Team Lotus will use a Red Bull KERS in 2012
The world champion team was already supplying the gearbox and hydraulic system to Tony Fernandes' team.
Since the beginning of the season, Team Lotus has been partnered with Red Bull Racing, which provides the gearbox and hydraulic system of the RB7 to Tony Fernandes’s team. Today, the small team announced that the deal with the world champion team will be extended starting from next season. The T129 will also feature Red Bull’s KERS system based on the Magneti Marelli system.
« We have an agreement with Red Bull for the KERS, » indicates Tony Fernandes to the Finnish newspaper Turun Sanomat.
The decision to conclude an agreement with Red Bull on this technology may seem surprising given that it was probably the Achilles’ heel of the RB7 in the first half of the season, but it ultimately makes sense given that the Red Bull Racing KERS is developed around the Renault engine, which also powers the Team Lotus cars.
Little by little, the new teams seem to want to secure their future in the discipline and above all improve their performance. HRT has partnered with Williams for the supply of the gearbox and certain rear-end components, in addition to a partnership with Mercedes GP to use the German team’s wind tunnel. As for Marussia Virgin Racing, it is McLaren-Mercedes that will bring its expertise by allowing the team to use its test bench, its simulator—which is probably the best available currently—and the wind tunnel. The extension of the agreement between Red Bull and Team Lotus is also moving in this direction and is a good sign for the future of these teams in Formula 1 in 2012.
