Prime Minister announces Lotus 2010 drivers

Further to our brief blog post in regards to the Lotus announcement that Team Principal Team Principal Tony Fernandes broke over twitter, it has now been made official.

Lotus F1 Racing has today confirmed that Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen will drive for the team in the 2010 championship, while Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy will be the reserve driver and test driver. The official announcement was made by Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon, at which Jarno, Heikki and Fairuz were also present.

Lotus have revived an old colour scheme, by using the traditional green and gold. Whilst they have not yet revealed their livery for 2010, it is obvious form the green and gold team logo that the car’s livery will most likely follow suit. In response to their logo Lotus released this official statement “The new Lotus F1 Racing logo has been developed to represent the teams future and heritage…Taking clues from the iconic Jim Clarke Type 49 the new ‘DNA’ device uses the Lotus colours in a recognizable form which is extremely flexible and will become a key element of the new team brand.”

Lotus only 3 months ago secured their 2010 entry and in that time they have their first car in production and have signed two Formula 1 race winners to drive for them, not a bad start!

Tony Fernandes (Lotus F1 Racing Team Principal) said “”I am thrilled that we have been able to sign Jarno, Heikki and Fairuz to drive for Lotus F1 Racing in our debut season. The appointment of Jarno, Heikki and Fairuz as our race drivers is a testament to the quality of our team, to our ambition and drive, and above all to our long-term vision of success in Formula 1”.

Jarno no doubt is excited to be driving for Lotus next year and said, “”It is a privilege for me to sign for the new Lotus F1 Racing team. I have been impressed by the long-term vision of the team management and technical staff.”

Meanwhile Heikki said “I can’t wait to begin working with Tony, Mike and the team they are putting together, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the welcome we will be given by Formula 1 fans around the world as we bring Lotus F1 Racing to the grid.”

No doubt it will be very exciting to see the green and gold cars back on the grid next year and with two very experienced drivers as well as the Technical expertise Mike Gascoyne brings to the team as their Chief Technical Officer, we should expect some decent results from the new team in 2010.

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Below is a transcript from the official Q&A taken from the Lotus Press Release…

Lotus F1 Racing Driver Announcement Q&As

14 December 2009

Jarno Trulli

What were the reasons behind your decision to join
Lotus F1 Racing?

“I am really
pleased to be joining Lotus F1 Racing. It was quite a difficult situation at
the start of November with my former team withdrawing from Formula 1, but I was
convinced I would stay in Formula 1. I was in contact with Mike (Gascoyne,
Chief Technical Officer) about the possibility of joining the new Lotus team
and it became quickly clear that it would be a very good opportunity for me. I
have been in Formula 1 for many years but there is something extremely
motivating about helping to build a team from the ground level up. There is a
lot of ambition from Tony (Fernandes, Team Principal), Mike and in fact the
whole of Malaysia as a nation, and that level of enthusiasm is infectious for a
driver. I am really looking forward to the challenge.”

You are one of the longest-serving drivers in Formula 1
- how important will your experience be for the team?

“I have driven for
quite a few teams in my career, both manufacturer and independent teams, so I
have a wide range of experience. I hope that this experience will be a positive
asset for Lotus as we begin this new challenge together. We should not
underestimate the task in hand. Formula 1 in 2010 is an exciting prospect with
brand new teams, established manufacturers fighting back and of course other
young teams looking to repeat their 2009 success. Everyone will be fighting
hard for results, but we still have all our foundations to set, so we have a
lot to do.”

Do you expect the team to be immediately competitive?

“We have to set
realistic targets for the first year. We are one of the new teams, so we have
to prove ourselves and to gain respect in the paddock. We have to establish
ourselves as the best of the new teams and see what gap we have between us and
the rest. Only then will we really understand what gains we need to make during
the season. The points system has changed to reward the top ten drivers, so I
would like to see us making progress towards the top ten by Abu Dhabi.”

What do you think of the team’s approach to Formula 1
based on your previous experiences?

“Having spoken to
Tony and to Mike, as well as being in Malaysia this week, I can see a very
sensible attitude and professional approach to racing. Of course everyone
supporting the team wants results but everybody knows that will take time. We
certainly have the capabilities and the tools to do the job. I know Mike very
well from our time at other teams and I have a lot of faith in his technical
operation.”

