Formula One 2010: Lotus dream big but stay true to Colin Chapman's vision

By Tom Cary,

It is difficult to know what to make of the fact that the man charged with returning Lotus to the top of the Formula One pile keeps two kune kune pigs, two donkeys, a horse, four alpacas and a handful of chickens and ducks, not to mention two Old English sheepdogs and one Labrador who are to be found bounding about his Norfolk office.



Formula One 2010: Lotus dream big but stay true to Colin Chapman's vision
500 not out: Jarno Trulli and Mike Gascoyne of Lotus appear in the pitlane with their team as they celebrate the 500th race of the Lotus marque at the European Grand Prix in Valencia Photo: GETTY IMAGES

But then, Lotus Racing's chief technical officer, Mike Gascoyne, is not your average team boss. He is not even the team boss, if truth be told.

That honour is held by Air Asia founder Tony Fernandes, the Malaysian entrepreneur who persuaded his country's government and Lotus's owners since 1994, Malaysian car manufacturer Proton, to back a new outfit that would bring back not only the name but also the colours – British racing green and yellow – of Colin Chapman's iconic marque.



Gascoyne, then, is merely the steward but it is his shaven head on the chopping block should the comeback turn sour. So far it is proving a modest success.

On Sunday the reincarnation of one of British motorsport's greatest success stories compete in their first 'home' grand prix since the shambolic 1994 season, in which a bemused Johnny Herbert escaped to Ligier and they ended in administration.

"It will be another special moment," Gascoyne says. "To have the Lotus name coming home to the British Grand Prix is an important event."

Not everyone would agree. Lotus's return to the paddock has divided F1 fans. Purists say the team are little more than a Malaysian business piggybacking on the success of past greats such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill and Ayrton Senna.

Gascoyne, as you might expect from a Norwich City tragic and amateur zookeeper, has his own views on the matter. "When the project was announced there was a lot of scepticism," he says. "But we have the support of the Chapman family. We have the support of Lotus. We are based in Norfolk 10 miles away from the original Lotus factory [in Hethel]. I'm a Norfolk boy.

"We now have a tremendous fan base for the new version of Lotus and we are aware of the heritage and responsibility to perform; Lotus are still the fourth most successful team in F1."

Walking into Lotus Racing's charmingly old-school headquarters in Hingham, it does not feel like identity theft. The first thing you notice in the foyer – in front of a cabinet housing photos of Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell – is the 1965 Lotus Type 32B that carried Clark to the world title, winning nine out of 13 races.

The car has been lent to the team by Chapman's only son, Clive, and Gascoyne is clearly grateful for his support. "In the last race in Valencia we had our 500th grand prix and it was great to have Clive and his family there to celebrate that with us," he says. "Now we want our 80th win."

Gascoyne reckons that target can be achieved within three years, which sounds wildly optimistic as I wander around the Hingham HQ.

McLaren's space-age Technology Centre this is not: 1980s arcade games and flat-pack office furniture are squeezed into an area that would probably fit inside McLaren's trophy cabinet. I joke that the team's 'simulator' (they can't afford one) looks suspiciously like the arcade classic Donkey Kong.

"That's a bit harsh," Gascoyne says. "We also have a PS3 and a play seat, so we have moved up a gear from that. But yeah, we have some pinball machines and arcade games. Tony wanted us to be different as a team; more approachable. We are going to put up cricket nets, picnic tables, goalposts. We have to attract people up to Norfolk ..."

It is an interesting business model but Gascoyne – one of the paddock's savviest operators – has a history of turning around struggling teams.

Jordan, Benetton, Toyota, Force India. With just six months lead time and a budget of £55 million, Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen have had the quickest car of the three new teams – which was this year's stated target, 10th place overall reputedly being worth £17 million – and Gascoyne is already directing all resources to 2011.

"It may sound like pie in the sky but F1 is changing," he says. "Teams are downsizing and they are coming back to us. For the last 10 years F1 has been a spending competition but now innovation can be rewarded."

Just the way Chapman would have liked it? Gascoyne nods. "If you look at what we have done in the last nine months I think someone like Colin would say that was good engineering; bang for buck decisions where we had to cut corners. We have remained true to the name of Lotus."

Team Lotus timeline

1952: Lotus Engineering founded by Colin Chapman at Hornsey, north London.

1954: Team Lotus split off from main company, setting up their factory at a former RAF bomber base in Hethel, Norfolk. Headquarters for both Team Lotus and Lotus Cars established at nearby Ketteringham Hall.

1958: Graham Hill and Cliff Allison run a pair of Lotus 12s at the Monaco Grand Prix

1960: Stirling Moss wins the Monaco Grand Prix in a Lotus 18 entered by the independent Rob Walker Racing Team.

1961: First F1 victory for Team Lotus as Innes Ireland wins the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen

1962-1978: With men such as Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti at the wheel, Lotus win seven constructors' crowns, six drivers' titles and the Indianapolis 500

1982: Colin Chapman dies

1985: Nigel Mansell replaced by Ayrton Senna who manages two wins as Lotus finish third in championship

1994: Lotus enter administration before being bought by David Hunt, brother of 1976 champion James. Team Lotus contest their last race at the Australian Grand Prix

2009: Lotus Cars distances itself from an entry by Litespeed under the Lotus name. In September, reports emerge of plans for the Malaysian government to back a Lotus-named entry to promote Malaysian manufacturer Proton, who took over Lotus Cars from Bugatti in 1994. Lotus Racing entry accepted on Sept 15.