Caterham have become the first team to unveil their 2012 car after issuing a picture of the CT01 via their official twitter account on Wednesday. The team had originally intended to unveil their new challenger on Thursday, on the cover of February’s F1 Racing magazine, but with some subscribers receiving their copies a day earlier, Caterham decided to release a sneak preview.
The green and yellow-liveried CT01 is the third Formula One car to be built by the Norfolk-based team, and the first since their winter name change from Team Lotus to Caterham. It will be raced by the unchanged line-up of Finland’s Heikki Kovalainen and Italy’s Jarno Trulli, which took the team to tenth in the 2011 constructors’ standings.
Powered by a Renault engine, the car features svelte bodywork and a distinctive ‘platypus’-style nose. This stepped-nose design is expected to become commonplace in the pit lane this year, thanks to new safety regulations for 2012 relating to nose height.
The team will publish further details about the CT01, more images and an interview with designer Mike Gascoyne on Thursday. It will make its on-track debut at the first multi-team test of the season, which will take place at Spain’s Jerez circuit from February 7-10.