Lotus pin Singapore hopes on new rear wing

2012 Singapore Grand Prix

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Lotus will run a new rear wing on their E20 which they believe will improve their DRS switching effect on the high-downforce Singapore track.

The team’s technical director James Allison said: “The new rear wing operates at the same downforce level as our Monaco spec rear wing, but with a better DRS delta.

“This means that this wing has better DRS switching from its maximum drag to its reduced drag settings. We believe we’ve been able to produce a rear wing which is at the higher end of the downforce spectrum but still able to allow the lion’s share of the DRS potential which is more difficult to achieve at high downforce levels.

“It will be interesting to see how it works on track.”

The team will also have a revised floor for the E20.

Allison added the team are doing everything they can to get to the bottom of the alternator problems which have affected Renault’s engines this year:

“We continue to play our part in helping Renault Sport resolve any issues as painlessly as possible. We don’t
need to tell them that it’s an area which needs addressing, as it’s something they know with absolute urgency.

“We are also prepared to bend over backwards if there are any changes needed on the car.”

2012 Singapore Grand Prix

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Image © Lotus F1 Team/LAT

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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34 comments on “Lotus pin Singapore hopes on new rear wing”

  1. I really hope they can win a race this season. It would be such a shame if they don’t. They have such a stunning car that is also performing generally very well. It’s easily my favourite car on the grid.

  2. Interesting to see Lotus still bringing updates (apart from the DDRS) despite their limited resources compared to other teams.
    Singapore is well known for it’s high temperature & the alternator’s problems where caused at a high temperature circuits (Monza & Valencia) & at low speed (safety car,drive through) ,it seems that the component in question is on the limit & these conditions are just enough to cause it’s failure so Lotus should be worried because they cannot afford any reliability issues so they can still in the hunt of both championships

    1. I read that people at Renaux were saying that ambient temperature was not the predominant cause of the failures.

    2. Singapore wont be as hot, or as tough on the cars though, because it’ll be night time. The relative humidity will be high, but only relative to the temperature of the air, which will be around the 27c-30c mark.

      The Renault alternators failed in the baking heat and direct sunlight. It’s hotter in the sun than in the shade (hence why temperature readings are taken in the shade). Although it should be noted that Renault got by in Bahrain alright with no alternator issues, and that is without a doubt the hottest race of the year so far.

      1. I was just picking up similarities between the two incidents but yes you’re right Bahrain is the hottest race on the calendar which maybe leave the cause of”Low speed” as the most credible

    3. I was a little surprised to read [Autosport] that Pirelli test car has suffered a similar failure but that Renault have said: “As per the terms of the tyre testing agreement, we would not use any of the Pirelli tests to test new or development parts.”

      It strikes me that this is not a “performance” question — just a show stopper, so wonder why the “agreement” is so restrictive?

    4. I think they know they have a shot at finishing in the top 3 this year (at least) so the prize money would be more than worth it!

  3. Lotus showing at Monaco was a bit off so I´m not beting on them for this race. This kind of track suits more Grosjean´s agressiveness than Raikkonen´s softness but the Finn is more confident and at the top of his form so he may beat him.
    I believe the best opportunities for a win are still to come, and those will be on the hotest GP´s like India, Abu Dhabi and Austin, specially if they nail the performance that is expected with the “device”.
    If everything goes well they´ll be serious contenders to the DWC title, if not a hell of a season anyway that no one was expecting!

  4. why is lotus telling everyone about their rear wing a whole week before the race! this just puts them at a disadvantage, and about lotus winning a race, dont see it happening this season car isnt quick enough as people say it is to be honest

    1. The car is as fast as the top rivals during the race. The problem is on straights and it seems the E20 takes longer to warm up the tires. Maybe it’s because it’s gentler to them. If the DDRS works as expected, they will have better speed on straights thus improving overall lap times. With 7 races to go, it is very possible for Kimi to win another deserved DWC title. It would be awesome to see Kimi beating Alonso/Ferrari.

      1. it is up there with rivals in race trim but qualy needs improvements also their first few laps in the race, agreed kimi winning in his comeback season would be immense!!!

    2. I don’t see how telling everyone about their new update would put them at an disadvantage…

      It’s not like they’re posting specific details that rivals could make use of to adapt. After all, every car in the grid isn’t the exact same thing. It’ll be a bit tight for rival teams to come up with a similar update within a week.

      1. i dont see ferrari, mclaren or redbull telling everyone about updates as often as lotus do

  5. if raikkonen is to challenge for the title, lotus need to be realistic eg if grosjean is second the race and raikkonen 3rd he has to give up the position so raikkonen would gain more points, just like ferrari are doing

    1. I think Räikkönen has to win at least once to be in with a shot of the championship. I know it’s mathematically possible for him to win it without taking any races, but I can’t see him gaining enough points over Alonso, who is going to score heavily at the majority of the remaining races, without taking the maximum somewhere along the line.

