Formula 1 commission approves name changes for three teams for 2012 season – Formula 1 news
Formula 1 commission has agreed to change the name of three teams for next season.
The key stakeholders have given their approval for the name change, which results in ending a year-long row over the Lotus name use in Formula 1.
According to some sources, starting from next season, Team Lotus cars will be known as Team Caterham, Renault will be known as Lotus and Virgin Racing Team will be renamed as Team Marussia.
The row over the Lotus name had been going on for some time now and to have it cleared finally is going to end a year-long effort.
Meanwhile, Virgin wanted the name to be changed because the Virgin brand of Richard Branson was not providing the team with any sponsorship money. The Formula 1 team was being financed by the key investor of the team, a Russian car brand known as Marussia
hence the team has been renamed Marussia.
However, a report in the Times has stated that the insiders of the team have revealed that even though the team is looking to change the name from Virgin to Marussia, Virgin is still going to remain a partner to the team.
Lotus had a long battle to maintain its right to solely keep the Lotus name, but dropped the name because of its acquisition of the Caterham car brand and is going to rename the team as Caterham. This will eradicate the confusion of having two teams using
the name Lotus on the Formula 1 grid.
However, the Renault engines being re-branded as Infiniti has been ruled out. The name Infinity was being carried by the Red Bull team because the Nissan-owned luxury car brand was providing the Renault engines to Red Bull but Renault President Carlos Ghosn
said it would not be renaming the engines to promote the brand.
“I don't think you can have a name artificially,” Ghosn is quoted by SID. “If Renault supplies the technology you can't say that for marketing reasons we call it Infiniti.”
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) World Motorsport Council meeting on December 7, 2011 will officially change the names of the mentioned teams on the day.
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