Team: Tony Fernandes (TP), Riad Asmat (CEO), Mike Gascoyne (CTO), Keith Saunt (COO), Marianne Hinson (HA), Lewis Butler (CD), Elliot Dason-Barber (Head of R&D and Vehicle Dynamics) Drivers: Heikki Kovalainen (20), Jarno Trulli (21)
A place to discuss the characteristics of the cars in Formula One, both current as well as historical. Laptimes, driver worshipping and team chatter does not belong here.
What I have gathered so far:
- Will have pull-rod suspension at the back (source)
- Will use Renault engine (source)
- Will use RBR gearbox and hydraulics (source)
- Will use adjustable rear wing not KERS at the start of the season (source)
- Will use the classic black and gold livery (source)
Please keep the thread clean.
Last edited by Steven on Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:03 am, edited 4 times in total.
Reason:Renamed topic from T128 to TL11 (and back again...)
I've got a feeling Lotus will be really good next year. They seem to have got some pretty good deals on the table.
If you think about it mechanically (pull-rod suspension, renault engine, RBR gearbox and hydraulics) its pretty well set and not far off, if not is, Red Bull foundations for an F1 car.
It all depends on how good the rest of the car is, what Mike can do with it. I expect it to be challenging Torro Rosso and Sauber from the start, even beating them
I see this year as the year Lotus prove they are legit about there predictions to take the team to the top. They've had a lot of time on this next car and all the deals to go with it.
err wasn´t the Renault engine a definite load of crap according to Newey,Horner and some forum members?The Cosworth was good enough to outscore Force India and Sauber this year who had two of the better engines according to common perception.
I´d think buying the Williams hydraulics+gearbox would have done the trick as well ...so HRT did the more efficient move methinks.
the one advantage it(the renault) has:it fits the RedBull gearbox....but then Pull rod was not an advantage as well ...so..it is the change per se that makes them quicker???
I learned in Motorsport not to be too adventureous and NOT change too much at one time,especially when you have limited recources.but who knows.
marcush. wrote:err wasn´t the Renault engine a definite load of crap according to Newey,Horner and some forum members?
No. It never was...
the one advantage it (the Renault) has:it fits the RedBull gearbox...
No that's not the only advantage. Fuel efficiency, driveability and torque are its other advantages according to Mike Gascoyne.
Power ? do you really think the RS27 is weaker than the Ferrari and Cosworth ? I heard nobody saying that.
And we do not even know if the numbers (the gap between the Merc and the Reno) RBR talks about are true.
marcush. wrote:I learned in Motorsport not to be too adventureous and NOT change too much at one time,especially when you have limited recources.but who knows.
They've got nothing much to lose, coming from the bottom though. I think changes such as these are quite positive too, considering alot of their retirements were hydraulics.
At least one other important metric springs immediately to mind -- cooling requirements, where Ferrari (supposedly) has a problem. And isn't it strange that drivability/torque/"power under the curve" (take your pick) wss not mentioned? (Or is the quote incomplete?)
Last edited by Steven on Sun Dec 05, 2010 11:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason:Removed quoted post just above
Enzo Ferrari was a great man. But he was not a good man. -- Phil Hill
marcush. wrote:err wasn´t the Renault engine a definite load of crap according to Newey,Horner and some forum members?The Cosworth was good enough to outscore Force India and Sauber this year who had two of the better engines according to common perception.
I´d think buying the Williams hydraulics+gearbox would have done the trick as well ...so HRT did the more efficient move methinks.
the one advantage it(the renault) has:it fits the RedBull gearbox....but then Pull rod was not an advantage as well ...so..it is the change per se that makes them quicker???
I learned in Motorsport not to be too adventureous and NOT change too much at one time,especially when you have limited recources.but who knows.
Do you really think you would be able to win both championships with a load of crap engine?? Then the rest of the car should be made of magic materials to compensate.
The only thing thats full of crap is Horner himself.
But please, this isn't the renault engine thread. It is the Lotus T128 thread and you guys have already filled it with nonsense. Make an engine comparison thread to discuss the hypothetical properties of each engine.
Hey guys.You understand irony?
I was always of the opinion that this engine discussion was based on nothing really.
the thing with heat emission is also not valid in my view .If you produce more power you produce more heat simple as that or you are less efficient when you produce more heat for the power at the crank...but that energy must also come from somewhere so you need more fuel as well.. so ...something does not stack up here.
The engine degradation seems an issue but looking at heidfeld who had a fresh engine for the last race and a very worn one all the races before...the effect seems to be more of a psychological nature...all engines loose a bit .
The problem is more you need to turn it down after time clocked at certain rpm levels ,thats more power sapping.
donskar wrote:
At least one other important metric springs immediately to mind -- cooling requirements, where Ferrari (supposedly) has a problem. And isn't it strange that drivability/torque/"power under the curve" (take your pick) wss not mentioned? (Or is the quote incomplete?)
Degration is a metric few here consider. How is the power curve on your engine after a race or two?
There are many factors to consider when 'grading' an engine, I was just pointing out that BHP seems to be the one looked at the most, but in a world where the engines are so close in power, other things must be considered.
A team like Lotus just needs a constant right now. You really can't go too wrong with any F1 engine at this juncture.
Last edited by Steven on Mon Dec 06, 2010 12:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason:Merged two posts into one
Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that?” And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing. - Dwight Schrute
I agree. The amount Lotus can improve through various other mean, like mentioned above, the engine shouldn't be really considered as a major factor as it has been here. I don't think the Renault is even that bad. It is a driveable, fuel efficient engine. Lotus doesn't need to focus too much on a mega fast engine when they will we wanting to minimise weight and creating a well balanced car.
Last edited by Steven on Sun Dec 05, 2010 11:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason:Removed quoted post just above
As a mod, I'm not going to remove the specific engine related posts here, since they contain valuable information, but can we please stick to the car? If there's a need to discuss a specific engine, feel free to start a new thread.
With a RS27, with is said to be less demanding on fresh air, an ultra compact RBR gearbox, a conventional diffuser and more time to optimise the bodywork, the next Lotus will look superb
The latter, with a simple diffuser, already produces as much DF as the T127 according to mike .