Formula 1 Preview- The Norfolk Perspective

With the start of the Formula 1 looming this weekend, and Tony Fernandes’ Caterham cars – previously known as Team Lotus – based in Hingham, just 17 miles from Norwich, it would be a missed opportunity to ignore what is set to be an exciting season.

Fernandes’ Formula 1 team entered for the 2010 season as Lotus Racing, using the name under license from the Lotus Group. They changed their name to Team Lotus in 2011 due to copyright reasons. Similar reasons mean that it has now – with Fernandes’ acquisition of the company – changed to Caterham Cars.

Drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen failed to produce any points between them either in the 2010 or 2011 seasons; their PB being 12th. Their considerable efforts saw Team Lotus pick up the ‘best of the rest’ title, between the three newcomers – Lotus Racing, HRT, and Virgin.

This season sees Trulli replaced by Vitaly Petrov in an effort to compete with the middle runners on the grid, such as Williams and Torro Rosso. Unlike the other newcomers, the Caterham team have shown a marked improvement since their opening race in 2010, and in Heikki Kovalainen, they have an experienced driver who is committed to the team.
 

The majority of Caterham’s testing in preparation for the 2012 season has seen them balance the new nose regulations as well as the addition of a new KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery) system. Caterham’s race engineer Mark Smith has even confirmed that the team can expect an upgraded aero package for the front wing, along with more bodywork cooling options, showing that Caterham are also preparing themselves for the behind-the-scenes technical race set to begin after Melbourne.

All in all, it looks like an exciting season for the Caterham team, and we at UEA Drop expect to see at least a points finish, and an overall improved performance by both the dedicated Kovalainen and new driver, Vitaly.