Group Lotus buys Renault F1 Team

[gridwalker]

I guess that the Red is due to a contractual obligation : some of my clients are phenomenally restrictive in how you use their logo, specifying not only colours, but the amount of blank padding space, proximity to other logos, grammatical use in sentences, abbreviations and proportions ...

Renault/Lotus/Whoever are probably not contractually allowed to display the total logo in any other format.

[Tamburello]

Something fishy is going on. I mean how can Renault be allowed to play both sides in this, becoming contracted engine suppliers for a team who are up in court battles with an organisation who are about to buy you out and who surely would have wind of the deal.

I also think Fernandez is being a little dodgey with this black&gold livery business. I mean, all of a sudden out of nowhere he decides to change the livery to the late 70s Chapman team's cars and goes on a whole populist campaign to garner fan support. It seems that he caught wind of Group Lotus' plans with Renault, and 'stole' the livery idea and not the other way around.

Or this could be the compromise that the Malaysian govt. has been trying to mediate between the two parties: Proton comes in with Lotus brand in bed with Renault and Fernandez gets a competitive engine/gearbox package, has some time to garner fans support in order to find an optimal direction in terms of sponsorship and marketing, and saves face in the process.

[DM0407]

eww... did not turn out nice in real life:

The yellow and black was spot on, this is hideous. Maybe I am too young to appreciate it, but the John Player cars never looked good to me.

[astracrazy]

totally unprofessional

I guess this is a time where we all want Bernie to come and do something...

Fernandes seems to have made a few friends in the paddock as well, be interesting to see how something like this sits with other teams too, kick them out of FOTA anyone?

I also think Fernandez is being a little dodgey with this black&gold livery business. I mean, all of a sudden out of nowhere he decides to change the livery to the late 70s Chapman team's cars

Maybe because they are going with the Team Lotus name

[Intego]

The colour question seems to be solved. Gascoyne had made a poll on Twitter, and there is a clear winner:
Green and Yellow

[ringo]

Yeah the shape of the car doesn't lend well to the black and gold livery.
The cars today are not boxy and clean enough to look good with simple liveries.

wonder if they will reopen the livery competiton for the green and gold?

[Tamburello]

I also think Fernandez is being a little dodgey with this black&gold livery business. I mean, all of a sudden out of nowhere he decides to change the livery to the late 70s Chapman team's cars

Maybe because they are going with the Team Lotus name

Team Lotus had many different liveries during their time, including the British Racing Green that Fernandes' team raced with this year, why announce that you want to have b&g one for next year?

[Intego]

Team Lotus had many different liveries during their time, including the British Racing Green that Fernandes' team raced with this year, why announce that you want to have b&g one for next year?

Why not? Runnin' through history before you are history.

[Tamburello]

The yellow and black was spot on, this is hideous. Maybe I am too young to appreciate it, but the John Player cars never looked good to me.

I don't think any post 60's Lotus was truly beautiful car, with or without a good livery.

They had an excuse in the 70's as all the cars were hideous in that era but there were plenty of sexy machines in the 80's and early 90's and Lotus was nowhere in that reckoning.

[Intego]

I guess this is a time where we all want Bernie to come and do something...

Fernandes on Twitter:

Great chat with head of aero. Some good progress. Got my award. On my way to formula one commission. Good budget meeting with airasia

[Blackout]

http://i69.servimg.com/u/f69/14/79/55/26/releas10.jpg

[Blackout]

the chassis is called a Renault because Renault will continue to supply technical and engineering expertise to the team - it's a partnership which does beyond engine supply

RF1Pp

he maybe says what Renault fans want to hear... but I believe it.

[Morteza]

Oh God! There will be two Lotus names racing in 2011 but none of them is the original Team Lotus. Why is it not possible to have Team Lotus back?

[PlatinumZealot]

Anybody notice that there are no Russain sponsor logos on the car? Wonder what is the reason for that...

[conni]

the black and gold was decided by the employees at hingham as they all got to vote for their fav scheme about 5 months ago

conni