Formula 1 fans hoping to see the Lotus Renault E20 launch online this morning, were met with constant bandwidth errors //Update- High-Res images have been released.
This morning at 10am CST, the Lotus Renault F1 team was scheduled to launch their new E20 car in front of an internet audience around the world. With Autosport Magazine assisting with live commentary and feed, the launch was slated to rival the magnitude of McLaren's presentation, or even Monday's scheduled Red Bull Racing Launch, both via live web-feed.
However, fans were greeted with empty promises and 504 BAD GATEWAY errors as the website intended to host the stream went dead. Now 30 minutes later, the only available video is a guerrilla marketing piece clearly produced over the last few weeks, highlighting Kimi's return to the sport.
So far, the only photos released are on Lotus Renault's Facebook page, but still, in very limited quantity.
With the first launch scheduled at a time when both Asia, Europe, and the Americas could reasonably view the presentation, we were excited about the launch and anticipated that Lotus would capitalize on their truly global audience. Unfortunately, the result might be a much more sobering reality; that their fans expect a team to deliver a live feed with one of the largest racing publications when they say so, otherwise fans are left with a sour taste in their mouths.
//Update 01
These are the available photos so far, via the Lotus Renault Facebook page.
The Lotus Renault E20
// UPDATE 02
Lotus released a video of their launch with many interviews, including Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean, and Jérôme d’Ambrosio.
// UPDATE 03
High Res photos of the Lotus E20 and key people in the team have been released. Take a look in the gallery: Lotus F1 E20 Launch