General 
Total race laps: 58    Weather: Sunny
Max track temp: 30°    

Fastest laps 
KOV - 1:32.695, lap 55 / TRU - 1.32.862, lap 39            

In a race packed full of pit stops, LRGP advanced on yesterday’s qualifying positions by finishing in P7 (Nick) and P8 (Vitaly). After scoring another 10 valuable points, Lotus Renault GP remains fourth in the Constructors Championship.

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart" Confucius (551 - 479 BC)

General

Total race laps: 56  

Weather: Overcast, cloudy (am), sunny (pm)

Max track temp: 32˚
 
Fastest laps

KOV - 1:42.672, lap 45 / TRU - 1.42.052, lap 53           

Vitaly scored another couple of points as he finished P9 at the Shanghai International Circuit, while teammate Nick came home in P12.

• Both Vitaly and Nick ran two-stop strategies.
• Vitaly started on softs, took another set of softs on lap 17, and switched to hards on lap 37
• Nick also started on softs, took more softs on lap 18, then finally ran the hards from lap 30

A dramatic qualifying session saw Vitaly qualify in P10 and Nick in P16, after the Russian’s car lost power and halted what could have been a very strong session for the team.

• Vitaly’s car was halted when the air supply to the engine was cut off, causing the engine to lose power. At the moment we believe there is no reason to change the engine.

• Both Nick and Vitaly used one set of hard and soft tyres in Q1. Nick used two sets of softs in Q2, while Vitaly used one set.

"The journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step" Lao Tzu

Weather

Grey, cloudy, dry

Min/max track temperature: 21˚ / 24˚  

"Great acts are made up of small deeds", Lao Tzu 600BC - 531BC

Total laps

FP1
KOV - 13
RAZ - 9

FP2
KOV - 30
TRU - 32

Nick and Vitaly began their Chinese quest today as free practice got underway at the Shanghai International Circuit.

Total race laps: 56  

Weather: Overcast, cloudy (am), sunny (pm)

Max track temp: 35˚   

LRGP secured its second podium in as many races to give the Enstone team a flying start to the season

• Second podium in a row podium for LRGP
• Both drivers were on three stops: soft, soft, hard, hard
• Vitaly went off track on lap 52, and after his car hit the curb and took off, the steering column mount broke when landing
• LRGP is now placed fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, 26 points ahead of nearest rival.

It was a strong recovery from LRGP after the team showed improvements in final practice before both drivers qualified in the top eight.

• Nick qualified on third row (6th) and Vitaly the fourth row (8th)
• Both drivers did one run for Q1, Q2 and Q3, allowing tyres to be preserved for tomorrow’s race
• The two cars ran on option tyres (soft for the whole of qualifying) and times got faster in each of the qualifying sessions

Total laps

FP3: KOV 19 / TRU 15

QUALIFYING: KOV 8 / TRU 8  

Fastest laps

FP3: KOV 1.39.260, lap 16 / TRU 1.39.699 lap 14

QUALIFYING: KOV 19th, 1.38.645, lap 4 / TRU 20th, 1.38.791, lap 7

What we learned today?
Both cars encountered problems with their front suspension uprights in the first free practice session. After careful analysis, the team identified a material defect linked to a specific batch of components. For the afternoon session, the team reverted to a different batch and ran without any issues.

Total laps  VAL - 18KOV - 4TRU - 40 (21 FP1 / 19 FP2)

Weather  Grey, cloudy, humid  Min/max track temperature: 32˚/ 49˚

Fastest laps  VAL 1.44.054 (lap 16)TRU 1.41.620 lap 1 FP1KOV 1.44.886 lap 3 FP2

LRGP opened its 2011 account in fine style as Vitaly scored his first podium in just his 20th Formula 1 race.

• Both Nick and Vitaly adopted two-stop strategies: soft / soft / hard
• Nick stopped on laps 15 and 30, while Vitaly made his stops on laps 16 and 36.
• Vitaly set his best time on lap 55, while defending his third place from Fernando Alonso
• Vitaly makes history as the first Russian to stand on a Formula 1 podium

General

Total race laps: 58  

Weather: Overcast, cloudy (am), sunny (pm)

Max track temp: 22˚   

Fastest laps: KOV - 1:35.230, lap 16 / TRU - 1.32.550, lap 52

It was a day of mixed fortunes for LRGP as Vitaly qualified on the third row, while Nick missed out on a place in Q1 after getting caught up in traffic.

Weather
Grey, cloudy, dry
Min/max track temperature: 19˚ / 20˚  

Total laps
FP3: KOV 17 / TRU 18
QUALIFYING: KOV 10 / TRU 12    

Nick and Vitaly kicked off their 2011 campaigns today as free practice got underway at Melbourne’s Albert Park.

