Lotus

Lotus is a British racing team that competes in the Formula Racing League.

#### Ford engines (FRL03)

Lotus was one of the 5 new teams entering Formula A. Many pundits agreed Lotus had an impressive driver lineup in Teddy Dressler and Lauernt Curvers, but many questioned the cost of having two star drivers, with the team having the second highest driver wage bill of the FA backmarkers. Also, many wondered about Curvers driving ability after his heavy crash at the FRL02 French Grand Prix. However, many agreed with a powerful Ford engine, the Lotus drivers could keep the team up.

In their first race of the season, Lotus scored 2 points thanks to a P11 finish by Curvers. Both Curvers and Dressler had two P8 finished and two P11 finishes to their name. The were a number of retirements due to driver error and issues to the engine and gearbox, however, the biggest concern was the teams financial concerns became a consistent headline in the news. The team invested heavilty into their HQ facilities, and brought numerous car upgrades. Ahead of the US Grand Prix, Lotus went into administration after a hearing at the High Court in London. It was reported that the team miscalculated their budget when upgrading their HQ. The team was allowed to carry on racing while the FRL oversaw talks for a new ownership deal. FRL Commissioner Allen Pike remained tight-lipped on the subject, expressing disappointment over what happened, but not detailing the fate of the team.

At that US Grand Prix, Dressler scored 2 points in what would be his last points for Lotus, as both Dressler and Curvers were sacked, meaning the team had to rely on junior drivers Marco Florstedt and Ludovic Gauthier for the remaining of the season. The team had to sack Dressler and Curvers in order have enough money to continue next season. In the second half of the season, Florstedt and Gauthier struggled to match the pace of drivers around them. The team continued to experience mechanical failures to their cars; a double retirement at the season finale in Australia a fitting yet sad end to their season. Lotus was relegated from FA, finishing on 14 points.

### Formula B

#### Renault engines (FRL04)

Lotus aimed to move on from their past struggles and build towards the future by signing drivers Adelmo Nappo and Zheleznov Valentinovich. The young drivers showed a lot of promise according to pundits, which fit Lotus' long term view. Ironically, the HQ upgrades that sent the team overbudget and into a cost cutting situation last season was poised to be useful this season, since FB was cheaper than FA. Additionally, Lotus signed one of the wealthier sponsorship deals in FB, helping them make up ground after their relegation.

On their FB debut, Lotus scored a podium with Nappo's P2 finish in Mexico. Nappo was a contender for the FB Driver's Championship, collecting 2 wins and another 4 second place finishes that season. Valentinovich's first half of the season was plagued by retirements due to driver error, but in the second half of the season, the Russian managed 2 wins and a 3rd place finish. Despite a better season than 03, the team lost out on an immediate promotion to FA, finishing 3rd in FB on 278 points. Nappo finished P2 in the Drivers Chapionship, 11 points behind winner Miron Pawlak.

#### Honda engines (FRL05)

With the FRL introducing a new engine era, the league ditched Renault spec engines for FB and allowed the teams to sign with whoever they wanted; Lotus signed with Honda on a 3 year contract.

After a strong 04 season, Nappo took a commanding 3 consecutive wins to open the season. Even after rivals Kaisersport and Honda responded with wins and podiums of their own, Lotus still maintained the advantage. They scored maximum points in Canada, Bahrain, and South Africa.