Lotus Will Switch to 2011 Car after Silverstone

Although Lotus have certainly made some great efforts to catch up with the already established teams of F1 this season, it seems the Malaysian backed team has already made a definitive decision on its development programme for the second part of 2010. According to technical director Mike Gascoyne, the heavy updates that are to be fitted onto the T127 this weekend, at Silverstone, will be the last ones before the team switches completely to the 2011 challenger.

“We're looking to take another step forward this weekend, with an update package that will give us another chance to take the fight to the teams ahead,” said Gascoyne, who hinted that the team's expectations for the British GP are to overtake one of the established teams in the series.

“We have a number of lightweight parts across the car that, among other benefits, will help us use the ballast more effectively, giving our drivers a better chance to optimize balance and set-up.”

“We also have the last major aero modifications of the season, including a new floor and various bodywork updates, and then the design team's attention turns to next year's car,” added Gascoyne, who confirmed the strategy of his team for the remainder of the 2010 season.

Clearly, Lotus F1 is trying to ensure a head start for the 2011 campaign, in which they'll aim for their first points in the series since comeback. Recently, the team officials have played down rumors that they plan to switch engine supply from Cosworth for 2011, as they are quite content with the performances showed by the British powerplants.

Another important information about their 2011 car is that it will most certainly not feature the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), as Gascoyne confirmed earlier this year that pumping money into such a technology is not part of Lotus' approach for the near future.