Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsLotus F1

First images of the Lotus E23 released

Lotus has released images of its 2015 car – the E23 – which it hopes will return it to “the pinnacle” of F1.

With the first test set to get underway at Jerez on Sunday, Lotus unveiled its new car online, with the E23 featuring a sloped nose after new regulations outlawed the twin-tusk design it opted for in 2014. The car is the first Lotus to be powered by Mercedes, with the team switching from the Renault power unit it used last season.

Lotus F1 Team CEO Matthew Carter says the new car is “a huge step forward” which has left the team optimistic of its chances for 2015.

"The E23 Hybrid represents a new era for Lotus F1 Team, not only in the change to a Mercedes Benz Power Unit, but also it is the fruition of a busy winter behind the scenes,” Carter said. “Improvements within our Design, Aero and Simulation departments have all contributed to the development of a car which is a huge step forward.

“As a team we are confident that the new car coupled with additions to the Race team will enable a huge leap forward and we are full of optimism going into the new season. It is time to put the disappointment of last season behind us and benefit from 12 months of hard work; we are ready to return to our rightful place at the pinnacle of the sport."

Click here to see the full gallery of the first Lotus E23 images

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.