Lotus sign Trulli and Kovalainen for 2010
Jarno Trulli will be back on the F1 grid in 2010 with Lotus
Lotus have confirmed their two drivers for their return to F1 in 2010.
Ex-Toyota driver Jarno Trulli will join the team, being re-united with designer Mike Gasconye for the fourth time in his career.
He will be partnered by Heikki Kovalainen, who was squeezed out of McLaren by the arrival of Jenson Button.
The announcement was made by Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.
It means the new Lotus team will have drivers of the same nationalities for its first race as its predecessor did for its last – an Italian and a Finn. Alessandro Zanardi and Mika Salo started Lotus’s last race at Adelaide in 1994.
Trulli is heading into his 14th F1 season, Kovalainen his fourth – and they each have a single Grand Prix win to their names. With a combined 268 starts between them, Lotus have a line-up with more experience than any of the driver pairings announced so far except for Williams’s.
Malaysian Fairuz Fauzy will be the team’s test driver.
Of the four new teams racing in F1 next year so far Campos has announced Bruno Senna and Virgin has confirmed Timo Glock, with Lucas di Grassi expected to be announced as their second driver tomorrow. USF1 are yet to announce their line-up for 2010.
What do you think of Lotus’s F1 driver line-up? Have your say in the comments.
Read more: 2010 F1 drivers and teams
Achilles said on 14th December 2009, 7:18
…not sure that Trulli will bring much to a team, he could shine in quali, but seemed to be better off designing speed bumps in a race….
Matthew H said on 14th December 2009, 10:49
Come on, remember this is a Brand New Team. That’s a great lineup for a new team.
They may have had to have been stuck with some money assisted youth, with no f1 experience, and less talent. But in fact they got some experienced drivers.
That’s ideal for a team that didn’t exist not long ago.
David A said on 14th December 2009, 14:20
And imagine what a surprise front row grid slot from Trulli would do for this team.
Kovalainen had better up his game. Trulli is good but isn’t exactly Hamilton.
dlaird said on 16th January 2010, 23:04
IDK. Trulli was horrible last year. Especially when he was blown away by a rookie in the same car. Plus his actions at interlagos were ridiculous. He blamed sutil for his mistake. I think his best days are over. I think Heikki better improve quickly or his days are numbered. Once again he was blown away by his teammate in the same car. I know hamilton is great but he should not be in 15th when hamilton is in 3rd. Good luck lotus;)
Klon said on 14th December 2009, 7:20
Ignorant fools! They could have Takuma Sato, but who gets hired? Heikki Kovalainen. Jezz… and now we need to start “worrying” about Tony Fernandes killing himself because with this line-up they are veeeery likely to be beaten by Virgin.
yingying said on 14th December 2009, 7:27
why heikki?
mp4-19b said on 14th December 2009, 7:38
Maybe he’s cheap?
GeeMac said on 14th December 2009, 7:43
Or maybe its because Heikki is the one driver who makes Trulli look quick in races…
Harvs said on 14th December 2009, 8:54
oh come on! heikki aint that bad! he made fisco look slow in 07,
GeeMac said on 14th December 2009, 9:19
Fisico isn’t a great benchmark either though…
Harvs said on 14th December 2009, 9:51
@ geemac, yea i know! i was going to say something about it but decided against it
GeeMac said on 14th December 2009, 13:18
I’m not affriad to tell it like it is!
Fisco’s time has come, and Trulli’s run in F1 will be up at the end of 2010.
José Baudaier said on 15th December 2009, 19:55
I remember hearing once that he had some good sponsors on his back, and that’s why he got a seat at McLaren. Don’t know if that’s true, but if it is, it can explain why him.
Lustigson said on 14th December 2009, 7:32
Perhaps J. Trulli and H.J. Kovalainen won’t set the world alight, but they are a very solid line-up for the startup team that Lotus-Cosworth are. Good choice, Mr Gascoyne.
Jay Menon said on 15th December 2009, 1:24
Yeah I agree.
Both has lots of experience and have worked with some of the best personnel in F1. For the current Lotus setup, with many inexperienced engineers and pit lane staff, these guys would be perfect in helping the team develop the car and many other technical aspects.
I’m very happy that they didn’t pick some inexperienced pay-driver rookie. I’m pretty sure they would have both signed 1 year deals.
I’ll be watching Lotus carefully next season, since my tax dollars are funding them.
Filipe said on 14th December 2009, 7:33
‘With a combined 268 starts between them, Lotus have a line-up with more experience than any of the driver pairings announced so far except for Williams’s.”
Which is pretty funny wehen one remember that Williams will run a rookie.
Oliver said on 14th December 2009, 16:09
R Barichello alone makes up for both Trulli’s and Heikki’s racing experience put together.
José Baudaier said on 14th December 2009, 18:17
Not only Trulli’s and Heikki’s but, acording to the article, ALL other pairings. Now that’s someone who has been in F1 a lot.
