2013 Bahrain Grand Prix Preview: Lotus-Renault

The Lotus-Renault team had a gem of a weekend last year in Bahrain when Kimi Raikkonen almost won the grand prix and Romain Grosjean also came to the fore after he finished a solid third for the team.

This year also, the Lotus F1 Team looks in great shape as they head into the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend. Their 2013 challenger, E21, has been a consistent performer in all the races so far and has proved to be quick and reliable in the race, just like its predecessor E20.

The E21 has also shown improved one-lap pace in qualifying, something which was not so evident in last year’s E20. The only problem with the new Lotus E21 is that when the track gets damp, the car becomes a handful to drive and both Kimi and Grosjean reported difficulty in getting the wet and intermediate tyres to work in Australia and Malaysia.

But, coming to Bahrain, there is little to no chance of rain and so that shouldn’t be a problem for the team, but their technical director James Allison has stated his concern regarding pace in damp conditions and the team will be looking to improve in that area.

The team will also be testing their passive DDRS and will have an internal suspension modification which will be based on the FRIC suspension. But, while in FRIC, the front and rear is interconnected and Lotus are going to connect the left and right sides of the suspensions as well, to get even more benefit under braking and while cornering.

If you are new to FRIC suspension then take a look at this article to get up to speed.

Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus

2012 Qualifying – 11th, 2012 Race – 2nd

“Obviously, it was a good race for us as a team last year. It was my first podium for Enstone, and we had a good fight all the way. We took a gamble during qualifying, and it didn’t work out well for us. This meant we missed out on the top ten, but we managed to use our tyres pretty well in the race and we ended up fighting for the top step of the podium, which is always a good thing.

“I like (the Sakhir circuit). I’ve had some nice races there and picked up some good points although I’ve never won. It’s a little bit different from others we visit and it’s quite nice to be out there in the sand! Wherever you look around the track you can just see sand in the distance and you notice it in the paddock too. It’s a circuit where I’ve never won before, so maybe this year I’ll change that.

“It is not easy to find a good set-up as you do experience the track surface changing over the weekend and sometimes the wind can affect the balance of the car too. It’s one of the more tricky places to get the car exactly right, but at least you don’t often have to worry about rain!”

Romain Grosjean, Lotus

2012 Qualifying – 7th, 2012 Race – 3rd

“I have good memories after a strong race there last year that’s for sure! Our car worked well and we seemed to like the heat so it’s a race I’m looking forward to. We should see some consistent weather too, which always helps when you are trying to set up the car for the weekend.

“I would be lying if I said the car is exactly where I want it and we are having quite an adventure to get the set-up and feeling from the car how we want it. This is very frustrating for a driver, as you want your car to be obedient – to do what you want it to do – and to do it in a consistent manner. Certainly, we’re not the only team who are having a difficult time early in the season, but it’s something we really want to get on top of as quickly as possible. I’m spending a lot of time with my engineers and we’re all working hard to make improvements.

“(Bahrain is) a track I knew from before Formula One and it has characteristics that I like in a circuit; some big braking into certain corners, some good change of direction with the double-left in the middle of the race track and it all flows quite nicely. Last year we got a good balance with the car and were able to make use of the E20 being kind to its tyres. The E21 shares that characteristic, so let’s hope we have more of the same this year.”

James Allison, Lotus technical director

“We certainly went well there last year and I hope it will be good for us this year as well! There are things that are special about Bahrain which might make us more optimistic. For example, it is one of the most aggressive tracks on the rear tyres and if we have a particular strength it does seem to be that when we get the car set up just right it does seem to use the tyres rather gently. Secondly, in Kimi in particular, we have a driver who is able to get the car to go quickly without really burdening the rear axle. While we are looking forward to the weekend, it is abundantly clear that there are several very strong teams this year, so we can expect a tough fight as always.

“We won’t be bringing anything particularly revolutionary on top of the China upgrades, but we will trial a suspension modification – internal rather than to the wishbones – which is an evolution of something we ran to good effect during pre-season. You’re always trying to find the right compromise between the mechanical grip that the suspension’s articulation offers to the tyres and holding the aerodynamic platform at the optimum height from the road, and we believe this is a step forward in helping us achieve that.”