Lola maybe 2014??

[S951]

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news ... ambitions/

maybe no?

[dr-baker]

Looking at the line drawings, it looks like it's designed with a partial canopy over the driver's helmet...

But I would like to see them enter the sport (again). Particularly if they become Visa Lola!

[AndreaModa]

Those photos are a mish-mash of all sorts of things it seems, some are of a scale wind tunnel model of what was likely to be Lola's 2010 challenger, the sketches of the partially closed cockpit must be from another concept. It's highly unlikely that any of that is relevant to Lola's ambition to rejoin the grid as technical regulations still aren't set in stone, even for 2013. Besides, after all it is only an ambition, there's nothing there to suggest that Lola will definitely participate, and it all hinges on the FIA re-opening the 13th slot anyway.

Here's another link from PlanetF1.com which I posted in the 2012 Silly Season thread a little while back which confirms much of the same thing as the racecar engineering article: PlanetF1

[DOSBoot]

Looking at the line drawings, it looks like it's designed with a partial canopy over the driver's helmet...

But I would like to see them enter the sport (again). Particularly if they become Visa Lola!

Hmmmm.....American Express Lola?

[Captain Hammer]

Waiting for the FIA to open the grid up isn't the only way to join the grid. If Lola feel they are ready, they can actually approach the FIA and apply to join the grid of their own volition. If FOTA agrees to a thirteenth team on the grid, the FIA will assess their proposal.

The only serious barrier to entry is the Concorde Agreement. The current Concorde allows for thirteen teams, but at the next round of negotiations, FOTA might decide tos cale that back to twelve.

Also, I reckon a Visa-themed livery would look great.

[mario]

Considering that Lola Cars were the first potential team to develop a wind tunnel model (and it was a reasonably sophisticated model for a preliminary design exercise), it's a real shame that they were not offered a place - at the very least they probably wouldn't have imploded in the way USF1 did. Mind you, like Prodrive it seems that Lola rejected the Cosworth engine and Xtrac transmission deal, which means that Mosely probably rejected their bid very early on, even though arguably they were one of the stronger contenders that year (at least technically speaking).

That said, I wouldn't rule out the possibility that Lola might enter the sport in the future in partnership with a new team along the lines of HRT's deal with Dallara (i.e. providing technical services to that team) - Lola did consider that option after their initial bid was rejected, though they might be a little cuatious given how Dallara's deal with HRT quickly soured in the light of Campos's incompetence.

[AdrianSutil]

I think it would be better for them to enter F1 as a chassis builder first, make sure to get a reasonable footing before entering as a full works team again. But they wouldn't make the same mistake as 1997 again. It would be a proper, professional outfit.

[Captain Hammer]

they might be a little cuatious given how Dallara's deal with HRT quickly soured in the light of Campos's incompetence.

A large part of that stems from the way HRT was structured, with Cabarante controlling the entry and Kolles controlling the team. Hispanis was an absolute mess, and so one of the things Thesan Capital is trying to do is consolidate them all together. Once they untangle themselves, they will probably be far more appealing to someone like Lola.

[Ed24]

It was a pity that the 2010 selection process was so inept, as Lola should really have been chosen.

[DanielPT]

It was a pity that the 2010 selection process was so inept, as Lola should really have been chosen.

True. It is hard to find a worst tendering process. And one so biased towards Cosworth and that piece of crap gearbox called Xtrac that it was public knowledge. Xtrac has now been ditched by all new teams. It's quite telling...

[Collieafc]

But they wouldn't make the same mistake as 1997 again. It would be a proper, professional outfit.

BOO! This site supports and thrives on Constructor incompetence!

But seriously, would they? The 3 new teams are still trying to catch up with everybody else after (just about) 2 seasons as it is (and in the case of Lotus, its hardly down to ineptitude - by and large they have been doing everything sensible. The other two though...) It wouldnt surprise me if a team calls it a day between now and the end of next season as its also hard to find sponsorship at the back. (only option is pay drivers but nowadays is even that enough?). Formula 1 is a serious and expensive long haul investment - look at Force India and how long its taken them to go from the back to the upper midfield

[IdeFan]

Had they started in 2010 I believe Lola would be doing a much better job than Virgin, Hispania and (lol) USF1, assuming they got some half decent drivers in the car, would be pretty close behind Lotus right now.

IF they were to get a spot in 2013 or 2014 it would be a lot tougher, since they'd have to catch up to the new teams before they can even think about bridging the gap to midfield.

