Lotus Racing have today announced that they will be using gearboxes and hydraulic systems provided by Red Bull Technology from 2011.
Mike Gascoyne, Lotus Chief Technical Officer, says that this deal with Red Bull is a major statement of intent from the team regarding their future aspirations.
“The announcement that we have reached a multi-year agreement with Red Bull Technology for the supply of our gearboxes and hydraulics from 2011 is obviously a massive step forward for us, both in engineering terms, and as an expression of our ambitions for next year and for future Championships,” he comments.
“The gearbox/hydraulics package obviously plays a critical role in the performance of the car, not just on track but in design and packaging terms, and this deal gives our design and aero teams a very exciting platform to work with. The removal of the double diffusers in 2011 will allow the whole grid to tighten up the rear bodywork and mechanical structures around the gearbox, and this supply deal will allow us to capitalise on that with our 2011 car. Exciting times lie ahead!”
Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, says that the deal marks a huge milestone in the development of his team. “We are very pleased about Lotus Racing's decision to use Red Bull Technology gearboxes and hydraulic systems from 2011,” he explains. “The fact that Red Bull Technology has been chosen to be a supplier to another team despite its short history demonstrates how much we have achieved since our first season. We very much look forward to working with Lotus Racing from 2011 onwards.”
The importance of this deal is not lost on Lotus Team Principal Tony Fernandes who, like his chief technical officer, regards this as a big milestone in the fledgling team’s development. “It is a real statement of our intention to challenge for Formula One honours as soon as we can that we have reached this agreement and we are very excited about integrating the package into our 2011 car,” he says. “I think people in and out of the sport are going to be following our progress even more closely now we have taken this incredibly important and ambitious step, and it makes next year even more exciting. The Lotus Racing dream grows bigger every day!”
Lotus are expected to announce in the near future that they will be using Renault engines from next season, the same manufacturer who supplies the Red Bull team.
