F1: Lotus unveils new E21, 2013 Formula 1 car (+photos)

By ,

The Enstone, UK based Lotus F1 Team has unveiled Monday night their new, 2013 challenger called the E21.

The E21 is again powered by Renault Sport's 2.4-litre, normally aspirated V8 engine. It has been designed by the team led by technical director, James Allison.

Lotus E21

The team has retained the same pair of drivers as last year, Finland's Kimi Raikkonen and France's Romain Grosjean.

“The rules are very similar to 2012, lot of family resemblance. You can expect a lot of family resemblance, but the evolution is in the details. There is a significant increase in performance,” said Allison during the launch.

Lotus E21

The E21 did not feature a small piece of laminate - nicknamed a ‘modesty' or 'vanity' panel - to smooth the nose section and hide the infamous stepped nose.

“No, there's no pannel, because it weights a little bit. F1 is all about keeping the weight down. If we find some way to generate downforce with this pannel, we'll pop it on right away,” Allison added.

Lotus E21