Lola MB-01: The F1 Project That Never Raced
Lola had already experienced a failed F1 project in the 1990s with MasterCard Lola. Hoping for another chance, the company returned with the Lola MB-01 project in the late 2000s, but it failed again, this time without ever making it to the grid.
The MB-01 was designed to bring the British manufacturer back into F1 for the 2010 season, again it was a serious attempt by Lola Cars to return to the sport, backed by an established engineering operation, an experienced workforce and years of motorsport knowledge.
However, despite reaching an advanced design stage and undergoing wind-tunnel testing, the Lola MB-01 never made it to a Formula 1 starting grid.
The project emerged during a period when F1 was looking to expand its grid and attract new manufacturers. In 2010, three new teams joined the championship: Lotus Racing, HRT and Virgin Racing. However, several other projects in the mid-to-late 2000s failed to secure a place on the grid.
Why Lola Wanted to Return to F1
The opportunity came in 2009, when the FIA announced plans to introduce new teams for the 2010 Formula 1 season, one of the proposals was a £40 million budget cap, intended to make the championship more accessible to independent teams and manufacturers.
Lola saw this as an ideal moment to consider another F1 entry, and the company had a long history in international motorsport and believed its existing facilities could give it an advantage over several new organisations attempting to join the grid.
There was also an important reason behind the timing; they wanted to rebuild its reputation in F1 following the disappointing MasterCard Lola project of 1997, that campaign had ended after just one race weekend, leaving the manufacturer with unfinished business in the championship.
So this time, Lola wanted to approach the challenge with a more established engineering structure.
ITs Huntingdon headquarters already had the facilities needed to develop a modern racing car, including a composites workshop and an in-house wind tunnel. Rather than starting from nothing, they could use its existing resources to prepare a competitive F1 design.
The Lola MB-01 Was More Than a Concept
The project was initially associated with the B10/30 design, but Lola officially named the car MB-01. The name honoured Martin Birrane, the company’s chairman and owner, who played an important role in the manufacturer’s motorsport activities.
The car was revealed on Semptember 9, 2009, during an open day at Lola’s factory in Huntingdon.
Lola had produced a 50% model and subjected it to ten days of win-tunnel testing; this allowed its engineers to examine the aerodynamic concept and evaluate the design before committing to a full-size F1 car.
The company also had the facilities to manufacture the proposed machine at its own headquarters, this was an important part of Lola’s argument for returning to F1, it wanted to show that it possessed the technical resources and experience to become a serious entrant, so the MB-01 was a genuine project, even though it never progressed to the point of competing in an official F1 session.
Engine and Technical Specifications
The Lola MB-01 was developed for a proposed 2010 entry, with the possibility of competing in 2011 after the initial plans were delayed. Its power unit was to be a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre Cosworth CA V8 engine, connected to a seven-speed semi-automatic transmission.
Aerodynamic development was another major part of the programe; the 50 percent scale model was tested in Lola’s own wind tunnel, giving the team an opportunity to evaluate the car’s aerodynamic performance.
Why the Lola MB-01 Never Competed in F1
Despite the progress made; Lola’s application for the 2010 championship was unsuccessful, Lola wasn’t among the successful applicants.
Lola initially remained on standby in case an opportunity became available, whats more interesting is that the MB-01 was publicly revealed several months later after it was rejected, Lola wanted to demonstrate the work already completed and initially considered the possibility of returning for the 2011 season.
Related story: Another failed 2010 F1 project was Stefan GP – The Team That Failed to Enter the 2010 Grid, which also never made it to the starting grid.
Why Lola Abandoned Its 2011 Formula 1 Plans
For a short period; there was still hope that the MB-01 project could lead to a F1 return in 2011.
However, the situation had changed considerably, the original budget-cap proposal that had encouraged Lola to enter the competition was no longer part of the planned regulations, and they also faced a much shorter preparation period for a different technical programme.
In 2010, Lola reportedly announced that it wouldn’t submit an application for the 2011 championship. Martin Birrane explained that the original 2010 project had been frozen in June 2009 and that the revised conditions left insufficient time to prepare a completely different programme.
Editor’s Note: The proposed budget cap, introduced by then-FIA President Max Mosley, was never implemented following strong opposition from several major Formula 1 teams.
The Lola MB-01 Remained an Unraced Formula 1 Project
The Lola MB-01 became another interesting example of a F1 project that reached an advanced development stage but never had the opportunity to compete.
Unlike some unsuccessful F1 entries that existed mainly as business proposals, Lola had already completed engineering work; IT had developed an aerodynamic model, carried out wind-tunnel testing and prepared the foundations for manufacturing the proposed car.
Nevertheless, the Lola MB-01 never appeared in a Grand Prix, never participated in an official F1 practice session and never had the opportunity to demonstrate its potential on a racing circuit.
For Lola, the failed project was also a reminder of how difficult it could be for even an established manufacturer to secure a place in F1, and the MB-01 remains a fascinating part of F1’s forgotten history; a car designed for a new era of F1 that never got the chance to race!
Related story: Lola was not the only team denied an opportunity to compete in Formula 1. Read more about Rejected F1 Teams: Why Entry Bids Were Denied and the projects that never reached the grid.
Sources: This article was researched using information from motorsport publications, historical archives and other reference sources, including Racecar Engineering and Wikipedia.
