The stories suggesting that Lotus will link up with Toyota are complete tosh, created by people who have copied an Italian magazine which appears to have been guessing.
Team Lotus (which is what it will be called) will join forces with Renault and that is the end of it. There are some Toyota engines out there somewhere but the cost of a customer supply of these, based on Toyota’s usual price demands, are unrealistic for a modern F1 team. The company is rumoured to have asked for $30 million a year to build chassis for customers, which is simply not realistic in a world of sub-contractors.
The two questions now remaining are whether Lotus will acquire Ketteringham Hall, the former team headquarters, and build a new factory there, and whether or not the two drivers will remain unchanged in 2011.
Have to admit, I’m really excited for Team Lotus ! Out of the three new teams they’ve been the most impressive in terms of organisation and planning. You get the feeling they’re going to be around for the long term and that Tony Fernandes genuinely appreciates the heritage of the name. With the resurgence of the road car brand too, I think the future looks really bright for Lotus.
I suspect Branson will sell Virgin soon as a good offer appears. Most of his businesses he sets up, then as soon as the value is at a certain level, he flogs it and reduces involvement. The fact they have an entry in F1 2011 and some measure of organisation must make them attractive for the Chad Hurleys and Jacques Villeneuves of this world. Certainly they’re not going to get really good sponsors who are happy sitting in the shadow of the Virgin Brand.
HRT get the award for trudging on, but an entry for next year seems to be the only thing it has of value. That might suit Epsilon as it could be a cheap purchase, but even so it’s hard to see it lasting. Is Geoff Willis still hanging out with that team? If he’s not then that’ll indicate that the end is nigh…
Bruno will drive for lotus next year as well
Hi Joe,
With regard to the Team Lotus name, do you know whether Tony Fernandes has bought the rights from David Hunt’s company Team Lotus Ventures Ltd or Group Lotus PLC?
The background to this question is that Team Lotus Ventures old trademark rights to use “Team Lotus” for motor racing were revoked earlier this year
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-os/t-find/t-find-number?detailsrequested=C&trademark=2297413A
Now, Both Group Lotus and Team Lotus Ventures have registerd claims to use “Team Lotus” for a wide variety of products and services
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ohim?ohimnum=E9251497
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ohim?ohimnum=E9289737
Is this the start of a battle between the 2 companies or the road towards some sort of merger between Lotus F1 team and Group Lotus?
The details I do not know. But that is what is happening
Hi Joe, what are your thoughts on the Cologne infrastructure? Might Team Lotus be interested in acquiring some of the ex-Toyota hardware and facilities, by buying the entire plant? After all, it was Gascoyne who commissioned the technical infrastructure, starting 2004. He knows the limitations and possibilities of their equipment and technology.
Team Lotus might be interested in some stuff inside the factory, but then again as teams downsize, so do their requirements. There is much business today for smaller sub-contractors.
Hi Joe,
During the Monza race broadcast on French channel TF1, the commentator (Jean-Louis Moncet who is usually a well-informed person) mentioned that there was a dispute between Lotus cars and Lotus Racing (in particular because of the bad press around the dispute between Aerolab and Force India) and that Lotus Racing would lose the right to use the Lotus name. I was really surprised by that comment. Is it why Tony Fernandez is trying to acquire the “Team Lotus” name?
In any case, I’m sure that Lotus cars is greatly benefiting in terms of image from the Lotus Racing F1 team, so taking away the name would not seem to make a lot of sense. I would have dismissed the thought if it had not come from Jean-Louis Moncet. Are you aware of such rumors?
If you talk to the right people, you get the right answers.
Re John McGregor,
That’s extremely interesting. Purely on the face of the filings, it appears that Group Lotus and HuntCo have filed competing and contradictory applications for the TEAM LOTUS mark.
That would not ordinarily be done if there was a future tieup contemplated, and the timing of the two applications suggests that they were filed with adversarial feeling.
Although of course, the applications represent was was occurring at the time, not now. Group Lotus’s application was filed on 15 July and HuntCo’s on 2 August — it is certainly possible that the negotiations became fraught in the middle of the summer resulting in the double applications, but have now been resolved. If this is the case one of the applications will probably be abandoned or withdrawn…
Ash,
Don’t waste your energy. It is done.
Aren’t they going to move to Malaysia. Madness obviously but I thought that was the intention to make them a Malaysian icon. Madness obviously as with the exception of Ferrari and the old Renault, which successful F1 car has been made out of the UK in the last 30 years?
Going by comments by Tony Fernandes and Heikki Kovalainen Heikki is staying with the team next year. They seem to have a very friendly relationship.
After both drivers had been intervied Jake suggested that they could hang around to hear what Fernandes had to say as he was interviewed immediately afterwards. While Heikki was throwing in comments from the side Jarno seemed to disappear immediately.
Of course none of this may have any connection with next season but I would not be surprised if Jarno was not with Lotus for 2011.
[...] instead writing that the shadow of the once-colossus fronted by Colin Chapman and Jim Clark will switch to Renault engines in [...]
so it seems that the new ‘Team Lotus’ is now less affilitated to Lotus Cars than even the KV Dallara painted in Lotus colours in the USA. At least KV has Lotus Cars blessing through the Cosworth connection. 1 Malaysia F1 has just bought the ‘Team Lotus’ name, and in reality are a a malaysian f1 team partially owned by the State.
I would rather support Tony’s Lotus than Proton’s Lotus.
Tony’s are more like Colin Chapman would have done.