May 21, 2013

The Lotus Forums > Jean Alesi

Lotus Originals opens factory shop in Hethel

December 20, 2011 by 1 Comment
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While visiting Hethel to do some filming for our Esprit S1 documentary, Tony K and I, along with Gordon Masson, attended the opening of Lotus’s first LOTUS ORIGINALS retail shop, which also serves as a model for future dealership interiors with the ribbon-cutting by Dany Bahar and Bruno Senna. Many of us TLFers have taken a poke at the prices for the new merchandise, but having seen it up close there really was no denying the quality, which is certainly on par with Ferrari, Porsche, or Lamborghini swag, and similarly priced. And with the likes of Loro Piana … [Read more...]

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Jean Alesi speaks: Suzuka

October 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Lotus Renault GP got both cars in the top ten in qualifying, which must have come as a relief after all the head-scratching in Singapore? It was uncomfortable to watch the pace in Singapore. They weren’t as competitive as they should have been, but things were back on track in Suzuka. Qualifying was impressive, and this is at one of the most demanding circuits ever built. So that’s encouraging but based on where they started I was disappointed with the result. Ninth and 16th: I expected a little better. What did you make of the fact that neither driver drove … [Read more...]

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Jean Alesi to race for Lotus in Indy 500

September 23, 2011 by 1 Comment
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  Scheduled for 27 May 2012, Group Lotus brand ambassador Jean Alesi will make his return to competitive racing flying the flag for Group Lotus at the world’s biggest motorsport race – the 96th Indy 500. Despite his considerable experience, Jean has never before taken on competitive oval racing. Following a 12 year stint in F1 from 1989 to 2001, Alesi moved onto DTM racing and then last year made his most recent competitive race appearance in the Le Mans Series. In January 2011 he joined Group Lotus as a brand ambassador and development consultant on the … [Read more...]

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Jean Alesi – “Bruno did a phenomenal job”

August 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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How did you rate Bruno Senna’s first weekend in the Lotus Renault GP race seat? Overall I think he should be pleased with his weekend. I’m sure he kicked himself after braking too late for the first corner and hitting Jaime Alguersuari, but he did a phenomenal job in qualifying to line up seventh on the grid. The first corner, La Source, is always tricky because it’s not a very long run down from the start, so everyone arrives together, on cold tyres, and it’s very tight. There are always accidents, you have to be very careful, and Bruno wasn’t the only … [Read more...]

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Jean Alesi – “Well done Jenson”

August 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Group Lotus F1 ambassador Jean Alesi gives us his thoughts on the Hungarian Grand Prix. It was the first time this season that Lotus Renault GP failed to finish in the points. You must be disappointed… It’s clear the performance of the team relative to our rivals is dropping off. To be honest we were expecting a little bit more from the car. Vitaly Petrov’s 12th place isn’t very exciting, but then he – like half the field – made the gamble of changing to Intermediate tyres late in the race and then changing back again. Things got pretty scary for … [Read more...]

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Jean Alesi – “Vitaly is proving to be a great fighter…”

July 25, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Did that race have you on the edge of your seat, Jean? Yes, all the way to the finish! From the first lap to the last, the German Grand Prix was tense and unpredictable. It was so close and it wasn’t clear until the last few laps that Lewis Hamilton was going to win. It was a great race. Lotus Renault GP picked up a point at the Nurburgring, with Vitaly Petrov’s 10th place finish. But the team does seem to be struggling for position in the mid-field, is this a cause for concern? The team is working really hard to find solutions, but we all want to see … [Read more...]

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Jean Alesi – “One of the best British GPs I’ve seen”

July 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Lotus ambassador Jean Alesi shares his thoughts on the British Grand Prix… That was a pretty exciting British Grand Prix, packed with incidents. What stood out for you? The mixed weather conditions at the start were an absolute treat. Part of the track was dry, part of it very wet, and these circumstances require great skill. The cream rises to the top, and I shall remember this race for a long time because of Fernando Alonso’s performance. Today was a great comeback from Ferrari. From a driver's perspective seeing Fernando fight the car and the conditions … [Read more...]

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LRGP European GP – FP1 news & Jean Alesi speaks

June 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Vitaly Petrov, R31-05 Free Practice 1:P2, 1:41.227, 20 laps Nick Heidfeld, R31-04 Free Practice 1:P5, 1:41.580, 23 laps Vitaly Petrov led the way for Lotus Renault GP on a cloudy first session offree practice for the European Grand Prix on the streets of Valencia. Using chassis R31-05, Vitaly went second fastest of the day so far as he worked through the standard programme for the first running of the weekend. His time of 1m 41.227s was just over eight-tenths slower than the fastest set today, showing there is still speed to be found. Nick, in chassis … [Read more...]

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The Dawn of a New Era – One year on…

June 23, 2011 by 2 Comments
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It's been 365 days since Lotus announced to the world's press that there were 6 new cars in the pipeline, there was a new board of Directors and the company was making a transition from a niche sports car manufacturer to high end super car territory. Have they been successful so far? What's been achieved, what's to come? Lotus CEO Dany Bahar tells us that the company are confident that they are on track with his ambitious 5 year plan, put into place 17 months ago. They have ticked all of the expected economic and technological boxes and reached all milestones which … [Read more...]

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Lotus legends open new Hethel test track

June 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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Nigel Mansell officially opened Group Lotus’s revised and restored Hethel test track with a roar from the 1981 Essex-Lotus 81B in which he started his glorious Formula One career more than 30-years-ago. Mansell led a convoy of seven stunning racing cars from the Lotus stable, including the innovative 1980 Type 88 twin-chassis car – which the rule makers never allowed to race; the Lotus Type 125 Exos Experience car driven by fellow F1 legend Jean Alesi; and a brace of Lotus Renault GP cars piloted by current F1 stars Vitaly Petrov and Bruno Senna. This was the … [Read more...]

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