Nestling deep in Oxfordshire, Lotus F1 Team’s home of the Whiteways Technical Centre on the outskirts of the village of Enstone, near Chipping Norton, is an unexpected technical tour de force nestling in the verdant farmland.

The 17 acre former quarry is a Local Wildlife Site (LWS), selected due to the value and botanical interest in the unimproved limestone grassland that is included on the site; in addition it’s also a site of natural landscape significance due to the flora and fauna on site.

Amidst the butterflies and orchids, a state of the art 60% scale wind tunnel, ‘Driver in the Loop’ simulator and full production facility for Formula 1 cars can be found, all artfully designed to blend into the local countryside and not impact on the lives of the local inhabitants.

The team moved here in 1992 in its Benetton guise after initially being formed as Toleman Motorsport and entering the 1981 Formula 1 World Championship from its former base in Witney, just under 20 kilometres away.

Just two years after arriving at Enstone, the first World Championship silverware made an appearance thanks to Michael Schumacher winning the 1994 Drivers’ Championship, with the same feat accomplished the following season along with the Constructors’ Championship title too.

For 2002, the team became Renault F1 Team, and Fernando Alonso led the squad to glory for the 2005-6 Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles to the added to the roster.

Now with the Lotus F1 Team name above the door, Enstone continues to develop as a centre of motorsport excellence with the 60% scale wind tunnel added in 2011 and the ‘Driver in the Loop’ simulator coming online in 2012.