General

Race laps: 58

Chassis: T128-01 / T128-03

Total laps: CHA - 0, KOV - 36 (14 FP1 / 22 FP2), TRU - 23

Weather: Grey, cloudy, rain

Min/max track temperature: 19˚/ 23˚

Fastest laps: CHA n/a / KOV 1.30.829 lap 15 FP2 / TRU 1.30.910 lap 18 FP2

Team Lotus has today finalised its 2011 driver line-up with confirmation that Karun Chandhok is the team's Reserve Driver, joining Race Drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli, Third Driver Luiz Razia and Test Drivers Davide Valsecchi and Ricardo Teixeira in the Anglo / Malaysian team's stable of driving talent.

Team Lotus has today confirmed that Luiz Razia and Davide Valsecchi will be combining their 2011 GP2 Team AirAsia commitments with official roles in Team Lotus , with Luiz Razia as Third Driver and Davide Valsecchi as Test Driver. Ricardo Teixeira also joins as a second Test Driver to continue his long-term development program with the team.

Luiz and Davide will be taking part in a number of Friday practice sessions at selected 2011 Grands Prix and Team Lotus is also working on a number of other exciting driver-related projects which will be announced in due course.

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen

Total laps: 138

Fastest lap: 1.23.437 (lap 36)

Chassis: T128-03

Ideal weather conditions prevailed in Barcelona as Nick wrapped up the team’s pre-season preparations ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.

Driver: Nick
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:22.073
Position: P4
Total laps: 67

Drivers: Jarno Trulli (am) / Heikki Kovalainen (pm)

Total laps: 46 (Trulli 6 / Kovalainen 40)
Fastest laps: Jarno Trulli - 1.34.490 (lap 5) / Heikki Kovalainen - 1.23.990 (lap 23)

Chassis: T128-03

Vitaly and Nick shared driving duties again today as the team tested in sunny conditions in Barcelona.

Driver: Vitaly / Nick
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: Vitaly: 1:24.233 / Nick: 1:23.541
Position: Vitaly: P8 / Nick P6
Total laps: Vitaly: 24 / Nick: 32

Vitaly remained in the R31 for day two of the Barcelona test as he clocked up 115 laps to demonstrate a clear step forward in terms of the car’s overall reliability.

Driver: Vitaly
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:22.670
Position: P3
Total laps: 115

Driver: Jarno Trulli

Chassis: T128-01

Total laps: 98

Fastest lap: 1.26.090(lap 79)

DRIVERS: Davide Valsecchi (am) / Luiz Razia (pm)

TOTAL LAPS: 81

FASTEST LAPS: Valsecchi - 1.25.406 (lap 45) / Razia - 1.26.723 (lap 73)

CHASSIS: T128-01

The final pre-season test got underway in Barcelona today. Nick drove this morning, but was suffering with a cold, so Vitaly took over for the afternoon.

Driver: Nick / Vitaly
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: Nick: 1:24.735 / Vitaly: 1:22.937
Position: Nick P5 / Vitaly P3
Total laps: Nick: 20 / Vitaly: 27

Driver: Jarno Trulli / Chassis: T128-01

Fastest lap: 1.29.992 (lap 4)

The final day in Barcelona saw Nick back in the R31 as the team wrapped up its third pre-season test session.

Driver: Nick
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:23.657
Position: P4
Total laps: 95

A damp start in Barcelona turned to sunshine in the afternoon as Vitaly got back behind the wheel of the R31. Nick will be in the car for the final day of testing tomorrow.

Driver: Vitaly
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:23.463
Position: P2
Total laps: 93

Driver: Jarno Trulli / Chassis: T128-01

Total laps: 48

Fastest lap: 1.25.454 (lap 45)

DRIVERS: Heikki Kovalainen / Ricardo Teixeira
CHASSIS: T128-01
TOTAL LAPS: 84
WEATHER: Sunny - Min/Max track temp: 7˚/ 17˚
FASTEST LAPS: 1.26.420 (KOV lap 17) / 1.31.584 (TEI  lap 22)

It was a more productive day at the track as Vitaly drove the R31 this morning, before Nick took over driving duties in the afternoon.

Drivers: Vitaly / Nick
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Laps: Vitaly: 1:26.884 / Nick 1:24.242
Position: P11 Vitaly & P5 Nick
Total laps: 61 for Vitaly & 41 for Nick

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen / Chassis: T128-01
Weather: Grey, cloudy (am) / sunny (pm)
Min/Max track temp: 6˚/ 25˚
Fastest lap: 1.30.065 (lap 37)

Nick and Vitaly got behind the wheel of the R31 today in Barcelona. Despite a problem with the KERS, which took most of the day to solve and prevented the team from completing its scheduled programme, both drivers managed some useful pit stops practice.

