The Quantum deal to take over a percentage of the Lotus F1 has been completed – and the team has secured not only the services of Kimi Raikkonen for the rest of the season, but also the future of the team. Mansoor Ijaz, who leads the consortium says that he wants to sign Nico Hulkenberg. Quantum has an option to take over the team but Ijaz is not dsaying when that would be actioned.
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joeblogsf1 
What happens to MAL now?
Force India SUT MAL Paul be without a drive
Good news, then!
Timing! Lot of inference on tv/web that this was Kimi’s last race for Lotus.
hum …
35% and “he want to sign Hulk” .. LoL
I wonder if Mr Ijaz has more money than sense.
One, he could have persuaded Raikkonen to stay with this team next year if he’d moved a bit quicker
Two, some wise F1 pundit once said never put your own cash into F1. Would that be you Joe?
Frankly, with their respective ages, performances and nationalities…I’d rather pay ~£3m for the Hulk than £15m for Raikonnen.
Agree with that point 100%
Think that Lopez and Lux may’ve taken that on-board now?
I’m left wondering if getting rid of Kimi sealed the deal for Quantum. They drug their feet perfectly long enough to move Kimi out then come to the rescue after the fact.
I believe the orginal question was “How do you make a small fortune out of F1?” and the answer is “Start with a large one”
Ron – what make you think it’s his own money? More likely yours and mine – from our pension funds!
No, it comes from other sources.
No hedge fund could be using client funds to make a so called “investment” in an F1 team, not unless they wanted to get hit with 100% redemption notices and be sued for breach of fiduciary duties. Hedge funds with outside client assets have mandates, which were used to raise those assets, and “investing” equity in a formula one team, to pay off past debts no less, is not likely to fit with any mandate that was used to raise outside money, e.g. pension money.
Don’t think Kimi would have stayed anyway. The decision on Saturday to start from the back of the grid and not the pit lane was appaling. Think he’s lost all faith in them now. But at least it looks like he’s going to be paid……………..doesn’t it?
I am sure Kimi was involved in that decision himself as well. After the race, he said explicitly that he thought the decision was right and stands by it. Had the Lotus finances be secured earlier, Kimi might’ve stayed, though hard to know just how much losing Allison to Ferrari was in Kimi’s mind when he decided to jump ships.
Hardly an appaling decision, a lot of time is lost starting from the pit lane and it is hardly a certainty that there will be a first corner incident. Your right about Kimi leaving whatever Lotus offered though. Ferrari or Lotus? Bit of a no brainer really.
Good news
That is good news Joe, thanks for the update in between your busy schedule today.
How much is this deal suppose to be worth then Joe?
Thank you for the update Joe.
As I understand it thanks to an earlier Joe update, the money being delayed wasn’t anyone’s fault more the complicated banking regimes/fiscal rules mainly due to american paranoia about large amounts of cash moving around. glad its finally settled though and looking good for Hulkenburg
Do tou know about Quantums plans Joe? Because from the outside the rationale behind the investment isn’t entirely clear.
From what I understand the Quantum-money will go to pay off debts to owners, suppliers and star driver. That will strengthen their balance sheet. But will it strengthen their cash-flow? For the last three years they have posted several tens of millions Euros in losses each year. Which means that they are spending a lot more money than they have coming in. Even if the Quantum (one off?) cash injection takes them back to square one finacially, how will Quantum/Lotus stop the team hemorrhaging money? Are there new sponsorshp deals in this package?
Ijaz has already stated he has several new sponsorship deals lined up to keep the team financially viable going forward.
Excellent news. Pastor to replace the Hulk at Sauber now then?
MAL to Force India, SUT to Sauber, I believe.
and Massa to Williams, I think. Round and round we go, where it stops nobody knows….
Great scoop Joe – you got the proper news ahead of anyone else once again.
It sounds like Pastor Maldonado may be out of luck for next year then. Will he try and patch things up with Williams?