What do you think of having Heikki as a team-mate?

“It’s great to have
a younger driver like Heikki on board. He has been in Formula 1 for a few years
now, so he has matured into a competitive and well-rounded race driver. His
experiences at other teams will certainly help Lotus F1 Racing as a whole and I
am looking forward to working alongside him. He is bringing a different
character and driving style to the team which I think will benefit all of us
during 2010.”

Heikki Kovalainen

You are entering your fourth season as a Formula 1 race driver by joining a
brand new team in Lotus F1 Racing – what factors were behind your decision to
join the team?

For me there were a
couple of major factors – Tony and Mike being the two leading figures in the
project, and the backing behind the team were both very important, and having
spoken to both of them I became aware that the whole operation has a lot of
potential, and a very good chance of being a successful team in the
future.  I saw Lotus F1 Racing as the
best choice for me to progress my career, after considering several other
options that were available to me.

What have you seen of the team so far?

I have visited the
base of the team, as well as meeting Tony and Mike, and I can see that everyone
involved is very motivated, excited and happy to be pushing this program
forwards. The team has ambitious plans for the future and everyone will see
Lotus F1 Racing in Bahrain GP as a professional, competitive yet very humble
group of intelligent individuals.

What do you think of your new team-mate Jarno?

I have known Jarno
for many years now and I think together we can push the team forwards very
quickly, and develop our car and the team in a professional way.

Do you have any specific targets for your first season
with the team?

I always race to
win and I will do everything as if I was preparing to put the car on pole, but
of course we have to be realistic and keep the focus on developing the team to
a state where we can operate like any other current top F1 team. It will not be
easy and we will have tough times at the beginning, there’s no question about
it, but as long as we keep improving all the way through the year and have the
earned respect of the other top teams on the grid, then we can be pleased about
the first year.

Does the Lotus name add any pressure on you or the
team?

Well maybe at the
beginning we will get away with some difficulties, but of course Lotus has been
a winning team in the past and, like I said earlier, the team has ambitious
plans to become successful, so after a little while we need to be making
progress to keep the Lotus name at its current high status.

Tony Fernandes

There has been a lot of speculation recently about the
driver line-up. How did you reach your decision?

“Firstly, I would
like to say this is an historic day for all us at Lotus F1 Racing as we
announce our first driver line-up. We have three drivers who I believe
complement each other excellently and who I think represent what Lotus F1
Racing and 1Malaysia is all about. That is not to say it was a straight-forward
decision because we spoke with other drivers who I rate very highly, but
ultimately we have opted for a careful mix of experience, youth and ambition.
In Jarno we have the F1 veteran who proved in 2009 that he is as quick and
determined as ever. In Heikki we have a continuing rising star who is still
hungry to prove himself, and in Fairuz we have a Malaysian national driver who
is eager to progress up the F1 ladder to fulfill the hopes of a nation. It’s
the full package if you ask me.”

What do you expect from the drivers in 2010?

“It is more a
question of what we all expect from each other rather than just from the
drivers. 2010 will be the first season for Lotus F1 Racing and we have a lot to
achieve in a short space of time. As with any new venture, it is a case of ‘all
hands on deck’. Everybody has a vital role to play but it is about bringing a
new team together and gelling. The drivers each bring different experience to
the team and I think the combination of their skills will help us quickly
establish ourselves as the ones to watch in 2010 and beyond.”

Did you ever think you would see two race winning
drivers in the team’s first season?

“I am still
pinching myself. We have not even finished our first race car, so to attract
two race winning drivers to the team is a huge achievement and honour. I think
it is a testament to our ambition and our long-term vision that we have such
talent on our books in year one. It is further proof that we are serious about
what we do and I am sure the other new teams are looking at us with some envy
right now.”

You have also unveiled the new team logo…

“We have thought
long and hard about our team brand and logo, and I am very pleased with the end
result. F1 aficionados will immediately recognise the classic green and yellow
colour of Lotus, but we have given it a modern twist which is essentially what
this team is about. We are not pretending to be the Lotus of the past, but we
are honoured to be able to bring the name back into Formula 1 at the start of a
new decade of racing. We will draw on its heritage and use it to inspire and
motivate our team, Lotus F1 Racing. I hope everybody likes the logo and enjoys
a small glimpse into the livery of our race cars for our first season.”