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Lotus F1 Team promotes Joylon Palmer for next season

After letting its longtime protege Romain Grosjean go to the Haas F1 team, Lotus has named his successor for next season. Driving for the team as it transitions back to being the Renault factory outfit will be one Jolyon Palmer, the current reigning GP2 champion and possibly one of the best-poised drivers to make it into Formula One. The 24-year-old Brit has been steadily working his way up the formula racing ladder, winning races in Formula Two and GP2 over the past several years before winning the latter title last season. During that victorious campaign he also served as a test driver for Force India, before switching to Lotus this season and getting 10 grand prix practice sessions under his harness. Jolyon's own experience undoubtedly sealed the deal, but his upbringing surely put him in a prime position to make it in single-seater racing. He's the son of former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer, himself a past Formula Two champ before completing half a dozen seasons in Formula One. It's what the elder Palmer's been up to since leaving the grid, however, that's put the son in such a strong position. As head of MotorSport Vision, Jonathan Palmer controls five major racing tracks across the UK – including BrandsHatch, Outlton Park, Snetterton, Cadwell Park and the Bedford Autodrome. He also runs a couple of trackday programs, founded the now-defunct Formula Palmer Audi series and continues to operate the FIA Formula Two Championship, the BRDC Formula 4 Championship, and the British Superbike Championship. All of which gave young Jolyon plenty of room to run as he developed his career. Will that be enough to put the young Palmer in a position to win next season? Only time will tell. But he arrives at a pivotal time for the team, which is expected to transition back from the privately held Lotus operation to Renault's hands, running once again as the factory team – but saddled with an engine package that has been underperforming against the competition. One way or another, it ought to be an interesting time to be in Enstone. Related Video:

Lotus nearing decision on sedan versus crossover

Lotus may be comfortable for the time being developing newer and better versions of its existing sports cars, but it won't necessarily skate by on its aging product portfolio forever. According to a report from Reuters, Lotus and its Malaysian parent company DRB-Hicom are currently considering adding a new model to the British automaker's lineup. And in a further sign of the times, it seems likely that the new model would be either a sedan or crossover. "I'm a bit torn between an SUV and a four-door sports car – but in the end I can see that the SUV has the bigger market," Lotus CEO Jean-Marc Gales told Reuters. "We'd do an SUV that is very light, very fast on the track and has outstanding handling," in keeping with what Lotus is known for. It would not be the first sports car manufacturer to delve into either category, of course. Porsche rebuilt its business by expanding into both categories with models like the Panamera, Cayenne and Macan. Maserati has long offered successive versions of the Quattroporte, more recently launched the Ghibli sedan and will soon introduce the Levante crossover. Aston Martin has toyed with both, as has Lamborghini. Other marques like Ferrari and McLaren, however, remain resolutely opposed to either proposition. This past December, we reported that Lotus was preparing to go a slightly different route by offering a high-riding version of the Evora instead of a proper four-door sport-ute. This latest development, however, would appear to be quite different. The company's engineering division showcased the APX crossover concept back in 2006, and revealed the Eterne sedan concept as part of the grandiose plans of the previous Bahar administration in 2010. The last time the proposition came up this past August, nearly half of respondents to our online poll voted that Lotus should build a sedan, but not a crossover. Over a quarter of you said Lotus should built both, 2 percent voted for the crossover over the sedan, and 22 percent said Lotus should steer clear of either.

Lotus hops into Extreme E with Jenson Button ahead of first race weekend

The Extreme E racing series is filling out with a host of interesting names, and Lotus is the latest manufacturer to join the fray. Lotus is hopping in as technical partner to the Jenson Button Extreme E team, making it quite the British powerhouse. A single photo of the rally vehicle is above with a simple JBXE and Lotus livery. Seeing Lotus hop into electric racing makes sense given that it will be pushing the Evija hypercar out the door soon. The company says it will be leveraging the experience it gained in development of that car to help it succeed on the motorsports side. “We are on the cusp of an exciting new era of electrified motorsport, and weÂ’re delighted to support the JBXE team as Technical Partner,” says Matt Windle, managing director of Lotus Cars. “The complex technicalities of EV racing present a fascinating challenge, and using our learnings from more than a decade of electrifying sports cars – most recently with the Lotus Evija hypercar – we can bring valuable knowledge to the team.” Jenson Button is acting as both the team owner and driver of the car in the Extreme E series. Other notable car companies hopping into the series include GMC (a Hummer partnership), Fisker, Hispano Suiza and Cupra. Other racing outfits are also hopping on without the support of major car manufacturers. The field has just nine teams right now, but the slow trickle continues with promising entries. This latest development with Lotus and Jenson Button is just another feather in the seriesÂ’ cap. "Lotus is a great British brand that is inextricably linked to motorsport, so we are delighted to welcome Lotus Engineering to JBXE,” Button says. “Extreme E is a unique and exciting formula, full of 'world firsts' and challenges, and to announce that a brand such as Lotus Engineering is coming on this journey with us is a proud moment for myself and the team. We are very excited about our new technical partnership and canÂ’t wait to show what we can do in the first race this weekend.” That first race — termed the “Desert X Prix” — will take place in Saudi Arabia this weekend. ItÂ’s airing on Fox Sports in the U.S. The second race is nearly two months after this upcoming one and will take place in Senegal.