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Smith eyes championship with Lotus

Mark Smith was previously technical director at Force India © Sutton Images

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New Lotus technical director Mark Smith has said he is targeting winning a championship after he began working for the team today.

Smith was previously with Force India, but was only able to start his new role with Lotus after fulfilling his existing contractual obligations despite having signed last June. He will report to chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne, and having won races at many of his previous teams, Smith said he was looking to go one better at Lotus.

"I am very excited about the challenge that lies ahead with Team Lotus," Smith said. "This is the first time I have been in the factory and I am very impressed with what I have seen across all the departments. Throughout my career I have had some interesting spells with a number of F1 teams including Jordan, Renault, Red Bull Racing and Force India and I have enjoyed the experience of winning races wherever I have been. However, I have never been involved in a Championship win with any of those teams and I see that as one of my key goals with Team Lotus."

Smith also said that short-term he had been impressed by Lotus' progress.

"I was genuinely impressed at how this team reached the 2010 grid with a good functional car and a professional looking operation in such a short time. That was a huge achievement and they have built upon that in 2011, so the foundations are there for long-term success and I am looking forward to helping the team achieve its goals for many seasons to come."

Team principal Tony Fernandes welcomed Smith on board, and said it was a sign that the team was building for the future.

"Team Lotus is a long-term project and since we first started in September 2009 we have been focusing on laying the foundations for sustained success," Fernandes said. "Mike's [Gascoyne] long-term deal with us is an integral part of that plan and we continue to make the right investments to give him the tools to take us to the front of the grid, and Mark Smith is another good example of that strategy.

Mark joins a group of extremely talented, passionate and hard working people at Team Lotus who have already enjoyed a number of significant achievements in a short period of time, and his input will immediately help us take our challenge to the next level this year, in 2012 and beyond."

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