whole Barcelona test because of the chassis problem, and it didn't afffect them to much, 2014 can be very different because of the rules changes, mainly the overcomplicated powertrain but at nleast the rumored spectacular like aerodynamics of the E22 sound promising...http://translate.google.de/translate?sl ... in&act=url not for the MAL hater of course.
Lotus c'mon, I d like to see green faces and puke stains od envy in 2014!!!

[bill shoe]

Lotus technical director Nick Chester said "We're going to keep our car under wraps a little longer than some other teams," he said. "We've decided that attending the Jerez test isn't ideal for our build and development programme."

Japanese emperor Hirohito's nationwide radio address at end of WWII: "The war has progressed in a way that is not necessarily to Japan's advantage."

[FrukostScones]

Lotus technical director Nick Chester said "We're going to keep our car under wraps a little longer than some other teams," he said. "We've decided that attending the Jerez test isn't ideal for our build and development programme."

Japanese emperor Hirohito's nationwide radio address at end of WWII: "The war has progressed in a way that is not necessarily to Japan's advantage."

did you nuke enstone?