27 th April 2010
Autosprint Interview - Jarno Frustrated by Lotus Problems
Autosprint Interview
18 th April 2010
Chinese GP – Race
Well, that was another interesting one, once again mixed up by the weather. Alonso couldn’t wait to start… he went before the lights went out, jumping into the lead but sadly for him, it was spotted and he had to serve a drive through penalty before the race was many laps old. There was a safety car period after the first lap when Liuzzi lost control of his car and took out Buemi’s Toro Rosso and Kobayashi’s Sauber. Not sure what happened to Glock, as it wasn’t shown and not reported (Virgin’s don’t count after all) but he retired on the first lap and Di Grassi went on lap 9. De la Rosa’s Sauber retired a lap before. Chandhok started from the pitlane but both HRTs finished. Sadly, Jarno’s race ended on lap 27 with hydraulic issues again, after 5 pitstops. However, Heikki’s Lotus went on to finish 14 th, ahead of Hulkenberg’s Williams, after running as high as 6 th at one brief point as all the pit stops and general panic played out. Should we be suspicious yet? Sutil, Alguersuari and Barrichello were also behind having pitted for repairs following Liuzzi’s craziness, and Hulkenberg had dropped down the order having gone extremely wide to avoid the accident. There was a lot of wheel changing in the first few laps as the rain tried to make up its mind what it was doing and the race was won on the right tyre calls at the right time, notably by the winner, Button, and third placed Rosberg. Hamilton was second but achieved that mostly by bullying and hassling, to earn our title of Loose (as in cannon) Lewis. An incident when he and Vettel raced each other into and out of the pitlane was investigated later and they were both got away with only a reprimand. Massa and Alonso also had one of those moments going into the pitlane but Massa won that one and they are both in the same team anyway. The safety car was out again when Alguersuari clipped the back of an HRT and dropped his front wing all over the track. At the end, all were struggling on their tyres with Schumacher lacking traction as well so there was plenty of passing, attempted passing and overshooting of the final hairpin (in Jensons’s case). JB kept the lead though as Loose Lewis settled for second on bald tyres. Top 10: Button, Hamilton, Rosberg, Alonso, Kubica, Vettel, Petrov, Webber, Massa, Schumacher.
Press Release: CHINESE GRAND PRIX
Lotus Racing’s first four races came to an end in China with another solid performance as the head of the new teams and for the first time coming out in front of one of their established rivals. Heikki Kovalainen dealt with the tricky conditions superbly, making a bold call early on to stay out on dry tyres when most of the pack opted for wets, and finished the race in 14th place after a tight battle with Nico Hulkenberg’s Williams. Jarno Trulli’s race came to a premature end on lap 34 after his run of bad luck continued in Shanghai in a race dominated by the damp conditions.Heikki Kovalainen (T127-01, car no. 19, fastest lap 1.47.141):“This was a great way to round off our first four races. I think we had the correct strategy today in what were pretty tricky conditions. The pace was good – we were again ahead of the other new teams, and this time had a good battle with Williams. The decision to stay out early on dry tyres was made by me and the team together – it wasn’t wet enough to come in and as soon as the race started I could see the rain had calmed down so we agreed it was the right call to stick with the plan. The other cars on wet tyres were obviously struggling so that worked out very well. It might not always work out like this for us, but today it showed we’re a good team who make the right decisions, so I’m really pleased, for everyone in Lotus Racing, and all our fans.
Jarno Trulli (T127-03, car no.19, fastest lap 1.49.675):“It was a tough day out there from the start, which is a shame because we’d had a trouble free weekend and I was able to push for quite a few laps. The conditions weren’t too bad and I was enjoying myself , but I had more hydraulics issues which brought me in on lap 18. The team did a good job to get me back out again but unfortunately the problems struck again and I had to retire. We’ve got a bit of time now before Spain to work on the new upgrades, so let’s see what happens when we reach Barcelona.”
Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: “Whilst I’m obviously pleased I want to say first how disappointed I am for Jarno. He’s had a lot of bad luck so far - it seems all our bad luck has been on his car, so apologies to him, but it was a fantastic race from Heikki. We judged all the calls correctly and were on the right tyres all the way through, so congratulations to the whole team for that. I’m also very pleased to see our race pace was very good, especially at the end on the wet conditions. These first four races were always going to be tough, but we’ve achieved what we set out to and now we’re looking ahead to Barcelona and seeing how the updates we’ve been working on help us move forward.”
Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: “I’m really happy today as we’ve accomplished what we said we’d do. We wanted to see at least one car cross the line for the first four races, and we’ve done that, but it’s kind of bitter sweet today. It’s obviously a great result for Heikki but a real shame for Jarno as he seems to take the brunt of the issues – it’s a bit odd as it does seem to be just his car. The conditions today made it very tense out there and it’s very satisfying, and shows how we’re progressing, that today we were racing Williams, who we beat on track. Another great thing for me was to see how the Lotus Racing dream is spreading, in China, Asia and across the world. We saw a load of Lotus Racing flags in the stands, and this time next year let’s hope we see even more fans out there cheering for us – we’ll do our best to give them something to be very proud of!”
