Team Lotus have unveiled their new car for this year's Formula 1 season and set a target of being more competitive.
Competing as Lotus Racing in 2010, the team was the best of three newcomers but they failed to score a point. Driver Jarno Trulli said: "Last year we aimed to finish the race. This year we aim to finish in the points and with this package it should be achievable."
Called the challenger T128, the name is a continuation of the history of Lotus F1 cars and follows last year's T127.
"This year's car is a much more contemporary design," stated technical director Mike Gascoyne of the new design, which was unveiled on the team's website, in classic Lotus green and yellow livery.
"The car really will be a midfield runner. It's a modern F1 car I'm very confident it is a big step up and it's the start of a process that takes Team Lotus back to the front of the grid."
F1's Team Lotus are embroiled in a row with car company Group Lotus over the use of the Lotus name in F1 - a dispute that will go to trial on 21 March.
Group Lotus have become the title sponsors and major stakeholders in the Renault team and both teams will be powered by Renault engines in 2011 and will start the season in Bahrain on 13 March using the Lotus name.
Italian Trulli will again be joined by Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen in the Team Lotus car which looks substantially different to the 2010 model.
"There's been almost no carry-over of parts for the 2011 car, whereas normally you'd have a substantial carry-over and the chance to optimise last year's parts," explained Gascoyne.
"It has a much more current feel about it. And it's the basis of our cars for the future."
Chief operating officer Keith Saunt has said that he hopes to move up from last year's 10th in the constructors' championship, although he defended the team's decision not to start the season with the Kers (kinetic energy recovery system) which has been reintroduced for 2011 and will be used by Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes.
"I doubt there'll be a lot between sixth, seventh and eighth," commented Saunt. "Depending on how the other guys are doing, seventh could be achievable.
"If Kers was going to get us from eighth to sixth then we'd have it. But when you look at the weight of it and some of the engineering challenges, I think it's a good decision not to start with it.
"We might end up with it, who knows?"
Renault are due to launch their black and gold car on Monday, the colours harking back to their successful Lotus days in the 1970s and 1980s, while Sauber are also set to unveil their car for the 2011 campaign.
