One of the two old names to reappear in 2010, Lotus like Mercedes, is a team with a grand history. The Former Lotus team featured five driver's and seven constructor's titles.

Reappearing for the first time after 1994, Lotus funded by AirAsia's CEO Tony Fernandes and Malaysian car manufacturers Proton.

The team does not lack technical expertise as it has former Force India employee Mike Gascoyne as the technical chief and a driver line-up consisting of the experienced Jarno Trulli and ex-McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen.

The team had opted for a green and gold livery - reminiscent of the '60s - to commemorate its return to the sport in its debut season and had intended to change to a black and gold livery in memory of the John Players Special era. But when Lotus Renault beat them to the livery, they chose to stick to the green and gold.

With no change in driver line up, the team looks as strong as last year with almost a guarantee that they will out do the other new teams. But it remains unclear if they can move ahead from just a new team and grow to become a strong contender.