17 th April 2010
Chinese GP – Saturday Practice & Qualifying
Practice: Webber was quickest from Hamilton and Vettel. Jarno slipped to 22 nd today, with Heikki 20 th. Petrov crashed his Renault at the start of the main straight, causing a red flag with 17 minutes to go. Top 6: Webber, Hamilton, Vettel, Button, Alonso, Rosberg,
Qualifying: Jarno was quickest of the new teams until the very last minute when Glock slipped past in his last run. That left Jarno 20 th and Heikki 21 st. At the other ened, Vettel took pole from his team mate, so another Red Bull front row. The unexpected one to join the new teams eliminated from Q1 was Liuzzi today. Lingering in Q2 were both Williams, both Toro Rossos, both Saubers, and Petrov. Top 10: Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Rosberg, Button, Hamilton, Massa, Kubica, Schumacher, Sutil.
Press Release:CHINESE GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING
Lotus Racing Team Principal Tony Fernandes was one of the last people to make it out of Europe before most of the airspace was shut down, leaving Paris after being given the prestigious Officier of the Legion d’Honneur award in a ceremony on Wednesday, and arrived in China to see Jarno Trulli qualify 20th on 1.39.399 and Heikki Kovalainen 21st on 1.39.520 after a busy session at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Both Lotus Racing drivers were out early in the session and despite an early spin for Heikki, settled down well, staying best of the new teams until the dying seconds of the session. After a strong showing in all three practice sessions the team looks in good shape for tomorrow’s race and will be looking to put on a good show for the growing numbers of their local Chinese fans, and the fast expanding Lotus Racing army across Asia and around the world.
Jarno Trulli (T127-03):“It was a shame because I think I could have gone quicker, but the strong wind played a part and it wasn’t easy out there. It was a very gusty and I struggled a bit with that but having had three good practice sessions I’m expecting a better race tomorrow.”
Heikki Kovalainen (T127-01):“It was ok today but I couldn’t quite get the perfect lap. The first two sectors were ok but just before the back straight I couldn’t quite get the exit right and I think I lost about three tenths there. The wind has played its part today – in some braking zones at the back of the track there’s a tailwind which unbalances the car, but the second to last corner is into a headwind and it felt really good under braking into there but it’s no big deal – it’s just one of those things! The race tomorrow will be better for sure. The car has felt good all weekend on heavy fuel so let’s see what happens then.”Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: “It was the classic mixed bag today. We’ve been strong in practice and if it wasn’t for Heikki’s final sector we would have finished best of the new teams, but sometimes it doesn’t go according to plan. We were satisfied with the setups on both cars and while it’s been a bit disappointing I’m confident the work we put in throughout practice, on long runs with heavy fuel, will pay off for us tomorrow.”
Tony Fernandes, Team Principal: “First of all I’m just really pleased to be here in China! It was a very close shave - I think I was about an hour ahead of the airspace shut down and this is one of the races I’ve been really looking forward to coming to with the team. The spectacular growth of China over recent years is an inspiration to me and the whole Lotus Racing team - it shows how high we should be setting our sights and how we can reach the top by working hard to achieve your dreams. Seeing the fans’ banners for us in the stands makes me very proud, and shows that Lotus Racing has a real significance for Chinese motorsport fans, who know a good thing when they see it!”
16 th April 2010
Drivers call for penalties for weaving: Jarno is widely quoted in this story
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82932
16 th April 2010
Chinese GP – Friday Practice
Jarno finished 18 th quickest in the first session, with Heikki 19 th. Fastest was Jenson Button, followed by Rosberg and Hamilton. There was a red flag at 75 minutes when Buemi’s Toro Rosso suddenly lost both front wheels in an apparent suspension failure. Another failure was the Ferrari engine in Alonso’s car. Another one. Top 6: Button, Rosberg, Hamilton, Schumacher, Vettel, Kubica.
Jarno is making 18 th place his own, as he finished P18 in the second session also. Heikki was 19 th again as well. Hamilton was quickest with Rosberg second again. Top 6: Hamilton, Rosberg, Button, Schumacher, Vettel, Webber.
Jarno Trulli – FP1 22 laps, 1.41.531, 18 th / FP2 35 laps, 1.39.624:“A trouble free day today which is good, and hopefully the whole weekend will go without any issues. I’m still struggling a bit with the setup, finding a balance that really lets me get the best out of the car, but we tested different tyres today and focused mainly on our setup for the race, so I’m reasonably happy. Grip levels improved throughout the day and our lap times showed that by the end of the day the circuit was really bedding in.”
14 th April 2010
Chinese GP – Jarno’s Preview
Jarno Trulli:“China’s one of my favourite races on the calendar – I’ve not had the best luck at the track over the years, but I like it as it rewards a well balanced car and encourages you to push hard, particularly in the high speed corners. We’ve proved we have good reliability in the car so I’m looking forward to bringing it home and giving the Chinese fans something new to cheer for. The fans here are great – they’re very passionate and I’ve always had great support here, and now with Lotus Racing they have a British team with an Asian core to cheer for so I’m expecting even more support over the whole race weekend."