    2. can Grosjean change his driving style? If he does, would that compromise his speed? His aggressiveness is instinctual, so I would guess that pausing to ensure compliance with FIA rules will cost him something interms of natural speed…
      Can a leopard change his spots?

  6. After the technical failure in SPA, they are committed to not making the same mistake, even though they finished 3rd in SPA their real pace could have put them 5 places below.

    1. Grosjean move at the start was perfect for Kimi, he would have finished behind Alonso, Hamilton, both Saubers and probably Maldonado, instead Kimi got 15 points from the championship leader!

      1. good but dangerous, heres hoping grosjean pulls another move and kimi gets a podium finish, obviously less dangerous lol

      2. finish behind hamilton?? wasnt hamilton was on the same setup as kimi???

      3. kimi would finished 2nd if his kers didnt bail on him…

  7. they need to focus on revising the design of exhaust layout……the car is gentle on tyres…and they can only gain advantage of that when the tyre selection involve soft compound~!! Also the car lack outright speed as revealed in monza and spa….

  8. Between their poor race management and their shocking performance in Singapore last year, I’m not expecting a lot from Lotus next week.

    1. @prisoner-monkeys Last year was quite atrocious but on the plus side I can’t see them doing that badly again.

    2. I don’t see how their last year’s performance affects this year

      1. This +1.

        Never use previous years as basis for performance… After all, with the many rule changes in this decade of F1, the car would be substantially different from last year’s.

  9. Great to see them taking such a defined development path towards the end of the season, we’re still to see the ‘device’ properly in action. This doesn’t strike me as a race where they will benefit from it as much as some others but it’s better than nothing.

  10. I hope Raikkonen does sneak this year’s championship over Alonso and please don flame me for this – for aesthetic reason cos no way i want to see such an ugly car like the F2012 clinch the title.

    The E20 is a real beauty and it is fast enough to win the title in Raikkonen’s hands. Certainly not as fast as the MP4/27 which apart from a mid-season freefall, is widely regarded as the fastest car out there. The fact that Raikkonen is still lurking around is testament to his class and the fact that McLaren has bungled on a few occasions (which still needs to be capitalised on of course as Alonso and Raikkonen have done).

    I don’t think people have given enough credit for the sterling job he has done after coming back from a 2-year hiatus and having to adapt as quickly as he has to the tyre and refueling rule modifications as though he has never been away.

    1. everyone seems to have forgotten how he returned after two years, im a kimi fan and sometimes even i forget! hes incredible hope he wins this year!!

    2. Totally agree on the F2012 being ugly, just look at its hideous lego brick shaped nose.

      The E20 may not be the fastest car out there, but he’s certainly driving well to place himself 3rd in the standings. Really hope to see him clinch a WDC on his debut comeback year, to show that Ferrari made a grave mistake of giving him the boot back then.

      Great to see him back, his strong form makes it feel like as if he has never left in the first place.

      1. *show Ferrari that

        1. I got a sneaky feeling if McLaren does lose the title, they don’t mind letting Raikkonen get it.
          As far as I am aware, there is still deep respect and maybe a little affection from within the McLaren paddock for Raikkonen. Ron Dennis himself, i think, believes McLaren owed Raikkonen 2 championships (03 and 05), years which he drove superbly but was let down by unreliability and other gaffes (scenario sounds familiar with this year’s McLarens).

          Again, I would say that i don’t think people give Raikkonen enough credit due as a driver on the top of his game. I keep hearing the likes of Vettel, Hamilton and Alonso are the big 3 in terms of speed and downright awesomeness and Raikkonen is never in the discussion.

          In my frank opinion, Vettel has nothing on Raikkonen. Vettel loses his rag all too often and as we have seen, throws his temper at his own team and asks them to screw Webber to let him pass. Lest anyone say he was calmness personified at Abu Dhabi 10, just be informed that he had the fastest car under him the whole year and should have wrapped up by say Japan. (In any case, Ferrari played a blinder blunder at Abu Dhabi with Alonso’ pit strategy). And he was pushed all the way by Webber on inferior strategies and machinery (never believed the crap that Webber has had the same machinery – not saying Red Bull goes out of the way to hand him a car with 3 wheels and no steering wheel or something but look at the KERS + gearbox issues he had relative to Vettel’s and you know they devote less care to his car than Golden Boy Vettel’s).
          In terms of speed, Raikkonen, Vettel and Hamilton are probably on par edging out Alonso by a shade only. What probably makes Alonso supreme is his intelligence to work situations to his favour (he speaks 3 languages and fluently, mind – there is some correlation between IQ and multilingualism) and Schumacheresque qualities to rally his whole team behind him.

          1. Don’t forget though that Vettel, almost like Hamilton, has matured and made all his mistakes in the bright spotlight.

            I think the biggest thing Alonso has done to ‘rally his whole team behind him’ is just to drive the car comprehensively faster than his teammate.

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