The Lotus E23 Hybrid is a

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

racing car which Lotus used to compete in the

2015 Formula One season The 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship was a motor racing championship for Formula One cars. It was the 66th Formula One World Championship recognised by the sport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (F ...

. The chassis was designed by Nick Chester, Chris Cooney, Martin Tolliday and Nicolas Hennel with Mercedes supplying the team's powertrain. It was driven by

Romain Grosjean Romain David Jeremie Grosjean (; born 17 April 1986) is a Swiss-French professional Auto racing, racing driver, competing under the French flag in the NTT IndyCar Series, driving the No. 28 Honda for Andretti Autosport. Grosjean had previously ...

and

Pastor Maldonado Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta (; born 9 March 1985) is a Venezuelan professional racing driver, who competed in Formula One for the Williams (2011–2013) and Lotus (2014–2015) teams and as a Pirelli test driver until 2017. Before entering ...

. This was the team's only car to use Mercedes engines, after a 20-year period of racing with

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...

based powerplants. The E23 Hybrid was also the first Enstone-based car not to used a Renault-based engine (including the period between 1998 and 2000 where the team used Playlife badged Renault-based V10s) since the

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

-powered V8 powered

Benetton B194 The Benetton B194 is a Formula One racing car designed by Rory Byrne for the 1994 Formula One season. Design The car was closely based on its predecessors, the B192 and B193, and powered by a Ford Zetec-R V8 engine (produced by Cosworth but ...

in , as well as first full British team to utilize Petronas fuel and lubricants. Images of the 2015 car were released on 26 January 2015. The Lotus-Mercedes partnership was originally intended to last for six years (until 2020), but was terminated five years earlier as the team returned to

power unit after a single season and thus bought ill-fated Lotus stake from 2016 onwards and renamed back to

Renault Sport Formula One Team The French automotive manufacturer Renault has been associated with Formula One as both team owner and engine manufacturer for various periods since 1977. In 1977, the company entered Formula One as a constructor, introducing the turbo engine ...

Season summary

After the team's dramatic slump in 2014, the 2015 season marked a small improvement in form. The car was considered an improvement compared to the disastrous Lotus E22, which suffered from reliability issues and struggling for competitiveness due to the underpowered and unreliable Renault power unit and the fundamental flaws of the E22 chassis. However, both driver errors and unreliability cost the team points finishes in many races, limiting the car's potential of consistent points scoring. Maldonado retired in 5 out of the first 6 races either due to collisions or car problems. Grosjean and Maldonado collided with each other, in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. A highlight of the season however was Grosjean's podium finish in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Lotus ended its last season with 78 points and a 6th place in the World Constructors' Championship, before its buyout from Renault Sport.

Sponsorship and livery

The team promoted the movie '' Mad Max: Fury Road'' at the 2015 Spanish Grand Prix. At the

2015 Singapore Grand Prix The 2015 Singapore Grand Prix (formally known as the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 20 September 2015 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Marina Bay, Singapore. The race was the thir ...

Lotus celebrated the launch of the ''

Forza Motorsport 6 ''Forza Motorsport 6'' is a 2015 racing video game developed by Turn 10 Studios and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox One. It is the sixth ''Forza Motorsport'' and eighth overall installment in the '' Forza'' series, and available w ...

'' game and to celebrate, drivers wore green

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...

overalls.

Complete Formula One results

( 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lotus E23 Hybrid E23 Hybrid 2015 Formula One season cars