Lotus F1 Team 2015

[RicME85]

Carlos Ghosn saying three years to be competitive

[Neno]

Renault is back home where it belongs with Enstone. Now it's time to find new Alonso.

[Schuttelberg]

Best thing to have happened in this F1 season. While the comeback of Renault excites me, their driver line up depresses me.

[Manoah2u]

Renault is back home where it belongs with Enstone. Now it's time to find new Alonso.

Probably Sainz or Verstappen.

[nevill3]

Renault is back home where it belongs with Enstone. Now it's time to find new Alonso.

Jolyon Palmer, the next Renault WDC

[FrukostScones]

Renault is back home where it belongs with Enstone. Now it's time to find new Alonso.

Jolyon Palmer, the next Renault WDC

Ghosn asked about a french driver... things will be clear in January....

http://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/Ghos ... 98528.html

but I guess MAL is pretty safe... otherwise he will sue the f out out them and Lopez (L .still double digit minority holder of the new team, AMUS).

[ScottB]

Renault is back home where it belongs with Enstone. Now it's time to find new Alonso.

Jolyon Palmer, the next Renault WDC

Ghosn asked about a french driver... things will be clear in January....

http://motorsport.nextgen-auto.com/Ghos ... 98528.html

but I guess MAL is pretty safe... otherwise he will sue the f out out them and Lopez (L .still double digit minority holder of the new team, AMUS).

I suppose it depends on the minutiae of their contracts. I doubt Renault would seek to incur any costs getting rid of either of them now ahead of what's likely to be a season of consolidation (unless Pastor's petrodollars stop turning up) anyway.

Could be talking about a third driver being French for example, can't imagine Renault would feel the need to keep Jorda on, so there's a space to be had perhaps?

[Neno]

Renault is back home where it belongs with Enstone. Now it's time to find new Alonso.

Jolyon Palmer, the next Renault WDC

Not high on him. I hope Renault goes for Ocon and Verstappen for 2017 car.

[Manoah2u]

Ghosn already stated they'll have a meeting on their goals and plans in januari 2016, which will include a discussion regarding 'their drivers'. In other words, Palmer & Maldonado, your Lotus contracts mean squad to Renault's Ghosn.

Expecting 3 years before they'll plan on having the fruits and success of what they aim for, i can't see them envisioning being 'there' like in the Alonso days [twice] with a demolition expert like Pastor and a unstable, hardly impressive Joylon.
The only reason i could see them stay for 2016 is that they'll sit it out as 2017 will be a new f1-style either way and perhaps they'll wait for what happens in the driver market as of 2017.

Either way, noticing lotus had severe financial problems, Pastor adds nothing then anymore so adios le pido.
Joylon brings nothing to the table. goodbye.

Potential candidates?

Kimi? no, Ferrari out = end of F1 career period.
Alonso? Not before 2017, and i seriously doubt it either way.
Hamilton? Never going to happen.
Vettel? Same.
Verstappen? Now that could happen, if they can convince them that they are able to actually provide a GP winning car.
Sainz? Probably.
Rosberg? Why not, i could see that happening actually.
Ocon? perhaps as the french input, but i think Renault values winning more over having some lame frenchy there.
Magnussen? As a 2nd driver perhaps yes, i don't think his racecraft was that bad actually.
Perez? If Aston Martin ditches him - unlikely - then yes, i could see that.
Nasr? Quick enough, just has to show one more year to show his real potential.
Bottas? Has the potential, just needs the right car. could happen.
Vandoorne? yes, that could very well happen.

If i had to find a combo?

Rosberg & Sainz.

Verstappen i can imagine having some senna-esque & Hamilton-like characteristics which would not bring a good relationship with Rosberg. Sainz seems to be - with all do respect to Max - a bit more 'team oriented' rather than
focused on 'just winning', so Rosberg & Sainz could be a very decent pairing imho.

same with Nasr, who would probably bring some good extra funding through Banco do Brasil, and Renault has a strong
Brazilian clientele so it would be a proper possibility.

[zack!]

from a renault marketting standpoint, 50% of revenue is done in europe (mainly france). Internatiional revenue : Russia, Brazil. Other market of interest, Mexic, Turky.
For Europe, brand development is around eco-efficiency skills (FE and Hybrid) only, as the brand is alredy wellknown and F1 competition is not really helping with renault saling I think. On emerging market, development of the brand is more important.
In that respect Nasr or Sainz (latin countries) or Kvyat make sense.

[zack!]

http://rapport-annuel.group.renault.com/en/key-figures/

[OneAlex]

Personally I half expect Grosjean back at Renault for 2017. If Kimi under-performs next year he'll be out, and I just don't see Ferrari taking Grosjean, so I think he'll realise Haas is a dead end and go back to be Renault's French star.

[Neno]

Ghosn already stated they'll have a meeting on their goals and plans in januari 2016, which will include a discussion regarding 'their drivers'. In other words, Palmer & Maldonado, your Lotus contracts mean squad to Renault's Ghosn.

Expecting 3 years before they'll plan on having the fruits and success of what they aim for, i can't see them envisioning being 'there' like in the Alonso days [twice] with a demolition expert like Pastor and a unstable, hardly impressive Joylon.
The only reason i could see them stay for 2016 is that they'll sit it out as 2017 will be a new f1-style either way and perhaps they'll wait for what happens in the driver market as of 2017.

Either way, noticing lotus had severe financial problems, Pastor adds nothing then anymore so adios le pido.
Joylon brings nothing to the table. goodbye.

Potential candidates?

Kimi? no, Ferrari out = end of F1 career period.
Alonso? Not before 2017, and i seriously doubt it either way.
Hamilton? Never going to happen.
Vettel? Same.
Verstappen? Now that could happen, if they can convince them that they are able to actually provide a GP winning car.
Sainz? Probably.
Rosberg? Why not, i could see that happening actually.
Ocon? perhaps as the french input, but i think Renault values winning more over having some lame frenchy there.
Magnussen? As a 2nd driver perhaps yes, i don't think his racecraft was that bad actually.
Perez? If Aston Martin ditches him - unlikely - then yes, i could see that.
Nasr? Quick enough, just has to show one more year to show his real potential.
Bottas? Has the potential, just needs the right car. could happen.
Vandoorne? yes, that could very well happen.

If i had to find a combo?

Rosberg & Sainz.

Verstappen i can imagine having some senna-esque & Hamilton-like characteristics which would not bring a good relationship with Rosberg. Sainz seems to be - with all do respect to Max - a bit more 'team oriented' rather than
focused on 'just winning', so Rosberg & Sainz could be a very decent pairing imho.

same with Nasr, who would probably bring some good extra funding through Banco do Brasil, and Renault has a strong
Brazilian clientele so it would be a proper possibility.

Only Verstappen making sense if you are building something good. Possible championship material driver with constructor team who has big budget as Enstone already produced winning cars in the past. He is also only one championship material driver who is not driving Mercedes, Ferrari and RB. You can build around him, and him finally get his own team where he can be star and maybe compete in year or two.

[kptaylor]

2016 is pretty well tied up with most of those drivers, but if they dump the Lotus contracts now, I could see Verge (experience) and either Palmer or Vandoorne for the future.

[NL_Fer]

Vergne & Kvyat