Team Lotus loses support to use name Lotus for 2011 season – Formula 1 news
It has recently been revealed that Team Lotus has lost the support for using the name ‘Lotus’ from previous owner David Hunt.
Team Lotus and Group Lotus decided to part ways after conflicts between the two organisations increased in 2010 and both teams were at loggerheads with each other over using the name Lotus in Formula 1 for the 2011 season.
Hunt sold the rights to the name Lotus to Team Lotus’ boss Tony Fernandes but recent reports have revealed that David is now planning to sue Tony claiming Lotus’ team boss still has to pay for the naming rights.
The court session regarding this matter is expected to resume on 21 March, 2011 and it has been revealed that Hunt has refused to help Team Lotus in the court and he stated that he sees “potentially some serious holes” in Fernandes’ case.
“He's apparently changed his mind at the eleventh hour. He's trying to renegotiate by offering new terms which are, frankly, ludicrous,” Hunt said.
Fernandes bought the name for his team when his team’s relations with Proton started to deteriorate. However, Proton claims that Team Lotus did not buy the rights to the name after they bought Team Renault and as a result, Proton wanted the name back in
order to change Team Renault’s name to Lotus Renault GP.
Nevertheless, this case was taken to the court after that and the first hearing took place towards the end of January 2011 but the court could not come up with a decision. As a result, the case was then postponed until 21 March where the teams are going
to meet once again in order to come up with a solution to the crisis.
However, it is believed that the complexities of this case will cause some delays in the final solution of the whole matter.
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