The family of Lotus founder Colin Chapman sees a bright future for Renault now as it has teamed up with the RenaultF1. Although the family last year embraced the return of the title in Formula 1 whole-heartedly but now, after looking at the entire dispute,
they believe that the current association of Group Lotus with Renault is a very healthy sign and will benefit the legendary status of Lotus.
This is of course a new blow for Tony Fernandes who claims to have the legal rights for the ‘Lotus’ name and has run a Formula 1 team under the title of Lotus Racing in 2010 season.
The car manufacturer Group Lotus, owned by Proton, announced earlier this season that they own all the rights of the title, and want to enter Formula 1 for the 2011 season with the same name. Finally, a deal was signed between Group Lotus and RenaultF1team
after which the manufacturer has become the title sponsor and so Renault will be seen on the 2011 grid as Lotus Renault GP. At the same time, Fernandes has also announced that he owns the rights to the name, since he bought it from David Hunt, the owner of
the title since the original Lotus team collapsed in 1994.
With both the teams currently clinging tightly to the name and none willing to give up at any cost, it is believed that the 2011 season is going to see two teams use the same name. The other interesting thing is that both the teams will be Renault-powered,
and both the teams might be seen in much have similar livery.
Despite their initial backing for the Fernandes’ efforts to bring the legendary name back to the sport, the family now believes that Proton/Group Lotus will prove to be better for brining the glory back to the brand. While talking to the media last week,
the family stated, “The Chapman family is impressed by the exciting developments underway at Group Lotus, and it is very grateful to Proton for the significant investment that is being made to secure a strong future for the excellent workforce at the Hethel
factory.”
While answering about their deviation from the initial support for Fernandes to the current appreciation of Proton, they explained, “The Chapman family was impressed by the achievements of Lotus Racing as a new team, and appreciated its respect for Team
Lotus history. However, then its licence to use the Lotus name was terminated and things changed."
The Chapmans also showed that they have not been very pleased by Fernandes' decision of changing his team’s name from the historical title the ‘Lotus Racing’ to ‘Team Lotus’ for 2010.
The family further clarified that all thorough the last season, they made it very clear, whenever they found an opportunity that they did not appreciate the name change and would have been happier to see the iconic name to be used as it is. The family also
believes that whosoever tries to role-play as the custodian of the name, must take care of the legacy of the team and that of Colin Chapman.
The family of Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus, told the press that they are looking forward to extend maximum possible support to the Group Lotus, which is the true ancestor of the historical entity formed by Colin and Hazel Chapman. The family concluded
saying, "After all, the Lotus marque is the responsibility of Group Lotus, and Hethel is the home of Lotus.”
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