4 th April 2010
Malaysian GP – Race
Seb Vettel did the business, passing Rosberg and Webber at the start and getting his car to the end of the race. Webber made it a Red Bull 1-2 and Rosberg was third. There was no rain! At the back it was defi nitely Lotus v Virgin for real, as Glock made a botched attempt to overtake Jarno, spun his Virgin and hits Jarno’s Lotus with it, which slowed Jarno right down through the damage, although he did nurse the car to the end. Glocky was not so lucky and had to retire. That’ll teach him! Kovalainen made a pig’s ear of passing the other Virgin, Di Grassi, and gave himself a puncture. The team fixed that and an hydraulic issue and sent Heikki out again, for him to finish 10 laps down. All good marketing! Jarno was classified 17 th as there were several other retirements. De la Rosa never started, as his Sauber developed engine problems between the pits and the grid, and his team mate Kobayashi had mechanical failure on lap 8. Next to retire was Michael Schumacher with a dodgy rear wheel problem. Then it was Kobayashi, followed by Liuzzi and Petrov. Alonso’s engine blew a couple of laps from the end, after he had spent the whole race unable to downshift normally. This means Massa leads the WDC! Top 10: Vettel, webber, Rosberg, Kubica, Sutil, Hamilton, Massa, Button, Alguersuari.
Press Release – MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX RACE DAY
Lotus Racing’s Malaysian Grand Prix saw both cars cross the finish line at the Sepang Circuit, Jarno Trulli in 17 th and Heikki Kovalainen unclassified, ten laps down at the flag.
After a visit to the garage from the Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, and the Badminton World Number One player Datuk Lee Chong Wei, both cars were poised and ready when the red lights went out. Heikki Kovalainen, who started in 15 th place after a very good qualifying session, had a tricky race. Off the grid his Lotus Racing Cosworth T127-01 was caught in a tussle with Lucas Di Grassi which caused a left rear puncture, leading to a quick pit stop on lap 12. 20 laps in he had to pit again with a hydraulics issue but his pitcrew were determined not to give up and he was soon back out on track to complete the race.
Heikki Kovalainen:“It was still a very positive race for us, despite the issues. My start wasn’t fantastic and it meant I dropped immediately to the back. After that I got into a good rhythm, but started to see some issues on the dash. I tried to make a move on Di Grassi, but clipped his front wing when I was going past and damaged my left rear tyre, so had to come in to pit. Even with the problems we had the car was competitive and I was very comfortable. Compared to the other new teams our times are very competitive indeed, so I’m not going to let this race trouble me – we learned a lot and now we’ll move on and look ahead to China.”
Jarno Trulli:“We made a good start, but then on the second lap I was hit by Glock, which made me spin, and from then on my race was compromised. Despite that I got the car home to the end and that shows our focus on reliability has been worth the effort.”
Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer:“The beauty of sport is that you have highs and lows, and after the high of yesterday, with Heikki in Q2, it was a bit of a low today. Jarno had some handling problems due to damaged bodywork at the rear, and did a great job to bring the car home. With Heikki, he had some very high temperatures which we managed to fix in the pit, and as soon as he was out again he was very competitive, took the car to the flag, and really showed what the car was capable of. So it was disappointing, but at least we managed to get two cars to the flag. We’ve learned a lot and are looking to move on and be on good form for China.”
Team Principal Tony Fernandes: “It was good to get two finishes; obviously we’re unhappy with the position, but as we’ve always said it’s a major achievement just to finish. And we did - as you could see later Heikki’s car had good pace, so that’s encouraging. We take a lot away from this weekend, and we’ll take everything we have learned with us to China, and from Barcelona, as we’ve always said, we’ll be looking to build on the very solid start to the season. I’m proud of the effort the whole team put in today in tough, hot conditions, and we’re here to fight another day.”
3 rd April 2010
Malaysian GP – Saturday Practice & Qualifying
Practice: Webber was fastest just ahead of Hamilton. Jarno was 20 th, Heikki 21 st. Few dramas, although Heikki lost a piece of front wing over the kerbs. The rain is coming….
Qualifying: And here it is! The qualifying session was afflicted by rain in various strengths. Rain began immediately before the start of Q1, although part of the track was flooded and part almost dry which made tyre choice confusing. The Lotus drivers were among those who went out immediately to put in banker laps in case conditions worsened. But some teams. Notably Ferrari and McLaren left it late hoping conditions would improve but they got worse so Alonso, Massa and Hamilton were eliminated from Q1 along with the 2 HRTs, di Grassi, and our unfortunate Jarno (18 th), whose fast lap was spoiled by another driver spinning. This all meant that Kovalainen and Glock progressed to Q2, although Heikki was just a tenth quicker than Jarno. Button was lucky in a way, spinning and getting stuck in the gravel but having set a time quick enough to progress: he was not allowed to run again though and had to settle for 17 th. Heikki was eventually P15 just ahead of Glock. Also eliminated were the Toro Rossos, De la Rosa and Petrov. The heavens opened again even harder during Q3, which was red-flagged for a few minutes, before resuming. Webber took pole, with Rosberg also on the front row. Top 10: Webber, Rosberg, Vettel, Sutil, Hulkenberg, Kubica, Barrichello, Schumacher, Kobayashi, Liuzzi.
