Lotus F1 Team Reveals E20, Also Uses Step-Down Nose

Team Lotus F1 revealed its 2012 Formula 1 car on Sunday, February 5. 

The Lotus F1 Team calls its 2012 car the E20. Like the rest of the cars that we've seen revealed so far, it uses the step-down nose that, according to our commentators, make it look like a platypus. It also has the complicated front wing that has been shown on the other cars. 

The 'E' in the car's name stands for Enstone, which is the location of the team's testing facility in Oxfordshire, England. Like all F1 teams, Lotus F1 had to remove its blown exhaust diffuser. The team also reworked the front and rear suspension to provide more aerodynamic grip. The team also built a new wind tunnel that would allow them to test the car at 60% scale. 

The car will also mean Kimi Raikkonnen's return to Formula 1 after two years racing in the WRC and NASCAR. Will he have the speed that he did when he was racing for Ferrari? We will know on March 18 at the beginning of the Australian Grand Prix. 

The team's other driver is Romain Grosjean who won the GP2 Series drivers' championship in 2011. 

Tomorrow, February 6, Sauber, Red Bull and Toro Rosso will reveal their 2012 cars. We will then know the designs of the big three teams - Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren - and know if McLaren's design without the controversial platypus nose is unique.