Presumably whatever severance package was arranged with PDSV only applies if he can actually find another drive!
According to Ijaz the deal hasn’t been completed yet, Lopez is till to sign it, that of course may be a formality but until its inked, the ink can’t dry.
I was at the briefing. I know what was said.
I’m always have been and remain completely confident in your accurate reporting of what was said Joe 🙂 I also took your advice and looked further into Al Manhal, and found it interesting that their Executive Project Director in the USA runs a pizza parlour, in fact the more closely one looks at Al Manhals website the more one ought to be convinced by the grammar that it was written up by a 14 year old, I remain unconvinced, though i’ve always been a cynical old fart.
You are probably looking in the wrong place.
Back to the drawing board then! Cheers.
Joe: Al Manhal’s US contact is a pizza parlor in SLC. It’s listed right here on their web page:
http://www.almanhal-group.com/contact.html
So you think that a bunch of squillionaire investors, who have been round the block a few times, have not checked this company out in the course of the last five months and an eagle-eyed race fan knows better? Wow, how come you are not running the entire sport?
Care to comment on this now Joe?
I have.
According to their ‘website’
Al Manhal International Group LLC’s US office is located at:
AL Manhal International Group LLC
35 west 300 south #102
Salt Lake City,UT,USA,84101
(801)889-8655 cell
amrol@siciliapizza.net
Sicilia Pizza Kitchen is located at:
Sicilia Pizza Kitchen
35 West Broadway
Salt Lake City, Utah 84104
(801) 961-7077
Your point?
Al Manhal International Group is a Pizza Parlour!
This shows the depth of your ability as an investigative reporter.
Guess my judgement wasn’t so bad after all!
Justice for Hulkenberg. It would’ve been such a shame if his only option was force India.
Money into F1 to secure F1 Team …. . Hoorah ! – So, So pleased as Lotus were looking decidedly precarious and you Joe said there was two teams which could disappear because of lack of funds …… Was Lotus one of the two Teams ???…………. any hints at the other one or two teams – Thanks Joe.
Great news for Lotus and Hulk. Certainly hope this frees up a nice seat for Massa as well. Could be a pretty interesting shake-up in the mid-field next year. One wonders if the Lotus name will continue in 2014.
As I understood it, if the Quantum deal was done within Hulk’s timescale, he’d be signed at Lotus – otherwise he’d be forced to accept the Force India offer, and Lotus would get Maldonado.
It’s clear tha Hulk is the more talented and consistent of the two, even though Maldonado is a race winner, and Hulk might have to starve himself with next year’s weight limits.
So, can we expect Hulk to proceed to Lotus? If so, who gets Maldonado and his sponsorship? Would Force India be looking at him?
Would love you to expand on your view, Joe!
Googling Mr Ijaz brings up some “colourful” media reports. I’m guessing they might not be the same person, but it might shed light into why a lot of compliance red flags might have been raised.
Look at Ijaz’s life and analyse it. You need to remember the fact that, for whatever reason, this is a guy who has made some enemies at fairly high level, so one should not be surprised to see attempts to discredit him. One must always consider the source. In F1 terms, the only thing that matters is whether he has delivered the money. What almost none of the reports say was that he had a briefing which was attended by about eight journalists (of which I was one of them) and by Suhail Al Dhaheri, the boss of Al Manhal. Look into that company before making a decision about whether he has the cash.
So if the Hulk finally gets a drive he deserves at Lotus, Massa ends up at Williams, where will Maldonado go? Force India? Sauber?
Great news, Lotus has performed so well over the past two years. Would be terrible to watch them slide due to lack of funds.
Now they can hire talent over cash, so great for Nico Hulkenberg too!
Good news at last.
Kudos. Seeing as you’ve been AFAIK the only guy who’s kept saying the deal would go through in spite of the delays (whilst pretty much everyone else said it was dead), seems to me you get bragging rights. Big time.
Wait till F1 gets a load of Ijaz. He can really run his mouth.
