Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean join Lotus Renault GP

During the unveiling ceremony of the R31 by Lotus Renault GP, in addition to last year’s drivers (Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov, as well as Jan Charouz and Ho Pin Tung), two new faces made their appearance: Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean.

The British team will therefore be able to count on a particularly comprehensive group of drivers since seven drivers will be associated with it during the 2011 season. The distribution is as follows: Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov remain the two main drivers of the team, Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean are the third drivers while Fairuz Fauzy, Jan Charouz, and Ho Pin Tung are only reserve drivers. These last three will be part of the new LRGP Academy, the driver development program established by the team.

Between the two teams that bear the name Lotus, Ayrton’s nephew is joining the one officially supported by the British car manufacturer. He will thus be able to wear the same colors that launched the Magic legend: “It is probably the most attractive livery in the history of Formula 1. The black and gold was magnificent in the 80s, when my uncle was racing. And they still look superb on the new car. And of course, wearing the same colors as my uncle gives me a very special feeling.”

The difference with the configuration of the 1980s is that the livery was associated with a cigarette company (John Special Player, to be specific), which is now prohibited by European regulations. This could also pose a problem in Canada. However, undoubtedly, the team’s lawyers, also busy with the battle with Team Lotus, will find a workaround to explain that the team is not engaging in subliminal advertising.

As for the other third driver, Romain Grosjean, Genii Capital is taking advantage of the fact that it now owns 100% of the team (Lotus Cars is just a title sponsor) to showcase its network of managed drivers in the Gravity Management program, which is led by Eric Boullier. Thus, in parallel with his GP2 commitment, the Frenchman will return to the team that gave him his F1 debut in 2009: “It’s a wonderful opportunity to return to Formula 1 because my dream is to regain my place on the grid. It’s the right time to join this team because it is getting stronger and stronger, and everyone could see its progress last year. Now, with the arrival of Lotus as a partner, there is a real buzz around the team, and it’s very exciting to be part of the adventure.”

Source: RacingBusiness