wemotor.com - Lotus Racing Barca Testing

Lotus Racing and CNN International have today announced a partnership deal that sees the newest Formula One™ team entering into a long-term agreement with the world’s leading news network. CNN’s world famous logos will feature on the T127 race cars, the drivers’ overalls and on all team clothing. The deal will be managed by CNN’s commercial ‘Partner Solutions Group’ and is led by Rani Raad, senior vice president CNN International Advertising Sales.

“The combination of two such iconic and aspirational global brands fits perfectly with CNN International’s worldwide reach and brand positioning,” said Raad. “This unique partnership with Lotus Racing takes CNN International into a new era of marketing and promotions and puts us in front of a worldwide audience of millions.”

A delighted Lotus Racing Team Principal Tony Fernandes commented: “We are very proud to welcome CNN into the Lotus Racing family. It is a sign of the positive impact we have already made in the global business market that such a prestigious brand, familiar to millions around the world as the definitive source of news and current affairs, has made the decision to partner with us. The whole team and I are looking forward to working with CNN in the months and years to come on some very exciting campaigns.”

Kubica and Petrov revealed the R30 to the assembled media, complete with its new black and yellow livery – the iconic colours made famous by Renault in the 1980s. With stable aero regulations the R30 is a mixture of evolution and revolution, and is much more svelte than its predecessor. In particular the rear of the car has been considerably reworked to allow the car to make the most of the double-decker diffusers that were first seen last year. Changes have also been made to the architecture of the chassis to adapt to the refuelling ban, which has required the installation of a much larger fuel tank.

The R30 will get its first run at Valencia on Monday and Renault will remain at the circuit until Wednesday evening to complete the first pre-season test session.