Lotus targets February F1 car launch

Lotus are confident of rolling out their new car by mid-February in their race against time to be on the grid for the 2010 Formula One season.

The Malaysian-backed team has made a significant step by announcing today they are heading into the wind tunnel with a scale model of their first car.

The news comes just a month after Lotus were confirmed as the 13th team on the grid, although they had been working on their entry for several months prior to that.

Now it is a case of all hands to the pump over the next few months as they seek to get two cars lining up at the Sakhir Circuit for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix in mid-March.

Chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne said: "There is no escaping the challenges we face simply to get the car ready for the first race of next season, but I am confident that we are up to the task.

"Our target is to get the car ready for a roll out by the middle of February so we can carry out pre-season testing in preparation for Bahrain in mid-March.

"But we need to remain realistic in our aims for the first year. We are a new team and we are starting our development late, so it will be an achievement just to get two cars on the Bahrain grid.

"I hope by the middle of the season we will have established ourselves as the best of the rookie teams and then continue to make forward progress for the rest of the year."

Personnel are continually being recruited, although no decision has yet been made on the two most vital employees - the drivers.

"We have been looking closely at the driver market to determine our best options for next year, including Malaysian drivers," added Gascoyne.

"We need versatile drivers, reliable and technically-minded drivers who can help us develop the car during the season.

"But at the same time we need drivers who are hungry for results and who can extract every little bit of performance from the car at all times."