It is not hard to spot that.
Bless ‘im ! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/motorsport/formulaone/10130010/Lotus-will-be-the-No-1-team-on-the-Formula-One-grid-within-a-year-claims-new-investor-Mansoor-Ijaz.html
This really good news for Lotus. Hulkenburg will do them proud I am very sure.
Or he will turn out to be the new Heinz-Harald Frentzen.
I was shopping for clothes with the wife at the weekend and she stared across Debenhams and exclaimed “since when did Kimi endorse jeans?!?”
Then heard from Ted Kravitz that in order to keep wolf from door he’s been taking various endorsements he wouldn’t normally have touched…
Ah, that would explain the Renault road car adverts then… 😉
I find this hard to believe. He earnt top whack at Ferrari for a number of years. I don’t think he’s short of a penny or two. I think it just may be a sign of Kimi becoming more outward. He was in a car ad for Renault recently. he actually spoke.
Is Maldonado possibly the worst driver to ever have won an F1 Race? He always seem as unreliable and reckless as ever despite now having a decent level of F1 experience. Compare that with Grosjean, who was a bit of a wild child to say the least, but has matured into an exciting & reliable driver who I’m sure will be a winner by this time next year.
There is a marshal with a broken back who will wholeheartedly agree with you in that respect. Maldonado is lucky just to have driven in F1 after his escapades in 2005.
Please tell me now that Maldonado won’t be joining Lotus?
Not if the team can help it,
That’s exactly the sort of insightful snippet that makes me frequent this blog. A short sentence that reveals far more than reams (or whatever the term is for acres of digital text) of copy and paste theorising, or uninformed debate on a forum.
Very interesting Joe – thanks.
Many of the best drivers started out as rough diamonds and then learn and cut out the mistakes. Maldanado doesn’t appear to have moved on at all. I’m beginning to wonder if that was actually Maladanado at the wheel in that Spanish GP win, or some kind of clone beamed down from an alien race, so different did he behave. Either way, just recently, he’s managed to piss off not only his own team, but also his rookie co-driver, who a couple of weeks ago he completely cut up. At the moment, he’s a loose cannon in charge of a deadly weapon (an F1 car). I don’t know if he’s the worse driver ever to be in F1 but he may be the worst on the grid at the moment. If you exclude Max Chilton.
I knew who Mansoor Ijaz was, many years before I heard of his link to Lotus.
Hopefully, the deal will secure the team’s future.
Interesting that the money came through just 48 hours after the terribly embarrassing revelation that Kimi hadn’t been paid a single Euro all season long.
Coincidence? Perhaps. Though it’s also possible the funder realized the very late payment was causing tremendous damage to the property he was intent on purchasing.
Kimi’s forthrightness may have been the persuading factor that resulted in the funds being made available.
The problem with Lotus’s money was that some of it came from an Arab source and went via the USA. Post 9/11, that is an incredibly hard thing to do, to transfer so much money, because it has now to go through a series of rigorous checks before it reaches it’s destination to check its authenticity, both in it’s source and its destination. I think that the revelation that Kimi hadn’t been paid all season and then payment being made was just a coincidence. Kimi’s forthrightness is just Kimi being Kimi but not really the deciding factor
The non payment to Kimi has been public knowledge for weeks. Well i’ve known about it for weeks and i’m not particularly in the know…….
That Kimi’s salary was in arrears had been known for months.
That he hadn’t been paid a single Euro all season long? No, that wasn’t publicly stated until last Friday. That story made news all over the world. It was hugely embarrassing to Lotus.
Miraculously, less than 2 days later the money appears. It may have been a coincidence, but probably not.
Ijaz wants Hulkenberg, Bouiller wants Hulkenberg but its Lopez that controls the purse strings isn’t it? It wouldn’t have been very hard to keep Kimi if he wanted, he could’ve easily showed a token gesture yet Kimi said he wasn’t been paid a single euro. I think PnL is more important to him than the championship imo, and Maldonado’s money is worth more points than any single driver can score.
