Team Lotus T128 Renault

[forty-two]

This car looks like a quantum leap from last year's car.

Hats off to the Team Lotus guys (and gals)!


Does anyone have any good images of the floor around the back of the car?

[nacho]

More pics from AMUS:

[Predator]

This is the only image I've seen of the rear:

[andrew]

[ajdavison2]

Anyone else think that the diffuser looks relatively complex compared to say, the f150's, which I personally think looks very simplistic, for a single deck diffuser anyway.

[Scania]

I for one am a little surprised at how small the "Lotus" name is on this car. I would have thought they'd have had it plastered all over the place where they haven't sold sponsorship, given the current dispute.

Or perhaps this is the first step in a gentle winding down of the whole businesS?

Because they are the team, not sponsor!!!

[H. Zedozil]

Lotus gearbox: back in 09 longer gearboxes were needed to push weight forwards. Still the rest of the car is T128
Lotus T128 Gearbox. it seems this is an RB5 gearbox used for the start up. http://yfrog.com/h37rnqdj

Lotus T128 detail: blade roll structure & slight shark fin. Inclined front susp & exhaust perilously close to pullrod http://bit.ly/iivj41


(from Scarbs)

[RAF]

With the thickness of that roll hoop replacement, it doesn't seem very aerodynamic to me. It looks rather thick and bulky. Unless the engine air intakes are moved somewhere rather radical it seems rather pointless. Would it be possible to move the engine air intakes to on top of the sidepods for example?

[Giblet]

With the thickness of that roll hoop replacement, it doesn't seem very aerodynamic to me. It looks rather thick and bulky. Unless the engine air intakes are moved somewhere rather radical it seems rather pointless. Would it be possible to move the engine air intakes to on top of the sidepods for example?

It is bulky, but interferes less with the flow to the rear wing, which is why they went with this configuration.

[feynman]

I thought it was weight, not aero. (Someone said that is what Gascoyne said)

The weight of the spike, and now non-structural inlets, is less, or is lower CofG than a combined crash-structure/airbox mounted high-up.

[Tengku Rex]

Please refer to http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89226

Article 15.2.4 :

The principal roll structure must have a minimum enclosed structural cross section of 10000mm², in vertical projection, across a horizontal plane 50mm below its highest point. The area thus established must not exceed 200mm in length or width and may not be less than 10000mm2 below this point.

[H. Zedozil]

Please refer to http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89226

Article 15.2.4 :

The principal roll structure must have a minimum enclosed structural cross section of 10000mm², in vertical projection, across a horizontal plane 50mm below its highest point. The area thus established must not exceed 200mm in length or width and may not be less than 10000mm2 below this point.

Team Lotus's roll structure is legal..pls look back at the previous post

[Tengku Rex]

Team Lotus find the way around the regulation so I think it is legal.

[nacho]

TS has an article about yesterday's test with Heikki.

- A bearing broke down from the power steering and the balls jammed the steering gears, that's why removing the power steering didn't help.

- Everything about the car feels better than last years, he could feel it from the first lap.

- Driving position is much better, and they made the steering a bit slower.

- The car will change before the first race, they will also have new parts for the suspension coming that aren't ready yet.

Source: http://www.ts.fi/f1/uutiset/193894.html

[H. Zedozil]

Team Lotus videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPn1R7QdNhQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPn1R7QdNhQ