[Ed24]

Had they started in 2010 I believe Lola would be doing a much better job than Virgin, Hispania and (lol) USF1, assuming they got some half decent drivers in the car, would be pretty close behind Lotus right now.

IF they were to get a spot in 2013 or 2014 it would be a lot tougher, since they'd have to catch up to the new teams before they can even think about bridging the gap to midfield.

True, but there is a big shake up in 2014, so if they can get they're smart and get their plans together early (hopefully the FIA announces any tender early), they should be able to make some early inroads.

[dinizintheoven]

What Lola need, should they get the go-ahead to enter for 2014, is a giant picture of the T93/30 and T97/30 completely covering one wall of the manufacturing plant, resplendent with qualifying times from the 1993 South African Grand Prix and 1997 Australian Grand Prix, plus the pole position times that they were miles behind, and a huge title that says "NEVER AGAIN". A bit like this:



That might spur them on to not screw up this time.

[dnhrudi]

If they come back it would be what? the 5th time F1 as seen a car called a Lola? But this would be the first time without Eric Broadly, (don't know what input he had into Haas tho) who as good as he was, never really seemed to understand what was needed to do F1, same as a number of guys who have tried to use F! as a means to promote their race car sales.

[FMecha]

What Lola need, should they get the go-ahead to enter for 2014, is a giant picture of the T93/30 and T97/30 completely covering one wall of the manufacturing plant, resplendent with qualifying times from the 1993 South African Grand Prix and 1997 Australian Grand Prix, plus the pole position times that they were miles behind, and a huge title that says "NEVER AGAIN". A bit like this:



That might spur them on to not screw up this time.

SECONDED!

Submit that pic to them (Lola)!

[dinizintheoven]

Submit that pic to them (Lola)!

I would if only the source pictures weren't so tiny that I had to blow them up to 150% just so the text didn't have to be so small that the outline would drown out the text body. Still - I think the Wikipedia page for the T97/30 says there's still one of those at Lola's HQ, and there's bound to be a T93/30 kicking around somewhere. They could actually line the two cars up side by side on a test track, take a photo of both with a 20-billion-pixel camera, and blow *that* up and put it on the wall instead.

I looked through all the qualifying results in 1993 to see exactly how bad the T93/30 was, but it was really only at that first race in South Africa that they were hopelessly slow; even during those seven races where one of them inevitably failed to qualify, the other one would be scrapping with the Minardis and Tyrrells - at the kind of gap back from pole that FTM, Virgin and HRT were last year, only in 1993 it was a case of Williams more than a second ahead of everyone else, and then a steady increase in time gap back to the last Lola, about 6-7 seconds off the pole time, there wasn't the huge divide between the last three and everyone else. The T93/30 only started dropping off the back of the field by up to a second - or, as we may see these days, the gap we're used to between Williams and FTM in Q1 - after the rules were changed again so both cars would qualify. Even then there wasn't the terrifying chasm between the T93/30 and the others that there was with Lola's next car, four years later.

But, with that humiliation still fresher (or slightly less stale) in the minds of all those at Lola, I still say: NEVER AGAIN!

[DanielPT]

Submit that pic to them (Lola)!

I would if only the source pictures weren't so tiny that I had to blow them up to 150% just so the text didn't have to be so small that the outline would drown out the text body. Still - I think the Wikipedia page for the T97/30 says there's still one of those at Lola's HQ, and there's bound to be a T93/30 kicking around somewhere. They could actually line the two cars up side by side on a test track, take a photo of both with a 20-billion-pixel camera, and blow *that* up and put it on the wall instead.

Maybe they should keep the cars working. If the new car doesn't go 15 secs faster than the fastest of the two fails they should pack their things and go home...

[Ferrim]

I believe Alboreto was having a decent race as late as the Italian GP (the last-but-one race for the T93/30) thanks to the car's Ferrari engine. He would had finished close to the points if he hadn't had to retire.

[mario]

I believe Alboreto was having a decent race as late as the Italian GP (the last-but-one race for the T93/30) thanks to the car's Ferrari engine. He would had finished close to the points if he hadn't had to retire.

You're right - Alboreto was running in 8th place when he retired, ahead of Erik Comas's Larrousse. Given that Comas would eventually go on to finish in 6th place, it is plausible that Alboreto could have even finished in the points if he'd been able to keep Comas behind him.