[quote=The83man]I refer the learned gentleman to my earlier response…
Oh, by the way; in an interview with the BBC after the 2010 Malaysian Grand Prix Fernandes stated that the team would in fact remain in Norfolk, as “Lotus is a British brand, that will never change. It’s just Malaysian finance and we think that makes sense”.
Unless the accused has changed his mind, of course. [/quote]
I did not say Fernandez is talking about leaving Norfolk so I am not sure I understand your reply.
My point is that the new team lotus is nothing to do with the old team lotus other than they now own the name and appear to have the Chapman family blessing. I agree its good that they seem to want to be a British branded team,
however in interviews I have read today Fernandez seems to be sticking the knife into group Lotus and now he has the team lotus name is breaking ranks with them. I am not really happy with the direction group lotus are taking either and as a Lotus enthusiast I think between the two of them (bahar and fernandez) this can only be bad for the brand.
I’m british so if I set up a racing team and call it lotus team racing f1 inc, can I be lotus?
But on your point, the old Team Lotus had nothing to do with Lotus either - not since Colin Chapman died in 1982, for sure, and in reality for many years before that. Team Lotus was a separate company with separate premises from the earliest days of Lotus history
"“If someone tried to pass off as an F1 racing team, or even a GP2 team, then we would obviously challenge that. We have bought the name Lotus.”
For me lotus cars is lotus, I find the fact someone can set up an unrelated company buy a name and then stop the real company from racing in their own name wrong.
Group Lotus have obviously cocked up, if it was there intention to go racing in F1 but from their point view surely it’s free publicity, the wider public are probably unaware they are a separate entity and with the new breed of cars I would imagine will come a new range of less informed lotus customers, to me the most important thing is that Team Lotus stays in the UK and is successful. What about group lotus in the Le Mans series it would run nicely with there new engine range Esprit Vs DBR9
