The Lotus F1 Team has pulled the covers off its 2013 challenger, entitled the E21, at its Enstone factory. The outfit's latest creation, which will be piloted by Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean, has retained the 'stepped nose' design trait.

Launched via the Lotus YouTube channel, the E21 chassis features a number of visible bodywork changes compared to its predecessor. Aside from the unpopular nose step, sidepods similar to those seen on the double title-winning Red Bull RB8 have been implemented, while the rear of the car has been packaged more efficiently.

"I can assure you that we’ve done a lot, the whole team has been putting their heart and soul into this thing for quite some time," Lotus Technical Director James Allison explained to Sky Sports. "There’s a lot gone into it and it’s going to be an exciting car.

"The regulations for 2013 are very, very similar to 2012, so you can expect to see a lot of family resemblances. But the devil is in the detail and the detail in this car adds up to a lot of performance."

Small but effective tweaks have also been made to Lotus's livery. Although the black and gold guise remains for 2013, red is now a more prominent colour ahead of an expected deal with American technology giant Honeywell. The logo of new sponsor Burn - a member of the Coca Cola family - is also visible on the E21's front wing.

At the opening Jerez test, which takes place from 5-8 February, Grosjean will complete the first two days behind the wheel of the the E21 before handing over to Räikkönen.