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The Lotus E23 Hybrid is a Formula One racing car which Lotus used to compete in the 2015 Formula One season. The chassis was designed by Nick Chester, Chris Cooney, Martin Tolliday and Nicolas Hennel with Mercedes supplying the team's powertrain. It was driven by Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado. This was the team's only car to use Mercedes engines, after a 20-year period of racing with Renault based powerplants. The E23 Hybrid was also the first Enstone-based car not to used a Renault-based engine (including the period between 1998 and 2000 where the team used Playlife badged Renault-based Mecachrome/Supertec V10s) since the Ford-powered V8 powered Benetton B194 in 1994, as well as first full British team to utilize Petronas fuel and lubricants.
Images of the 2015 car were released on 26 January 2015.[2][3]
The Lotus-Mercedes partnership was originally intended to last for six years (until 2020), but was terminated five years earlier as the team returned to Renault power unit after a single season and thus bought ill-fated Lotus stake from 2016 onwards and renamed back to Renault Sport Formula One Team.
- ^ "Mercedes provide early look at 2015 car". Grand Prix 247. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ^ "2015 F1 race, test and launch dates". F1 Fanatic. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ Collantine, Keith (26 January 2015). "Lotus reveal first images of new E23". F1 Fanatic. Retrieved 26 January 2015.