Press Release - ANOTHER STEP FORWARD FOR LOTUS RACING
Saturday’s qualifying session saw Lotus Racing’s sunny faces beaming through the rain as another important milestone was achieved, with Heikki Kovalainen going into his first Q2 with the team and finishing 15 th (1.52.270) after a clever strategy took advantage of the heavy rain that started falling just before the session began. Jarno Trulli (18 th, 1.52.884) narrowly missed out on Q2 but was satisfied he did all he could in tricky conditions.
Heikki Kovalainen (T127-01):“I’m so pleased! I really like these conditions – it’s very hard to judge your speed and you really have to take some risks, and all the time you’re feeling like you might lose the car, but that’s the challenge and I love it! On some parts of the track it was very wet and raining hard, and on others it wasn’t so much. Getting to Q2 really exceeds expectations for me and the whole team – yes of course we’ve been a little bit lucky today for sure, but it means we beat the other new teams, again! Although we were lucky, we played our strategy just right -if you look at the McLarens and Ferraris they didn’t think it was going to rain that much and look what happened. They missed their window at the beginning of the session and we took full advantage of it. Now I can’t wait to race tomorrow!”
Jarno Trulli:“It was disappointing because I was doing very well. Unfortunately on my quickest lap a car spun in front of me, which impeded me through the second and third sector so I couldn’t close my fast lap; and then the rain was getting worse, so there was no chance to improve on lap time. Still – we’ll do our best tomorrow and we’ll see what happens.”
Mike Gascoyne: “Obviously we’re all very very pleased to get a car into Q2 and Heikki did a tremendous job to get us there! I’m disappointed for Jarno as he got traffic on the lap that would have got him in. I think we got all the calls on the tyres right on the pit wall and in Q2 we ran the whole session on intermediates, which was clearly the thing to do. We made a change five minutes before the end, and Heikki got in a good clear lap to get P15. Well done to the whole team, and especially to Tony, for such success at one of our two home races – I know he’s very very proud.”
Mike Gascoyne: “Obviously we’re all very very pleased to get a car into Q2 and Heikki did a tremendous job to get us there! I’m disappointed for Jarno as he got traffic on the lap that would have got him in. I think we got all the calls on the tyres right on the pit wall and in Q2 we ran the whole session on intermediates, which was clearly the thing to do. We made a change five minutes before the end, and Heikki got in a good clear lap to get P15. Well done to the whole team, and especially to Tony, for such success at one of our two home races – I know he’s very very proud.”
Team Principal Tony Fernandes was almost lost for words: “I’m speechless! What a day! To get 15 th place in our home country, in front of our home crowd is amazing. I’m over the moon and just so excited. We gave the Toro Rossos a run for their money today and Jarno was just unfortunate to get blocked, otherwise he’d have been in Q2 as well. Tomorrow’s another day, and we’ll see what happens, but it’s a good step forward. Today we’ll enjoy it, and we’ll live for the day, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
2 nd April 2010
Check out this Q&A with Jarno on Autosport
And you may be interested in Tony Fernandes’ comments in the Friday Press Conference
2 nd April 2010
Malaysian GP – Friday Practice
Fairuz Fauzy took Heikki Kovalainen’s place for Lotus in the first session and was 22 nd fastest ahead of the HRT’s. Jarno was 19 th, ahead of Virgin Glock. Force India also ran a reserve, Paul di Resta. Fastest was Hamilton from Rosberg.
Heikki was back in the second session and was 19 th to Jarno’s 18 th. Hamilton was fastest again from Vettel. Webber had a possible engine failure after less than half an hour. We discovered the drivers don’t like the option tyre. It will probably be a wet race anyway, which will get them out of using it.
Jarno Trulli:“It started off as a difficult day but I managed to do some good setup work and it was a positive two sessions. It seems we are competitive when compared to the other new teams but as we are ultimately aiming to fight with the top teams we are looking to get ourselves into a position where we can work on detailed setups, and that will start from Barcelona. I am pleased that today’s sessions, when compared to the previous two races, both went faultlessly and I’m very glad about that. I like the heat – I like racing in the heat as it tests fitness and I’ve always performed well here, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and the race on Sunday.”