Drivers: Nick / Vitaly
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Laps: Nick 1:44.324 / Vitaly: 1:35.173
Position: P13 Nick & P12 Vitaly
Total laps: 27 for Nick & 20 for Vitaly

Some photos from testing in Jerez last week - courtesy of Lotus Renault GP

A random set of pictures courtesy of Team Lotus from 2 days of testing in Jerez for Heikki Kovalainen

Bruno Senna enjoyed his first experience of the R31 today as the team gave the Brazilian mileage on the final day of testing in Jerez.

Driver: Bruno
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:21.400
Position: P5
Total laps: 68

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen / Chassis: T128-01

Total laps: 43 / Fastest lap: 1.21.632 (lap 42)

Driver: Heikki Kovalainen / Chassis: T128-01

Total laps: 61 / Fastest lap: 1.21.711 (lap 60)

Nick Heidfeld got his first taste of the R31 today in Jerez and ended session at the top of the timesheets.

Driver: Nick
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:20.361
Position: P1
Total laps: 86

Driver: Jarno Trulli / Chassis: T128-01

Total test laps 11/02/11: 40
Fastest lap: 1.23.220 (lap 6)
Weather: Dry, sunny - Min/Max track temp: 11˚/ 30.6˚

Vitaly remained in the R31 today as the team completed 65 laps in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Driver: Vitaly
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:22.493
Position: P9
Total laps: 65

End of first test day in Jerez.

Driver: Jarno Trulli / Chassis: T128-01

Total laps: 54 / fastest lap: 1.24.480 (lap 46)

Vitaly was back in the R31 as the team got its second winter test underway in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

Driver: Vitaly
Chassis: R31-01
Fastest Lap: 1:23.504
Position: P8
Total laps: 57

Team Lotus official production release on YouTube video from the final day in Valencia last week. Well worth a watch.

Enjoy some pictures from Team Lotus from today's testing in Jerez.

More will be added during the day.

Lotus Renault GP has revised its driver line-up for this week's test session in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain after Robert Kucia's accident at the weekend.

RICARDO TEIXEIRA: “I want to thank Team Lotus for giving me the chance to drive the T128 today. I am really pleased I could help out with the filming this morning and after my first taste of an F1 car I can't wait to have another go.”

You can checkout some of the filming here

* Kubica crashes in rally in Italy

* Italian news agency says he is seriously injured

* Renault say he is conscious, in hospital

Some YouTube videos from Valencia - as Team Lotus release them we will keep adding them to the news story.

More photos of the T128 in action at the hands of Jarno during his stint on day 3 in Valencia.

Thought we'd share some photos of the T128 in action at the hands of Heikki during his short stint on day 2 in Valencia.

What we learned today:
- The team measured the downforce produced by the car with some aero runs this morning. This involves running the car at constant speed on the straight. Everything ties up well with the wind tunnel figures.

- Initial set-up work was very productive and the team found some good directions.

JARNO TRULLI: "It has been a very positive first day, despite the fact we deliberately didn't set any meaningful laptimes as the car is missing a few parts that will be with us tomorrow. Nevertheless, the car feels great - it has good grip and today we were able to concentrate on carrying out work on the systems which we were going to have to do at some point anyway. Now we can concentrate on building up the performance levels tomorrow and in the next tests, so while it's a shame I couldn't have a full taste of the car, it was still a very positive first day in the new car."

Lotus Renault GP ’s latest signing takes on development role for Group Lotus

The iconic Senna name is once again united with Lotus as Bruno Senna signs with Lotus Renault GP as third driver and also becomes the latest ambassador for Group Lotus. Bruno’s test driving role with Group Lotus is very development focussed and will see him provide valuable input into all Lotus cars, both track and road.

What we learned today:
- Robert ran with a new steering wheel design and felt happy with the new button layout, which makes it easier to manage the heavy workload associated with KERS and the adjustable rear wing....

Today's announcement by Bernard Rey, President of Renault Sport, of the engine partnership with Renault from the 2011 season and beyond finally confirms one of the most interesting stories of the 2010 Formula One™ season and is a clear sign of the strength of the Anglo & Malaysian team's ambitions to move up the grid as quickly as possible. Team Principal Tony Fernandes, Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne and Chief Executive Officer Riad Asmat gave their thoughts on the announcement today.

Lotus Racing has today announced that the Anglo-Malaysian squad has agreed a deal with Red Bull Technology for the supply of gearboxes and hydraulic systems from the 2011 season and beyond. The announcement marks the next critical building block in the process of stepping up the team’s challenge for honours in the FIA Formula One™ World Championship and is a major statement of intent about their future aspirations.