Lotus Racing has this morning announced a strengthening of its senior management team with team principal Tony Fernandes confirming that two of the team's shareholders, S M Nasarudin and Dato' Kamarudin Meranun, will be joining him as deputy team principals.

These appointments give Lotus Racing's leadership team a strong base from which to lead the company and assist each other through the challenges that lie ahead in driving the team from its current status as a newcomer to the grid to fight for victory on and off track.

Commenting on the appointments, S M Nasarudin said: "We made this dream possible, turning it from a simple Malaysian dream to reality. This was all made possible through passion, hard work and team spirit. As with all the challenges that we have had to face to get to where we are now, we embraced these challenges as a team and now are even more determined to finish what we have started. We are realistic of our goals and by no means will it be easy from this point onwards, but the belief is there. We will consistently bring with us a professional and confident set up to each of the races for this season. As team owners, and in our Deputy Principal's roles, it further reflects our continued belief and commitment to this team."

Dato' Kamarudin Meranun added his thoughts, saying: "One may have the money, but not necessarily the opportunity to invest in an exciting and challenging venture, especially with a team of dedicated and highly committed people - to sum it up, this is unity in diversity at its best, under a legendary name, Lotus Racing. We still have a long road ahead and who knows what the future holds, but we are underway and we just have do the best we can. We have delivered a great product in such a short time period, in one of the most competitive motors-sports platform in the world, and I strongly believe we have the drive, determination and most importantly the passion to see it through - God willing."

Dato' Seri Tony Fernandes welcomed the appointments, commenting: "Our goals and objectives are clear but, as mentioned earlier, there is still a huge task at hand. We have 19 races to go through and, with the three of us assisting each other in our roles, we believe that the management has all the necessary resources to bring the team to the forefront."

Lotus Racing hit the track in anger for the first time this week, joining the official test in Jerez, before moving on to Barcelona next week.