» And now it’s Lotus’ turn to tease

Lotus has teased F1 fans by releasing computer-generated images of its E22 challenger

Just minutes after McLaren launched its MP4-29 racer to the world, the Lotus F1 Team set tongues wagging when it released two rendered images of its 2014 racer, the E22.

And the contrasts between the two cars couldn’t be more apparent.

As distinct to the single ‘proboscis’ nose treatment showcased by McLaren and Williams, the E22 has taken a completely different interpretation of the new aerodynamic regulations. Its concept is a twin-prong ‘manta ray’ style nose, which – even more unusually – is asymmetrical…

The E22 will be driven by Romain Grosjean and former Williams driver Pastor Maldonado; the Venezuelan having replaced the Ferrari-bound Kimi Räikkönen.

The E22 keeps the same colour scheme of its predecessor, with the noticeable additions being the sponsor stickers of PDVSA (courtesy of Maldonado’s hiring), Saxo Bank and Yotaphone. Conversely, the Coca-Cola owned BURN energy drink appears to have scaled back its sponsorship, having greatly reduced presence on the car relative to 2013.

While the E22 won’t be ready in time for next week’s first pre-season test at Jerez, the team will conduct an official unveiling of the car before the second of the three tests, when the field heads to Bahrain.

Earlier in the day, the team announced that Gérard Lopez was to become its new Team Principal with immediate effect, following the sudden departure of Eric Boullier, who has since been linked with a move to McLaren.

The timing of Lotus’ release of its images – which ensured it bled some press coverage away from the Woking team’s launch – would suggest that McLaren’s apparent poaching of Boullier is more than just a rumour…

That and the team tweeting this…

Exclusive behind the scenes pic of Eric Boullier’s leaving present. Something to read before the season starts… pic.twitter.com/j9dAE6eWG6

— Lotus F1 Team (@Lotus_F1Team) January 24, 2014