Let’s see
I can’t understand why Lotus has been unable to land any sizable sponsorship deals over the last 2 years. I’m sure Lotus Cars (Group Lotus) loves the branding on the F1 cars, but I’m pretty sure their money dried up a long time ago.
Do you believe Maldonado has a secure commitment from PDVSA for 2014, given recent events inside Venezuela? And if your answer is “yes”, has anyone outside of F1 circles confirmed that to be the case?
Yes
Given that Maldonado has REAL $ from Oil Resources and has previously come up with the funds we can assume he will do the same again.
I have learnt from yourself Joe to not believe all that is written on the internet. – I’m afraid reading about Mansoor Ijaz doesn’t make for the most secure benefactor but here’s hoping things work out well for Lotus.
As Kimi has not been paid all season (as of Sunday at least) and seeing Jackie Stewart prancing around in the latest attire he gets paid to wear. It made me wonder does he get paid by Lotues and has he? As in has he been paid up to date?
Today is November 7,the money was supposedly on the account of Lotus since Monday according to IJAZ!!!No announcement from the team which has learned a lesson from June.So I suppose this story will die and IJAZ will turn it against the team.I take bets!!!
We’ll see.
Kimi has found a good excuse in order to protect his contract and f…Lotus.
I think even Joe must have doubts this morning…
Joe Will there be a name change
No
This post simply underscores the vastly bigger issue in F1 of the owners taking too large a share of the pie, and thus forcing some of the teams to hire “pay drivers” to finance much of their operations. That is a situation that simply shouldn’t be, and takes the sport in the wrong — and, in my estimation, unsustainable — direction. It deprives the sport of the talents of the best drivers, and shortens the careers of those without powerful financial backers.
Wish the teams would band together and exert a little leverage on the owners to gain a larger share of the revenues. I’m not optimistic.
But they have not announce the signing of Hulk, I think they are still thinking about those tens of millions from PDVSA if they sign Maldonado, they know he can win races, he just needs to learn to have patience. It is a whole lot easier to calm a fast driver than it is to make a calmed driver fast.
Did I miss the confirmation that Boullier suggested would be on Tuesday ?
No
In 7 days we will see Kimi drive a Lotus in Austin then… Let’s just wait and see if that actually happens…
So kimi gets paid then ?
I feel sorry for those drivers who have lost opportunities because of Pastor Maldonado. Who would have ever touched him if it wasn’t for the money that Hugo Chavez spread around in an attempt to improve Venezuela’s image around the world. Those who know Venezuela and the Venezuelans know what i am talking about.
Joe — I am a corporate lawyer and have put together dozens of deals over the last decade, including aspects of deals concerning countries that are the subject of international sanctions. No one ever announces a deal before significant hurdles surrounding a deal are cleared. I am afraid Ijaz et al have been leading Lotus down a garden path for half a year on a promise of money coming in “this week”. This is not the way multi-million dollar investment deals are made in the real world.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating. You may be a corporate lawyer, but how much do you really know about this story? The reason that I have not gone into it in any great detail in print is that I am waiting to see what happens. Ijaz is an unusual guy. He talks far too much and has a lot of seemingly implausible stories. At the same time, he really does have a lot of influential friends in unusual places. This does not mean the deal will happen, or won’t happen. We just don’t know. There are so many people out there on the Internet writing stories about Ijaz, saying he is this and he is that, without a clue about the sources they are relying upon. This is a guy who has upset a lot of powerful people at government level and there is no doubt that some of the stories about him are fabricated. Perhaps some are true. Business enterprises do gone wrong sometimes and I am sure that many people have things like that. And we all have people who are willing to say bad things about us… This does not mean that I am convinced one way or the other. I don’t know. I have looked at it from all the different angles and I still don’t know. I would love to hear why people think that a supposed fantasist has anything to gain from inventing such an investment? What is he gaining by doing what he is doing if the money is not real? He is simply setting himself up to look ridiculous. The