Lotus F1 Team to Race with Mercedes-Benz Power from 2015
Lotus F1 Team and Mercedes AMG have revealed details of a long-term supply agreement which will see Lotus F1 Team utilising the Mercedes-designed PU106A hybrid powertrain from the start of the 2015 season.
Under the terms of the agreement, Lotus F1 Team will be supplied with Mercedes-Benz engines, now dubbed ‘power units’, by Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (HPP) based in Brixworth, UK.
However, the Lotus team says it will continue to design and manufacture its own transmission at its Enstone base where work is already underway on the team’s 2015 challenger, the E23 Hybrid.
Lotus F1 Team CEO Matthew Carter, said, “The Mercedes-Benz power unit has shown good performance on track and it is our goal to marry this motive force to Enstone’s chassis expertise. It is our desire that the E23 Hybrid, powered by Mercedes-Benz, heralds a new era of success for Enstone.”
Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, added, “It was strategically important for Mercedes-Benz to continue to supply three customers throughout this generation of power unit, in addition to the primary focus on our Silver Arrows works team, and it was therefore clear that we would be looking for a new customer from 2015.”
Source: Mercedes-Benz