28 th March 2010
Australian GP – Race
Poor Jarno’s awful weekend continued when his hydraulic pack failed while he was on the grid waiting to start the race! The team took the car back to the garage to try to get it fixed but to no avail. If Heikki keeps on smiling the way he is, if he’s not careful we’ll start to suspect skullduggery! Heikki’s race was fine and he finished 13 th, 2 laps ahead of Karun Chandhok, the only car of the other new teams to finish. Hispania’s other driver, Senna, had yet another hydraulic failure on lap 5. The Virgins retired on laps 25 (di Grassi – more hydraulic issues) and 41 (Glock - suspension). Both had started from the pitlane. It was an eventful race this time because of the rain and the nature of the track which did allow some overtaking. They all started on intermediate tyres and the tyre change to slicks proved a big factor in Jenson Button’s win. His brave call to change first and to stay out till the end gave him the victory. His team mate Hamilton on the other hand was upset at his team mate’s success and blamed his own 6 th place on the team calling him in for a second stop (probably because he’d ragged his tyres) and a tangle with Mark Webber 2 laps from the end when the Red Bull hit the back of the McLaren. That only cost him one place though, and he did start from 11 th! Webber was reprimanded after the race for not being more careful. Pole sitter Vettel had to retire again from brake failure on lap 26. Sauber’s Kobayashi somehow lost his front wing yet again on lap 1 and hit the inside wall before bouncing back across the track and taking out Buemi’s and Hulkenberg’s cars. Apart from them, the other retirees were Petrov on lap 10 and Sutil on lap 12. Another incident on lap 1 saw Button and Alonso touch, which sent the Ferrari spinning into Schumacher’s Mercedes: he finished 10 th, 5 places behind his team mate Rosberg. Kubica in the Renault had taken advantage of the first lap confusion to make up several places and finished 2 nd, with Massa’s Ferrari in 3 rd place. Top 10: Button, Kubica, Massa, Alonso, Rosberg, Hamilton, Liuzzi, Barrichello, Webber, Schumacher.
Press Release - LOTUS RACING MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX
A mixed day for Lotus Racing at the Melbourne Grand Prix saw Heikki Kovalainen finish the race in 13th place, once again ahead of the other new teams, but Jarno Trulli failed to make the start due to a hydraulics issue on the grid.
Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus Cosworth T127-01):“I enjoyed it today, I had good fun out there. Our target was to finish the race and from the start we were quite comfortably ahead of the new teams. When Glock dropped I just focused on keeping up a decent rhythm, not making any mistakes and bringing the car home. It’s difficult to say whether a different strategy would have worked better - if we’d stopped once more and put a fresh set of tyres on, that might have been better way to go, but our target was to finish the race and we achieved that again. Now we go to Malaysia with a good feeling and we’re all looking forward to that.”
Jarno Trulli (Lotus Cosworth T127-03):“Unfortunately we couldn’t start the race today because we had a hydraulic failure on the grid and, despite the team’s best efforts, we couldn’t fix it in time to make the race. We’ll work now to fix that for Malaysia and I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing what we can do in Sepang.”
Mike Gascoyne: “Obviously a very disappointing start. Jarno had a hydraulic power pack fail on the grid, not something we’ve seen before and we couldn’t get it changed in time. Balancing that was another strong race from Heikki who did really well staying out on the option tyre. He made a good start but lost a few places after the accident on the opening lap, but he did a great job to get the car home, keeping us tenth in the championship. And congratulations to Karun Chandhok for getting a finish!”
Tony Fernandes: “I guess we’ve got to have had some bad luck at some point and unfortunately it was today. I’m disappointed for Jarno, but Heikki did us proud - three places away from a point, and he was keeping pace with most of the other cars throughout the race. Maybe it would have been nice if three other cars had gone out so we could get a point, but, joking aside, it is good that at this stage of the season we’re already thinking about points. We’re in a nice position for Malaysia. We’re looking forward to going home, and really looking forward to giving our fans something to shout about.”
27 th March 2010
Australian GP – Saturday Practice & Qualifying
Practice: This time Heikki was 19 th and Jarno 20 th. Webber was fastest, followed by Alonso. No dramas and no rain. Top 6: Webber, Alonso, Schumacher, Vettel, Rosberg, Button.
Qualifying: Yep, the Lotus drivers were 19 th and 20 th. Jarno had to settle for the latter after his seat broke and he was moving around in the car. More bad luck for himwhile nothing seems to happen to Heikki’s car. However they beat the Virgins between them, and HRT made up the numbers. Petrov was the higher-profile team victim of Q1 today, running wide in the third sector while on his best lap. Hamilton was the high profile casaulty of Q2, eliminated with the Toro Rossos, the Saubers, Hulkenberg for Williams and Liuzzi’s Force India. Vettel took pole with Webber making it an all Red Bull front row, with Alonso tucking into 3 rd. Top 10: Vettel, Webber, Alonso, Button, Massa, Rosberg, Schumacher, Barrichello, Kubica, Sutil.
Press Release - LOTUS RACING MELBOURNE GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING SESSION
The rain held off for Saturday’s running in Melbourne as Lotus Racing took to the track in earnest, keen to maintain their ‘best of the new teams’ record. Throughout the 3 rd Practice both cars ran well, with Italian driver Jarno Trulli finishing with a time of 1.29.800 after 16 laps and Heikki Kovalainen completing 19 laps on a best time of 1.29.539. In qualifying itself Lotus Racing successfully maintained their record of best new team, finishing with Heikki Kovalainen 19 th on 1:28:797 and Jarno Trulli 20 th on 1.29.111.