Filipe said on 15th December 2009, 10:19
Only situation that a team might have 2 drivers with more starts than him is if Sauber goes with a Heidfeld/Fisi combo.
mp4-19b said on 14th December 2009, 7:37
I want to know Colin Chapman’s thoughts at this moment.
The Sri Lankan said on 14th December 2009, 8:08
he’ll be turning in his grave now.
Xanathos said on 14th December 2009, 11:39
Maybe he’d be happy that his team and his company are returning to F1 almost 30 years after his death?
David A said on 14th December 2009, 14:21
Not if they line the back row of the grid :)
Filipe said on 15th December 2009, 10:22
Probably as worried as Bruce McLaren about the damage to his name that Mosley Dennis vendetta caused.
sumedh said on 14th December 2009, 7:37
With a combined 268 starts between them, Lotus have a line-up with more experience than any of the driver pairings announced so far except for Williams’s
And all of this 268 starts are overwhelmed by one man alone :-)
So Lotus is going for qualifying glory all year with Heikki almost always on “fuel-corrected pole” in the last 2 years, and Jarno good in qualifying.
Not very impressed with the line-up. Atleast a new rookie would have spiced things up. Having 2 proven non-performers is bad. But perhaps the experience gained will help them in the long run.
Harvs said on 14th December 2009, 8:57
yea they have both been good in qualifying, but there other characteristic is poor race pace,
instead of the trulli train its going to be the two “lotus trains”…
…ok, we are going to have to think of a better name for that one, because “lotus train” just aint going to cut it!
Pink Peril said on 15th December 2009, 10:29
Lotus Layby? Lotus Line? Lotus lollygaggers?
Antoine said on 17th December 2009, 11:24
how bout Slotus?
GeeMac said on 14th December 2009, 7:41
This must be the first time in F1 history that a Prime Minister has announced a team’s driver line-up…
Monad said on 14th December 2009, 11:47
Yeah. They are over doing it there in Malaysia. It kind of reminded me the Turkish prime-minister going around in the middle of the track saluting people in the first GP in Turkey. That was funny.
Anyway why don’t they just call the team Malaysia GP and get over with it if they are so fanatical on advertising there country.
seskuj said on 14th December 2009, 23:00
im proud of my country MALAYSIA… just after 50 years of independent from the British, we already have own own f1 team compared to other developed nation. Maybe for you guy out there in modern country this is nothing but for us this is something special to proud of.
GeeMac said on 15th December 2009, 5:36
For the record I live in a DEVELOPING country…even though I don’t think that was directed at me.
Jay Menon said on 15th December 2009, 10:15
Hey I am Malaysian too…and I think the fact that the Prime Minister announced it in Parliament is just ridiculous.
I dont see anything to be proud. The country is politically a joke, and the Prime Minister is interested in F1!
As much as the Government is denying involvement money-wise, I dont believe it. This team is just a front for another chapter of cronyism and nepotism in this country’s vast library of corruption.
Dougie said on 14th December 2009, 7:44
LOL! Well spotted Filipe!
I think Heikki will shine for Lotus, maybe not as bright as the best but, along with the fact that Gascoyne always got the best from Trulli, this is very much a case of wait and see.
Can’t help thinking we won’t be hearing about drivers for USF1.
sushant008 said on 14th December 2009, 8:03
what about kobayashi then ? renault?
James said on 14th December 2009, 9:35
I heard he has been linked there, as he’ll bring Panasonic along with him as a major sponsor.
-A- said on 14th December 2009, 8:13
For a startup team like this new operation under the Lotus name, having two experienced drivers seems like a sensible choice. I think it could also be a good environment for Trulli and Kovalainen, because there should be less pressure than at Toyota or McLaren, who had to have all ambitions of fighting for victories and the championship.
With more of a proper qualifying in place for the coming season, also, it’s far from irrational to have two drivers who can be considered good qualifiers.
Myles Woerner said on 14th December 2009, 8:20
This is a fabulous lineup in my opinion, as there is no doubt it will be the strongest of the new teams. Both are talented, experienced drivers with race wins. Both are quick qualifiers. Not that there is less pressure from the likes of McLaren, I’m almost certain Heikki can show the true potential that he has, especially if he is against Trulli, and not someone like Hamilton, who can make anyone look slow.
glue said on 14th December 2009, 8:24
I think it’s a good opportunity to see Kova in his true form..people tend to forget his 2007 season..the second half of it, at least, so now I hope we’ll be likely to see what he is really made of..and Trulli, well, I’d like to think he’ll do very well, it remains to be seen
David said on 14th December 2009, 8:42
Not so performing, yes…but experience may be is a right choice for a new team.
nexon said on 14th December 2009, 8:44
i don’t why you are underrating hieki did you know that he overqualified Hamilton on his third race. I think it is a good match up but they must buy a new driver for their 2011 season instead of trulli.
rfs said on 14th December 2009, 12:48
Heikki is a very good qualifier (he even outqualified Lewis in Turkey and Silverstone when the car was at its worst). But his race pace was suspect, and when the car came good he looked very bad (see Monza).