Finishing 15th and 17th might not rank very highly in the grand scheme of the Formula One Championship.
It certainly falls well short of five F1 drivers' titles, seven constructors' crowns and victory in the Indy 500.
But as beginnings go the return of the famous Lotus name to Formula One proved one thing - you are nothing if you don't cross the finish line.
That was the major achievement of Lotus Racing at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Experienced drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli steered home the famous green-liveried cars which owe their heritage to one of the most famous names in the sport, Colin Chapman.
Many in the sport were pleased to see the Lotus name return. Powered by another famous British motor sport name - Cosworth - the team easily outshone its fellow debutants Hispania and Virgin who failed to get a car through the race at the Sakhir circuit despite having four entries.
And while much of the focus was on the return of seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, a quieter but no less successful day was enjoyed by Kovalainen and Trulli, both looking for a way forward after less than auspicious season with their previous teams.
Kovalainen spent a season in the shadow of 2008 champion Lewis Hamilton at McLaren while Trulli was ultimately left without a drive following the demise of Toyota's efforts after the Japanese motor giant decided they had poured enough yen down the drain that is the chase for F1 success.
What both drivers brought to the new outfit, known as Team Lotus, was experience and that told as they both made the list of finishers in Bahrain.
The next step is to score world championship points and both drivers are more than capable of achieving that aim before the end of the season.
Adding to the 73 race wins and 102 pole positions already assigned to the Lotus name will be something else altogether.
But if the new drivers and everyone else connected with the team, including wise design head Mike Gascoyne, need inspiration they need look to further than the roll call of Lotus drivers from the past.
It reads like a Who's Who of F1.
In alphabetical order it includes: Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mika Hakkinen, Graham Hill, Nigel Mansell, Sir Stirling Moss, Ronnie Peterson, Nelson Piquet, Jochen Rindt and Ayrton Senna.
Lotus is a name which dominated the sport in the 1960s and 1970s and also carried the distinctive black livery during its sponsorship with John Player Special cigarettes but it had sadly faded from F1 in 1994.
The backing of Proton, which owns the Lotus sports car rights, the Malaysian government and the Sepang International Circuit under the direction of businessman Tony Fernandes has helped to bring Louts back and warm the hearts of F1 fans worldwide.
I am sure that if Chapman was watching somewhere the fact the latest incarnation of Lotus did not disgrace the name would have brought a smile to his face.
A smile which will be matched if Fernandes, the owner of Air Asia, wins his bet with fellow F1 newcomer Richard Branson over whose team will finish highest in the final standings and which will see the loser dress as a stewardess to hand out the drinks on the other's airline.
No comments:
Post a Comment