Jarno Trulli (Lotus-Cosworth T127-03):“I had a problem with the seat which meant it wasn’t easy to drive, bouncing around in the car, so it was a difficult qualifying session. I’m pleased for the team though, as both cars are ahead of the new teams and we’re performing really well. It’s good to see that we have quite a big gap to the other new teams on this track and we’re very satisfied with that – we’re confident for tomorrow and we’ll do our best to try and finish the race again.”
Mike Gascoyne, Lotus Racing Chief Technical Officer:“It was a good solid job in qualifying, both drivers did very well and got the most out of the cars, and I’m very happy with the whole team. Apologies to Jarno for the seat problem, which must have hindered him. One area we’re very pleased with is the growing relationship with Cosworth from whom we’ve had excellent reliability to date.”
26 th March 2010
Australian GP – Friday Practice
Jarno was 19 th and Heikki 20 th in the first practice session. Jarno had the bad luck again, missing half the session with a differential problem. Timo had a gearbox oil leak in his Virgin car and finished bottom of the timesheets. Fastest was Kubica for Renault, followed by Rosberg’s Mercedes and Button’s McLaren. Kobayashi provided most of the entertainment in his Sauber, causing 2 red flags, first when he clipped the cone on the inside of turn 11 ripping off half his front wing. Then he came back with a new wing 20 minutes later, which promptly fell off on his outlap, scattering debris across the circuit. His team mate De la Rosa stopped with clutch failure, so Sauber didn’t have a great session. Paul di Resta was in Sutil’s Force India car for this session, clocking up the test miles. Top 6: Kubica, Rosberg, Button, Massa, Vettel, Alonso.
Rain interfered with the second session, leaving only 15 minutes of dry-ish running. Hamilton was fastest in the end from his team mate, Button. Once again Lotus had the best time of the new teams and HRT had the worst! Senna missed the whole session with a fuel pressure problem and Chandhok got only 200 yards into his outlap when he lost drive due to a suspected gearbox failure. Virgin were still repairing Glock’s gearbox at the start of the session and he managed just 9 laps by the end. Which was more that team mate Di Grassi, who did his installation lap before his telemetry box failed. Top 6: Hamilton, Button, Webber, Schumacher, Petrov, Buemi.
Jarno Trulli (Lotus-Cosworth T127-03):“It’s been a bit of a difficult day because we lost a bit of time this morning, and unfortunately this afternoon the track was pretty wet so we couldn’t really find a good set up. When I went out I had a few issues with understeer but, though it’ll be a little difficult tomorrow, we’ll see what we can learn in final practice before qualifying starts.”
25 th March 2010
Australian GP – Thursday Press Conference
Jarno took part in the Melbourne Thursday press conference. Go here:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/82365
14 th March 2010
Bahrain GP – Race
Lotus was the only of the new teams to have a car at the chequered flag, after Heikki Kovalainen finished in 15th position, a lap down on race winner Fernando Alonso.
Team-mate Jarno Trulli was classified in 17th three laps down after being hit by a hydraulic problem late in the race. The 2 Virgin cars had to retire with mechanical problems on laps 3 and 17. The Hispanias also retired, Senna making it a little further into the race, 18 laps, than Chandhok, who only managed 2 before a little crash. Both Saubers also retired and Petrov’s Renault, so well done Lotus! Pole sitter Vettel finished in 4 th place after suffering exhaust problems, which allowed a Ferrari 1-2 and Hamilton to take 3 rd for McLaren. Top 10: Alonso, Massa, Hamilton, Vettel, Rosberg, Schumacher, Button, Webber, Liuzzi, Barrichello.
Press release: A DREAM START FOR LOTUS RACING IN BAHRAIN
Six months of very hard work finally came to as successful a conclusion as the team could have hoped for on Sunday afternoon in Bahrain, with both Lotus Racing cars finishing the race, Heikki in 15 th and Jarno in 17 th (provisional positions) in the opening round of the 2010 Formula One™ World Championship.
Jarno Trulli (Lotus Racing chassis T127/3): “I made a good start and avoided the accident at the second corner but found myself in the gravel so at this stage I was nearly last, but then I started picking up pace and catching the people in front. The car was understeering quite a lot and I couldn’t really predict the balance so at the pitstop the team, who did a really good job, changed the front wing setting and I started pushing again and putting in some good laps. At the end of the race I had a hydraulic problem so I just had to get it to the end of the race. I’m really happy and proud for the team because in six months every single target we have fixed we have met so it’s really good, and, as Tony said, one day Lotus will win and I hope to be here when we do.”
Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus Racing chassis T127/1): “It was a good race for our team - to get both cars to the finish is a great achievement. My car didn’t have a single problem, I know Jarno did and managed to nurse his car to the end, but the primary goal was to get both cars to the end and we achieved that. So far the team has reached every goal we set ourselves so that is fantastic. In terms of my race, I had a good start and was battling with a lot of guys we didn’t think we’d be fighting with. My tyres were fine, and the pitstop was good, but I lost a bit of time whilst letting cars past, and we’ll look at the strategy for Australia to work around that better. I really enjoyed driving the car, it felt really good and it was good to push. Everybody in the team should be really happy but now the honeymoon is over and we need to start working on better results.”
Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne: “I’m very very proud of the whole team. Everyone here, and back in Hingham. Firstly I have to say thank you to both drivers. They drove great races – Jarno struggling early on but when he changed to the soft tyre he was much more competitive. Apologies to Heikki because he may have suffered from the strategy, and apologies to Jarno because he had a hydraulics problem and he had to slow down to get the car to the finish, but overall a great result.”
Happiest man of all was Team Principal Tony Fernandes who said: “I’m completely over the moon! I cannot describe the feeling. Six months of work and to have both cars finish is just unbelievable. We’re thrilled, we’re happy and the spirit in the team is fantastic. I’m really proud of Jarno and of Heikki and everyone here. It’s a great start and better than I could have dreamt of. We wanted to finish the race and to do so ahead of established teams is fantastic. From here we keep going. Before the race Clive Chapman gave me Colin Chapman’s old Lotus cap and said ‘when you win the first race you’ll be the man to throw this up in the air like my Dad used to.’ That meant a lot to me, it was a wonderful gesture and it’s like handing over the mantle of one of motor racing’s great dynasties”
13 th March 2010
Bahrain GP – Saturday Practice & Qualifying
Practice: Alonso’s Ferrari was the quickest car in morning practice, with Rosberg’s Mercedes 2 nd and Webber’s Red Bull 3 rd. Jarno was 21 st, close behind Heikki in 20 th. Glock’s Virgin was in front of both, but his team mate had a gearbox problem and only did 2 laps. Another driver with gearbox issues was HRT’s Karun Chandhok, who failed to make it out on track again. The main drama was Glock’s left front wheel unexpectedly parting company with the car in a tight left hand corner. Top 6: Alonso, Rosberg, Webber, Schumacher, Vettel, Massa.
Qualifying: So who expected Vettel to be on pole? While everyone has been banging on about Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes, Red Bull have quietly been getting quicker! But will the car be the same whem filled with fuel? To be decided tomorrow! The good news…. Massa got ahead of his Ferrari team mate and Rosberg got ahead of his illustrious 7 times WDC team mate. Unfortunately it went a bit wrong at McLaren where Hamilton finished 4 places ahead of Button. Down at the other end, Jarno (20 th) just wasn’t quite able to beat Glock the Virgin, but did edge out his team mate Heikki Kovalainen who is in 21 st place. Behind them are Senna and Chandhok for HRT. Chandhok eventually got out on track….but should he have done, as it never used to be allowed unless you’d done morning practice, did it? Naturally he’s even further off the pace than Bruno….
Press Release
Saturday in Bahrain saw Lotus Racing compete for the first time in qualifying with a host of famous faces dropping by and watching the action from the team’s pit and hospitality suite, among them former Lotus stars Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell. Qualifying itself was much as the team had anticipated, with Jarno Trulli finishing 20 th on 1.59.852 and Heikki Kovalainen 21 st on 2.00.313.
Both drivers gave their thoughts after the session, with Jarno saying: “All in all not too bad considering the amount of running we had this morning. We had some bad luck this weekend but the team has operated very well, in a very professional way, and we just need a bit more time to make the step forward we need in terms of performance. Tomorrow we need to try and finish the race, collect some useful data to find out more about what is right and wrong with the way the car behaves, and make that our main aim – finishing.”
Heikki Kovalainen added: “Pretty much what we expected. The car was very reliable, which is good, and the performance was roughly where we knew we’d be. I’m reasonably happy – it probably isn’t the best qualifying lap I’ve ever done, and maybe I didn’t get everything out of it I should have done, but we have a good base to work from tomorrow. In practice yesterday the car felt like it would be good over long runs, and with the good reliability we have had we’ll see what happens tomorrow. The most important thing is to finish the race, and then we’ll see where we are.”
Mike Gascoyne, Lotus Racing Chief Technical Officer commented: “It’s a little bit mixed emotions today – we wanted to be the best of the new teams, and we just missed out on that by a fraction, but as the last of the new teams to have been given an entry, only six months ago, it’s a fantastic effort by the whole team to have finished our first qualifying session. We now look forward to the race and with the strength of our reliability, and two very experienced race drivers, now it’s all about finishing.”
Having arrived yesterday, Team Principal Tony Fernandes was at the track and was very proud to see the incredible efforts of everyone in the team over the last six months finally taking shape, saying “I’m happy, very very happy. It was fantastic to see Lotus back on the grid after a 16 year absence, and with the potential for so many things to have gone wrong, it’s just great to have finished our first qualifying session. Jarno broke the two minute mark and that’s a great achievement in itself.”
12 th March 2010
Bahrain GP – Friday Practice
As the Lotus press release has it – today was an historic day for Lotus Racing. First out on track they were too, with Jarno heading the queue. They finished as expected though, in the first session 20 th and 21 st in the order, with Heikki a tenth ahead of Jarno. But behind them were di Grassi (Virgin) and Senna (HRT), neither of whom actually completed a timed lap. At the other end of the scale, Sutil was fastest for Force India, followed by Alonso (Ferrari) and Kubica (Renault). Top 6: Sutil, Alonso, Kubica, Massa, Button, Hamilton.