one thing he has done is to made the mistake of saying too many times that the money is coming and the non-arrival of the funds means that this has hurt his credibility in F1 circles, where people are very cynical. The only way to respond to that is to deliver the cash. We will see if he does or he does not. The thing I find extraordinary is that people do not ask the obvious question: if Ijaz is all these things that they think he is, why are Genii, Lotus and some fairly serious F1 journalists not dismissing him out of hand? Do these amateurs think that we are all stupid enough not to have done the homework? Of course we have done the due diligence. The problem is that we know other things as well, which have not been in the public domain about what has been going on and that is why people are waiting to see. Did you know – for example – that the money was actually in a Genii Capital bank account at one point, but the bank was not allowed to complete the transfer because it was more money than the bank was licensed to transfer? Probably not. I have heard that from both sides so I tend to believe it. This is one of the reasons that Genii Capital is hanging on, because they are pretty sure that this money is real. That does not mean that it will be delivered because clearly there are lots of complications. Time is definitely running out… but until it is over let us see whether this turns out OK or not. It is quite important for the health of Lotus F1 that it does. The reason I have been cautious is that I don’t know the answer and so I am not going to get up and pontificate as so many others are doing. We don’t need to do that. We can just wait and see…
Joe you dont know this!! Both sides are obligated to say that. Not a good source unless you take the opposite of their words!!!
The point is that this is what they said. As a journalist one reports what is said. Sometimes one passes judgement on it, sometimes not. We will see in the fullness of time whether it actually happens.
Hey Joe, appreciate you work.
Just curious as to why your point of view has shifted so strongly from:
‘The Quantum deal to take over a percentage of the Lotus F1 has been completed – and the team has secured not only the services of Kimi Raikkonen for the rest of the season, but also the future of the team’
‘So you think that a bunch of squillionaire investors, who have been round the block a few times, have not checked this company out in the course of the last five months and an eagle-eyed race fan knows better?’
To:
‘This does not mean the deal will happen, or won’t happen’
‘We will see if he does or he does not’
‘The reason I have been cautious is that I don’t know the answer and so I am not going to get up and pontificate as so many others are doing. We don’t need to do that. We can just wait and see…’
Because that is what the man said that night in Abu Dhabi.
yeah, i understand that some guy said that in Abu Dhabi.
I was just interested in knowing what has made you change your stance on the matter ?
I reported what the guy said. I did not have a stance. I don’t now. We wait to see…
Oh sorry, just assumed if you come out and confirm a story, then you believed it to be true.
If it was ‘because that is what the man said that night in Abu Dhabi.’
In your own word ‘one must always consider the source’
You say ‘Suhail Al Dhaheri, the boss of Al Manhal. Look into that company before making a decision about whether he has the cash’
I know my comment about Al Manhal being a Pizza Parlour, wasnt the most substantiated in the world (and was probably entitled to your sarcastic response), but my point is after looking into that company this is what i found:
a) The supposedly multi-billion pound company’s Executive Director, Mr Amrol Hararah, is based in the US, and runs a Pizza Parlour called Sicilia, in Salt Lake City from the same address.
Google Street View confirms their is a pizza place at this location. As does an reviews on line about Sicilia Pizza.
b) His contact number is a mobile number. Suspicious for such a ‘wealthy company.
c) There are many simple grammatical errors on the website, something you wouldn’t expect from a ‘billion-dollar’ company.
d) Their claimed partnerships with Deutsche Telekom hasn’t been confirmed by the other party.
e) They claim ‘Al Manhal seeks to develop and promote projects with high profitable returns projects’. However Formula 1 is not known to be highly profitable.
On Mansoor Ijaz his public records show outstanding debt to several banks (BSI, Citibank, and he has been convicted of Fraud in the past. He borrowed money on the claim he was going to build the Aquatic Las Vegas Towers in 2007, yet the company owes money and the towers do not exist, even though he claimed contracts had been signed.
