Lotus E20
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| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
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| Constructor | Lotus | ||||||||||
| Designer(s) | James Allison | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | Renault R31 | ||||||||||
| Successor | Lotus E21 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon composite monocoque, incorporating the engine as a fully stressed member | ||||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Carbon composite double wishbone suspension | ||||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | As front | ||||||||||
| Engine | Renault RS27-2012 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90° V8, limited to 18,000 RPM, with KERS, naturally aspirated, mid-mounted | ||||||||||
| Transmission | 7-speed, hydraulic power shift | ||||||||||
| Fuel | Total | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Pirelli P Zero (dry), Cinturato (wet) | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Lotus F1 Team | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers | 9.  Kimi Räikkönen10.  Romain Grosjean10.  Jérôme d'Ambrosio
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| Debut | 2012 Australian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
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The Lotus E20 is a Formula One racing car designed and produced by the Enstone-based Lotus F1 Team for the 2012 Formula One season. The E20 was the twentieth Formula One car to be designed at Enstone since 1992, and was named in tribute to the contribution made by the facility and its personnel in their twenty-year history. The car was also the first from Enstone to carry the Lotus name, since the team ceased using the Renault name following their renaming from Lotus Renault GP at the end of 2011. The team continued to use Renault engines for the car. The car, which was launched by the team on its website on 5 February 2012, was driven by 2007 World Drivers' Champion Kimi Räikkönen and 2011 GP2 Series champion Romain Grosjean, both of whom returned to Formula One after a two-year absence.
The car made its competitive debut at the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, and in the twenty races of the 2012 season, recorded a race win in Abu Dhabi and nine podium finishes to finish fourth overall in the World Constructors' Championship.
The Lotus E20 was planned to feature a "reactive ride height" suspension system — a mechanical device designed to maintain ride height under braking — at the start of the 2012 season. Lotus (and formerly both their immediate predecessors, Lotus Renault GP and Renault F1 Team) had been developing the system since January 2010. The system used hydraulic cylinders located in the brake calipers and suspension push-rods to make minute adjustments to the ride height of the car, thereby keeping the ride height at an optimal level throughout the race and providing stability during braking. This initially had the approval of the FIA, who reversed their position one week later ruling that such systems were in breach of their regulations, on the grounds that the primary function of such a device was improve the aerodynamic performance of cars, and was therefore in violation of Article 3.15 of the technical regulations, which states that "any device that influences the car's aerodynamics must remain immobile in relation to the sprung part of the car". The teams were notified of the FIA's decision on 20 January 2012, and as a consequence, the reactive ride height system did not feature on 2012 cars.
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