By their own admission, it's been something of a rush project for the new Lotus team, and by 3am on Saturday morning they had finally finished packing up the six airfreight boxes needed for the journey to Bahrain and the beginning of the season.

Lotus gained entry to the sport last September and as the 60-strong team gears up for the first Grand Prix, the whole team, including the drivers Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, remain upbeat whilst realistic about their chances for the first few races. 

“It would be nice to score a point, but it is not going to be easy," said Trulli. "We have to be realistic.”

Chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne added, “Our test season was extremely productive - in general we've had very good reliability, and the team is in very good shape going to the first race.”

Lotus Racing remains confident of their progress and learning curve. “We are all looking forward to Bahrain; to have Lotus Racing on the grid will be a momentous occasion for all involved and, indeed, for our fans, whose support has been absolutely fantastic since we launched just under six months ago," stated team principle Tony Fernandes.

"Yes we are a little slower than the major leading teams, however we will get there, with passion, hard work and a clear vision - our aim for this first Grand Prix will be to finish and steadily but surely improve, race by race.”