Session 2 was much of the same for the new teams, although this time both Lotus drivers were quicker than both Virgin drivers. Jarno was 19 th and Heikki 20 th. Senna did 17 laps this session, lapping about 5 seconds off the Virgins. He did better than his team mate Chandhok, who didn’t do a single lap. Toro Rosso’s Buemi sat the session out with a problem at the rear of his car. Fastest was Rosberg, for Mercedes, followed by Hamilton (McLaren) and Schumacher (Mercedes). Rosberg, Hamilton, Schumacher, Button, Vettel, Hulkenberg. For a lighter-hearted look at events, see the F1 Blog.
8 th March 2010
Press Release - Lotus Racing Set For Bahrain
By 3am on Saturday morning Lotus Racing had finally finished packing up the six airfreight boxes needed for the journey to Bahrain and the beginning of the 2010 Formula One™ season. Two cars and a 60-strong team have now made their way to the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Bahrain International Circuit for the first race of much anticipated 2010 season.
On 12 th September 2009 Lotus Racing gained entry onto the grid. As the team gears up for the first Grand Prix, the whole team, including the drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, remain upbeat and honest about their expectations for the first few races. Trulli commented, “It would be nice to score a point, but it is not going to be easy. We have to be realistic.”
Chief Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne said, “Our test season was extremely productive - in general we've had very good reliability, and the team is in very good shape going to the first race.”
Lotus Racing remain confident of their continuing progress. Team Principle Tony Fernandes commented, “We are all looking forward to Bahrain; to have Lotus Racing on the grid will be a momentous occasion for all involved and, indeed, for our fans, whose support has been absolutely fantastic since we launched just under six months ago. Yes we are a little slower than the major leading teams, however we will get there, with passion, hard work and a clear vision - our aim for this first Grand Prix will be to finish and steadily but surely improve, race by race.”
Lotus Racing will spend the week preparing in Bahrain and look forward to hitting the track in anger for the first practice session on Friday, exactly six months to the day after gaining their entry place into 2010 Formula One™ World Championship.
ABRUZZO IN THE HEART Following the Italian earthquake in L’Aquila on 6th April 2009, Jarno has set up a charity to help those affected. If you would like to help with a donation to Abruzzo nel Cuore, Jarno has now set up a website http://www.abruzzonelcuore.org/ You can donate directly through Paypal, or the bank details are on the site for a bank to bank transfer. Thank you. |
Jarno Forum and Fan Page Remember the Jarno Forum? Well, there is a now a website to go with it! Visit at http://www.frozen-dreams.sk/jarno/ There is also a link to the original forum from the site or go straight to http://s15.invisionfree.com/trulli/ to talk about our driver. Registration is required but is quick and easy. Happy talking! Now also on http://s15.zetaboards.com/trulli/index/ |
Jarno’s Wine Jarno’s wine from his Alanno vineyard, Podere Castorani, is available in the UK. For info on the wine itself, visit http://www.poderecastorani.it/. The UK importer is now HallgartenDruitt, who are importing nine of the different vintages from Podere Castorani and it is being sold to the public through http://www.wineman.co.uk/ (Kevin O’Rourke Wines) with a delivery price of £11.50 for one or two bottles or any size order. Visit their website, call them on 01908 337975 or Kevin on 07738 195225. You can also buy one, two or more bottles from http://www.averys.com/ for just £6.99 delivery charge on any order. (If the wines are not showing right now, Averys are in the process of restocking and the wines should show within the next week.) American fans should now contact U.S. importer Marco Vivona at marcovivona@marcoandsonwine.com or call 813 621 5304. The Wine Tasting Club also has Jarno’s wine in stock in the US: call 863 605 0804 or email finevineclub@gmail.com |
Boxer Welfare Scotland Jarno supports Boxer Welfare Scotland!!! This is a charity that rescues and rehomes unwanted Boxer dogs and is desperate for funds. Jarno’s family keeps Boxers and Jarno loves them, so has given a statement of support, which you can see here,or going through the link under Celebrity Auctions. They do have an online shop for original gifts or would welcome any donation however small. |
YourRacingCar.com Motorsport fan? Want to be involved in a racing team? Your Racing Car was s a new idea to run a team in the Ginetta Cup, support race to the British Touring Cars. Now Fulvio Mussi drives in the Renault Clio Cup, sponsored by fans. You can visit the team at the race tracks! And have your name on the car! For just £25!! Visit http://www.yourracingcar.com/ for more info. If you want to be part of history in the making of the fan-funded car go to http://www.joinyrc.com/ |
Jarno on You Tube Have you looked for Jarno on You Tube? There are a couple of nice snapshot video on there at the moment. Search for “Audemars Piguet – Jarno Trulli”, a sponsor commercial, and “Jarno Trulli through the years”, a Toyota video. www.youtube.com
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