Renault reveals their R31 Formula One racer

2011 marks a season of change for the Renault Formula One team, with a new tie-up with Group Lotus as a title sponsor, and a sparkling new livery with a new sponsorship deal with Genii Capital. The team, now known as Lotus Renault GP, also announced their line-up of drivers for the new season, with Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrov as their lead drivers, and Bruno Senna, Romain Grosjean, Fairuz Fauzy, Ho-Ping Tung and Jan Charouz all serving as test and reserve drivers.

"For Genii Capital and Lotus Renault GP, the 2011 season will be the one in which we achieve our aims," said Gerard Lopez, chairman of Lotus Renault GP. "We now have 100% ownership of the team, and we're tackling the coming championship with the intention of continuing to do things our way - but always with humility. I would like to welcome Lotus Cars, a new ambitious title sponsor with us for the long term. Renault and Total have also chosen to accompany us again in this adventure and we thank them for their valuable contribution. Our aim for 2011 is to continue our march towards the front of the grid, seize the slightest opportunity and do better than last season in both the drivers' and constructors' championships. We feel we are well prepared for the challenge ahead."

Eric Boullier, Lotus Renault GP's team principal and managing director, paid tribute to the team's effort over the winter break. "All the hard work over the winter has been focused on delivering a big improvement for 2011. The result is a car with more than 92% new parts compared to the R30. But technical innovation isn't the only key to performance. Since last year, we have reviewed all our internal processes and our overall efficiency has now improved by 15%. That means we should be more competitive than last year, on the track and at the factory."

Both drivers expressed their excitement at the upcoming season. "After a long winter break you always feel ready to jump back in the car," explained Robert Kubica. "At the moment it's difficult to know just how competitive our package will be, but the engineers have decided to go for an innovative design, which is good." Vitaly Petrov added, "It feels exciting to be starting my second year of Formula 1 and I can't wait to try this beautiful car for the first time tomorrow. Now that I have a year of F1 experience behind me, I feel more confident and ready to deliver. I'm determined to do well and fight hard for this team."