The Lotus E21^[8] is a Formula One racing car designed and built by the Lotus F1 team for use in the 2013 championship.^[1] The chassis was designed by James Allison, Nick Chester, Martin Tolliday and Dirk de Beer with Renault supplying the team's engines. The car was driven by 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean,^[6][7] both of whom remained with the team after competing in 2012. The E21 was the first of the 2013 season cars to be launched.^[9]

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Lotus E21

Kimi Räikkönen driving the E21 during the free practice session at the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix
Category	Formula One
Constructor	Lotus
Designer(s)	James Allison (Technical Director)[1] Nick Chester (Deputy Technical Director) Martin Tolliday (Chief Designer) Simon Virrill (Project Leader) Jarrod Murphy (Head of CFD) Dirk de Beer (Head of Aerodynamics) Dave Wheater (Chief Aerodynamicist)
Predecessor	Lotus E20
Successor	Lotus E22
Technical specifications[2][3]
Chassis	Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, manufactured by Lotus F1 Team and designed for maximum strength with minimum weight. Installing the engine as a fully stressed member.
Suspension (front)	Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operate an inboard rocker via a pushrod system. This is connected to a torsion bar and damper units which are mounted inside the front of the monocoque.
Suspension (rear)	Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones with pull rod operated torsion springs and transverse-mounted damper units mounted in the top of the gearbox casing.
Engine	Renault RS27-2013 2.4 L (146 cu in) V8 (90°). Naturally aspirated, 18,000 RPM limited with KERS, mid-mounted.
Transmission	Lotus 7-speed semi-automatic sequential titanium gearbox + 1 reverse.
Power	750 hp (560 kW) @ 18,000 rpm
Weight	642 kg (1,415.4 lb), with driver, cameras and ballast
Fuel	Total[4] Kevlar-reinforced rubber fuel cell by ATL.
Tyres	Pirelli P Zero (dry), Cinturato (wet)[5] OZ Wheels (front and rear): 13"[4]
Competition history
Notable entrants	Lotus F1 Team
Notable drivers	7. Kimi Räikkönen[6] 7. Heikki Kovalainen 8. Romain Grosjean[7]
Debut	2013 Australian Grand Prix
First win	2013 Australian Grand Prix
Last win	2013 Australian Grand Prix
Last event	2013 Brazilian Grand Prix
Races Wins Podiums Poles F/Laps 19 1 14 0 2

Close

Despite the perpetual troubles the team experienced with the "passive Drag Reduction System" device on the E20 chassis, which spent most of the 2012 season in development without ever being raced,^[10][11][12] the E21 was launched with a passive DRS device of its own.^[13]

Following criticism of the cars raced in 2012 for being "ugly" because of a visible step in the design of the nose,^[14] the 2013 technical regulations allowed teams to use a "modesty panel", or a small piece of carbon fibre designed to cover the nose of the car for aesthetic purposes.^[15] However, the E21 was launched without a modesty panel, as the team felt that it offered no aerodynamic benefit, and that the aesthetic qualities it offered were not worth the added weight, however slight the weight gain might be.^[16]

The E21 proved to be a competitive car across the 2013 season with one victory at the season opener at Australia, and the car would claim 14 podiums by the end of the season. Eventually, the team finished 4th in the Constructors' Championship with 315 points.

(key) (results in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

^† Driver failed to finish the race, but was classified as they had completed greater than 90% of the race distance.