He also claimed to be building an US$500 million under-wated hotel in Dubai under the company Crescent Hydropolis Resorts and claimed to hope to finish it 2008 “If we get things up and running by that time, we hope that Dubai still has a realistic chance of finishing before 2008.” There is no evidence of this hotel ever being started.
He seems to blow his on trumpet a lot in all interviews i have found of him, and yet there is no other confirmation of his wealth, except a few political donations in the 90’s.
He also confirms the deal before it has gone through, this is not normal for international ‘multi million’ deals.
This article highlights most of these issues and more with appropriate links which has assisted me in finding much of this information:
I have no reason to believe that person has an agenda.
On your question of: ‘I would love to hear why people think that a supposed fantasist has anything to gain from inventing such an investment? What is he gaining by doing what he is doing if the money is not real?’
It’s a good question you ask here, my best answers would be:
a) He could be using it as credibility to get investments from other people. The publicity and his name linked with such a company cant be a bad thing in that regard.
b) He gets to live his life as a ‘wealthy business man’ and walk around the paddock like a Team owner.
Now of course, i take into account your point where he has made enemies in high places, but these also seem to be dubious circumstances to me.
‘that the money was actually in a Genii Capital bank account at one point, but the bank was not allowed to complete the transfer because it was more money than the bank was licensed to transfer?’
This is an interesting point you make here, and gives some hope. But one wonders a) how could it arrive in their account in the first place, if it was more than the bank was licensed to transfer, and then are able to transferring it back where it came from? and b) why would two multi-million pound investment companies be dealing with banks not capable of transferring large quantities of money?
However his money could conceivably come through (to which i’d be delighted as i would love to see Hulkenberg get the drive he deserves), but one must admit all this evidence is at the very least extremely fishy. He seems to have all the signs of a con-man much like the Russell King fellow who bought Notts County, and tried to buy Sauber.
Another point that has been raised, is perhaps Lotus are very aware of this, and are using it to get more money form PDVSA and Pastor Maldonado.
Again, i do appreciate your work and I’m not trying to have a go, just trying to engage in a conversation with you, as its clear to me from your post that you where you previously seemed convinced of the deal, you now appear more doubtful, and was curious for your reasons for that change in outlook.
Anyway as you aptly put it, only time will tell, lets wait and see, i hope for Lotus’ and F1 sake that the money comes through.
Dig deeper and you will see why F1 people are waiting to see…
would you care to elaborate ?
No
Sorry, that was mean.
I mean’t to say something like…..’thats hardly surprising’.
I have dug deeper as you suggested and the more i look the more and more obvious its becomes that Mr Ijaz is a liar and a fraudster.
I don’t understand why you go after Vijay Mayilla (with good cause), but you don’t scrutinise Mansoor Ijaz.
I’m convinced is a con, anyway let’s wait and see how it plays out.
You don’t know what you don’t know.
The deal still hasn’t been completed, and Raikkonen did not race the last two races.
Sorry this news was false and therefore is poor reporting in my book.
After learning about some of Mansoor Ijaz’s history, I wonder if he used you as a way of giving himself some credibility ?
You say – you don’t know what you don’t know – but maybe in your case, you don’t know what you know.
I don’t give a toss what you know or think you know. I report things that happen and decide on what I think about them. This is what a blog is. If you do not like these insights go read something else. Throwing abuse at me will only serve to get yourself blocked…
Joe, I’m sorry you feel that abuse was thrown at you, and if you felt offended, but I really don’t think I used any abuse, if i have please let me know, so i can correct my behaviour in the future.
I was simply making a comment on your report, ‘that is what a blog is’
Describing a false report as poor reporting, or re-using a sentence you posted surely doesn’t fall under the category of abuse.
Whereas stating that you don’t ‘give a toss’ what you readers think (not that im offended) more rude than anything I said. You also use a similar tone with some of your other readers, when they seem to have innocent intentions also.
