Lotus technical director Mike Gascoyne does not think his team will struggle to stay ahead of the other new-for-2010 squads in Singapore even though it has now stopped developing this year's car.
Many teams are expected to bring new packages for next weekend's grand prix, but Lotus is now pouring all its resources into its 2011 car. However, Gascoyne believes the T127 will be sufficiently suited to the Marina Bay track that upgrades will be unnecessary.
"The focus now is really on the 2011 car, so we won't be bringing any major new parts to Singapore," he said. "Despite that, I think we'll be able to maintain the advantage we have over our nearest rivals on what is a pretty high-downforce track. The track is bumpy and some of the curbs are pretty high, so being able to deal with the bumps and the curbs well is important. Both our drivers have reported that they feel like the car deals well with uneven surfaces, and they have the confidence to attack the curbs in the T127, so let's see what happens."
Lotus is expected to announce its Renault engine deal and use of the Team Lotus name from 2012 during the Singapore GP weekend. A team statement promised that "a number of very exciting announcements about the team's future for 2011 and beyond" would happen in Singapore.