Renault and Group Lotus seal the deal forming ‘Lotus Renault GP Team’
After a series of speculations and rumours ultimately the deal between Renault F1 and Group Lotus has been finalised. Gerard Lopez, the Chairman of Genii Capital and the major share holder in the Renault team, has revealed only
a short while back that Group Lotus will be the official title sponsor of the French squad.
The team will enter the 2011 season under its new title ‘Lotus Renault GP Team’, and will undergo a complete rebranding. There had been news lately regarding the ongoing discussions between the Formula One team and the car manufacturing
company but nothing was confirmed so far. After around a month long negotiation, all has been settled between the two and further details of the deal are to be disclosed very soon.
The two has confirmed their partnership for the next year today in a joint press conference. With sealing this deal not only will the team be seen with a new title on next year’s calendar but the classic black and gold colour will
be seen back on the grid once again. Well, that is a scene not to be missed by the fans of the great racer, Ayrton Senna, as he used to drive in a similarly painted car, during his times with Lotus.
While confirming the news, Lopez announced, "We are delighted that we can now go public with the news that we will be racing as Lotus Renault GP in 2011. It is extremely exciting to begin a new era for the team in partnership with
Group Lotus, and we will continue to enjoy a strong relationship with Renault over the coming seasons. It is a tribute to the excellent work this year by the team in Enstone that we have been able to attract both major sponsorship and new investment for a
very bright future."
At the same time, the Group Lotus CEO, Dany Bahar also expressed his pleasure for sealing the deal with Renault as he stated, "I can think of no better platform for automotive brand communications than motorsport and F1 is the
very pinnacle of open-wheel racing.”
He further explained saying that with this he expects that all the disputes regarding the team name ‘Lotus’ will be over. He concluded saying that they are the heirs of the legendary title ‘Lotus’, and they are back in the sport
and are adamant to stay and bring glory to the brand once again.
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