With the 2010 season reaching its conclusion Lotus will hope they can complete the final races with a flourish, with Singapore being the next stop. After this weekends night race the championship will only have four rounds to go with Japan, Korea, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates to conclude the season. Lotus will be optimistic that drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli can produce some more strong performances, particularly at the Korean and United Arab Emirates circuits which are new to Formula One in 2010.

Singapore awaits before that with a race which has been the source of controversy since it made its worldwide debut in Formula One in 2008, the ‘crashgate’ scandal with the Renault team lead to plenty of talking points in the sport and announced Singapore as a track which could produce the drama which makes Formula One such a spectacle. The race weekend in 2010 should hopefully be a little less controversial than previous years but with the battle for the championship intensifying there should still be plenty of action as McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari do battle on the track.

For Lotus the race in Singapore will be about a return to form after a difficult race in Monza which saw Jarno Trulli retire with engine failure just three laps from the finish and Kovalainen finish a difficult race 18th. With the confirmation that Lotus will use a Renault engine and gear box nexy season the team will look to make the best of their current deal with Cosworth in the remaining races for 2010. The deal with Renault should give a boost to Lotus in their bid to climb the grid in 2011 and with the right developments from Mike Gascoyne and the rest of the team it could produce some better finishes next season with points finishes being a real possibility depending on the differences in performance between the midfield.

Back to this weekend and the team will be optimistic ahead of their first night race under the Singapore street lights, with the advantage ahead of their rivals of having two experienced drivers with Kovalainen and Trulli driving at the circuit in 2008 and 2009.

The team will need to return to form quite quickly during the race weekend and a good qualifying session could lead to a good result overall on the tight and twisty street circuit which holds similar characteristics to Monaco. The lack of run off areas should also lead to some close racing and plenty of collisions between the drivers, in the mid pack Lotus should be weary of any collisions and any ambitious overtaking manoeuvres in the opening laps.

With the battle for the championship going down to the wire one mistake in Singapore could change the outlook for the 2010 title and the back markers will be wise to keep out of trouble. Kovalainen has already come to blows with Red Bull on a street circuit this year and both teams will be wise to avoid the same fate come the race on Sunday.

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Click on the images below to see how McLaren and Ferrari fare in the battle of the Formula One WAGs!

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