Lotus launch E20

Lotus have revealed their E20, the car which will be driven by 2007 F1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and French driver Romain Grosjean.

(c) Lotus F1 Team

The car, named E20 because it is the 20^th car produced at their Enstone factory, was unveiled live on the Internet at the Jerez track. Unfortunately, a series of errors on the website meant many were not able to watch the launch live. I was one of them.

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The team issued a video which shows the car launch, here it is:

(c) Lotus F1 Team

The team however did release a number of images. It is clear to see that the E20 features the platypus style, dipped nose. However it is not as severe as some and the black body work makes it more subtle. The nose has been seen on 4 or the 5 cars launched so far, with Force India, Ferrari, Caterham and now Lotus keeping the mould extremely broken nosed. Mclaren are the only team so far who have not taken the plunge and gone for the step nose.

The team have kept their gold, black and red livery and have revealed some new sponsors. The E20 is without the controversial ride height system which was banned by the FIA just a few weeks ago. The design overall is quite traditional, with no radical mechanics seen to the eye. The controversial blown forward exhaust is nowhere to be seen, instead it has been replaced by the traditional backward layout.

Lotus will be hoping their car can help them progress further towards the likes of Mclaren, Red Bull and Ferrari but also have Force India close behind. Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean will also be hoping the car is competitive. Raikkonen said on the launch he was "not nervous" about his comeback and that he thinks these people know how to build a good car, and even the biggest teams cannot produce a winning car every year,"

The team co-owner Gerard Lopez has said the team can target 4th place in the constructors this year, saying "We hope to have a strong car, and have strong drivers, one of which is of course an ex-world champion. We hope to bring the car up to the front of the pack and probably try to aim for fourth as a reasonable goal for this season."

(c) Lotus F1 Team

The teams 2nd driver, Grosjean, also commented on the car, saying "I'm feeling quite good for the season. I'm very proud to be chosen as one of the drivers. "So far I've a little bit more knowledge about the Pirelli tyres but I think I will be able to get a lot from him. We need to work to bring the team as far forward as possible, which is our main goal. I'm very happy to be alongside him." 3rd driver Jerome D'Ambrosio also said said its a "great opportunity" for him, even though he sacrificed driving its best for "the future."

The E20 will have a brief demonstration run at Jerez on Monday before testing begins on Tuesday.