The point i was making was you are a reporter, and as you say you ‘I report things that happen’, however in this instance you have reported something that hasn’t happened.
Anyway I was interested in asking you the question, if you where beginning to wonder if Mansoor Ijaz used you as a way of giving himself some credibility ? I guess you don’t want to answer, for some reason. If you would care to answer, I would appreciated your thoughts, and if you don’t then thats obviously fair enough.
I didn’t know much about the situation, hence i came to engage with some one who appears to have had some first hand encounters with this (one must admit dubious) character. I was only hoping to gain some insight, my intention was never to insult.
I hear Pastor Maldonado has joined Lotus, so that is a strong indication (to me) this deal is dead.
I do enjoy reading some of your insights, again I was just making a constructive (if critical comment). Surely, that is part of being a reporter.
Even so, apologies once more if any offence was caused.
All I ask for is a little respect for the fact that I am doing something for nothing for the readers of this blog. I don’t have to do it. I don’t know all the answers but I know the people involved in F1 and I have been around the block a few times in the last 30 years.
Joe — I agree with you. Nobody really know what’s really going on. What I meant to say is that in my years of experience, big money investment deals aren’t put together in this manner. As to why Ijaz would do it — there’s no such thing as bad publicity, especially for one with a proclivity for sensationalism.
Yes there is, when you do not deliver.
Joe,
On a related point, I realize that Lotus does not have firm contracts with an engine supplier (or driver) for 2014. Am I right in thinking that Lotus F1 is alone in this position of any team in Formula 1?
Could it be that the strongest team in F1 after Red Bull on current form could fold (or be sold) if funding doesn’t come in time or at all from Quantum / Venezuela? What a shame that would be.
Thanks for your insights.
I doubt it.
Joe, What is your view on a Lotus “Plan B” ? At what point do Lotus need move forward with certainanty? Do you think they have a plan B……Surely the current situation must be undermining their driver options, potential sponsors and staff confidence.
The cynic in me suggests that when they put the money in the bank they knew it would blocked, but it would look credible, but why would you drag the deal out..
I hope I am wrong ,as I have been a fan since the Toleman days, but I have a bad feeliing about this deal and the impact that it could have on the team.
Thanks
Just a Bloke
6 month of placement for such a big amount of money loose …
this is not the way people who manage funds proceed generally ..
at least, Ijaz is able to deliver one of the sponsor he plan to supply with Lotus to stabilise the cash flow of Lotus ..
why he don’t anticipate that to partialy clear the situation ?
You seem to know more about this than I do.
certainly no, I am loking to that story “from my window” means as a Spectator I am .. just surprise of this situation, this is not a “classic” way to proceed in this type of transaction ..
this is just a personal asking .. if he was able to do it .. why he don’t do? ..
These are the mysteries that we have all struggled with.
You say that you ‘report things that happen’, with respect it looks like you reported something that didn’t happen. I do like your insights and will always take everything online with a pinch of salt, even from the mighty Joe Saward. As everyone who frequents this blog and other F1 news sites should probably know by now, nothing is guaranteed until the official press release is released. Oh, and one other thing, whatever Bernie says won’t happen will and vice-versa!
I have explained my thought process enough times.
Joe ..
with all the due respect, do you have some news from Quantum Lotus?
this is a total blackout .. no more informations about the deal from one week ..
hope Genii move to make the team alive for 2014 ..
all my best .. and thanks for the time you spend for us on your blog
With all due respect, this is a blog…
Wait, I don’t get it ? if it was confirmed then why did they go for Maldonado instead of Hulkenberg ? and why did Kovalainen replace Raikkonen for the last 2 races ? or was that just because of his back injury ? would be great if this could be explained, thanks!
You don’t get it. True enough. But you still blather on about things you don’t understand.
So, what happened with the deal? Where are the monies?
Mr Lopez and Mr Lux would like to know the answer to that question…