Lotus opens the 2013 Formula One season with the launch of the E21 [w/video]

Wed, 30 Jan 2013

Lotus has broken the seal on the 2013 Formula One season, launching the E21 car at its factory in Enstone. With the regulations this year quite similar to those of last year, there are no dramatic changes in form compared to the E20. After some teams lobbied to be able to cover the stepped nose with a "vanity panel," Lotus retained the configuration, the team's technical director saying that the panel would add more weight and didn't make sense to put on the car unless it also added performance.

Beyond that, the E21 is said to be an comprehensive advance in its details – the suspension gets a new layout, the Coanda exhaust and the passive double DRS system are evolutions from last year, the front wing is "a continuation of concepts" from 2009.

After securing fourth in the Constructor's Championship last year, this is the chassis that drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean will use to try and move the team up a place, which would mean beating one of the big three teams over the course of the season. The quietly and impressively consistent Räikkönen managed third in the Driver's Championship, and we're sure he wouldn't mind a move up in the standings, either.

You can watch a replay of the reveal on Sky Sports in the video below – it commences at 43:10, and there's a sound bite of the car starting up just below that. Other unveilings this week will be two of those big teams Lotus wants to conquer, McLaren on Thursday and Ferrari on Friday.

By Jonathon Ramsey