Lotus F1 team to trial non twin-tusk nose in the United States GP
The Lotus Formula 1 team will experiment running without the unique twin-tusk nose on the E22 during free practice for the United States Grand Prix
The Enstone F1 squad will trial a 2014 Ferrari/Mercedes-style low nose, as it pushes on with developments for its 2015 car.
Lotus will be forced to abandon its unusual twin-tusk design next season, following a push by F1's governing body the FIA to eliminate the aesthetically controversial nose designs that have appeared on cars this year.
The team has yet to decide which of its drivers will trial the prototype nose, which will be replaced with the conventional twin-tusk design for the race.
Lotus technical director Nick Chester told AUTOSPORT: "The rules are pushing everybody in that direction, so I think pretty much everybody will be looking at a fairly low and narrow nose [for next season].
"We're going to test a nose like that in Austin, really just to gather feedback for next year - to do some aero measurements and see what that does on track compared to what we see in the [wind] tunnel."
Lotus lies eighth in the constructors' championship with just eight points scored from 16 races this season, and Romain Grosjean confirmed during September's Italian GP that Lotus had abandoned development of the difficult E22 in order to focus earlier on its successor - the E23.
"We always have a curve where we tail off development of a current car and ramp up the new car," Chester added.
"We've probably just crossed over a bit earlier.
"Once we were in June we were already putting more work into the 2015 car, and whereas we might have run some developments a little later into the season on the current car, we haven't really - we've stopped those so we could put everything into next year's car."
END OF RENAULT ERA
The squad has also confirmed a switch from Renault to Mercedes engines for 2015 as it bids to get back to the front of the grid.
Chester admitted there was some sadness at ending a relationship that stretches back as far as 1995, when Benetton won its first F1 world titles, but said Lotus had to do everything in its power to avoid a repeat of this year's disappointing campaign.
"It was difficult because we're good friends with a lot of the guys from Renault, particularly when we were [the] works team," Chester added.
"But on the other hand we had a great opportunity to change and we have to follow where the best performance is."
Marussia F1 team says it owes it to Jules Bianchi to fight on
Ferrari defends Raikkonen's form during 2014 F1 season
Horner: "Timing is right" for Vettel's F1 retirement
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes that his former driver Sebastian Vettel has chosen the right time to retire from Formula 1.
Zhou focused on Alfa Romeo stay in F1 2023 silly season
Zhou Guanyu says his focus lies with retaining his Formula 1 seat at Alfa Romeo for 2023 ahead of talks about his future after the summer break.
Hamilton: I'll end my F1 career before I'm completely burnt out
Lewis Hamilton intends to remain in Formula 1 while he still has “fuel in the tank” but says he won’t push until he is “completely burnt out” before retiring.
Why Piastri's attempt to join McLaren carries implications of risk
After the 2006 Formula 1 British GP, Lewis Hamilton's father Anthony was a frustrated man, despite his son - at the time a star in GP2 - having just scored a memorable double win in that weekend's feature and sprint events.
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…
Could F1 move to a future beyond carbonfibre?
Formula 1 has ambitious goals for improving its carbon footprint, but could this include banishing its favoured composite material? PAT SYMONDS considers the alternatives to carbonfibre and what use, if any, those materials have in a Formula 1 setting
How Russell has proven he deserves to be Hamilton's Mercedes heir
He’s fast, he’s smart, and he’s already shown he’s not going to let Max Verstappen intimidate him. George Russell won’t say it, but LUKE SMITH says he’s ready to take the lead at Mercedes when Lewis Hamilton moves on to a quieter life. And – whisper it – Mercedes and Lewis are starting to think so too
The traits that fuelled Alonso's unexpected Aston Martin move
Fernando Alonso’s bombshell switch to Aston Martin sent shockwaves through Formula 1, not least at Alpine that finds itself tangled in a contract standoff with Oscar Piastri. Not shy of a bold career move and with a CV punctuated by them, there were numerous hints that trouble was brewing
The elements Ferrari must resolve to first save face, then win championships
OPINION: Ferrari's Formula 1 title hopes look all but over after another strategic blunder in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix denied Charles Leclerc the chance to fight for victory, while handing it to chief rival Max Verstappen. The Scuderia now faces intense scrutiny over what it must now do to finally become a genuine factor in championship battles
The clues about Hamilton’s F1 retirement plans revealed after Vettel’s decision
OPINION: Sebastian Vettel is set to leave Formula 1 at the end of 2022 and will, rather shockingly, be replaced by Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin. But what about the final chapter of the other driver that defined the post-Michael Schumacher era? In Hungary, Lewis Hamilton spoke about his future in the context of Vettel’s upcoming departure, which offered clues on how long it will last