Lotus-Renault V Team Lotus

[ShiftingGears]

That is a good looking race car. Or would have been if they hadn't gone and ****ed it up by putting red wing end plates on it in deferrence to Total.

I agree. Looks hideous.


This whole situation is stupid. As ironic as it sounds, Group Lotus appears to be trying to leech off the success of Team Lotus. The Lotus name would be nowhere without Fernandes' team right now.

[Ranger]

That is a good looking race car. Or would have been if they hadn't gone and ****ed it up by putting red wing end plates on it in deferrence to Total.

Lotus Racing / Team Lotus kickstart the heart of Lotus in F1 and then Group Lotus, unsatisfied that it has been a relative success, launches itself everywhere in motorsport in no time at all and takes a p*ss on Fernandes.

The decision to use black and gold in spite of Tony being a perfect example.

Group Lotus is run by pompous, jealous children.

[ArrowsFA1]

I'm increasingly thinking that the Lotus name should have remained on the pages of motorsport history.

I didn't like "Lotus" returning at the start of the season. For one thing the whole exercise seemed more marketing than anything else, but for another the team, to all intents and purposes, ceased to exist in 1994. There was no connection with the original when Fernandes set his team up, and that didn't change despite being located in Norfolk and having Colin Chapman's cap in a case.

That said I warmed to the team as the season went on. Fernandes seemed genuine in his enthusiasm for Colin Chapman's Lotus F1 team, and the cars looked great in their green and yellow colour scheme. They did pretty well too.

Now, this whole saga is becoming increasingly tawdry and petty. Tony Fernandes and Danny Bahr are behaving like two primary school kids playing tug of war over a name. Both apparently have the right to use "Lotus" in some form but neither are doing it any kind of credit. The use of black & gold by both teams is just another marketing ploy, and for one to follow the other in copying the iconic JPS-Lotus livery is just the latest step an increasingly pathetic schoolyard scrap.

Grow up and sort it out

[Dr. Krogshöj]

Just to remind everyone: the name of the car unveiled today is Renault, not Lotus Renault, according to the current official FIA entry list. Calling them Lotus Renault would be the equivalent of calling Jenson Button's car a Vodafone McLaren. There is only one Lotus Renault, entered by Team Lotus. Of course, this all could change but that is the situation today.

[Tazio]

I agree. Looks hideous.


The Lotus name would be nowhere without Fernandes' team right now.

I think it has gotten a little juice from Tesla.
Other than that crumb I'm in total agreement.

[jens]

When I first saw the livery, I was watching hard to be sure that this isn't green instead of black. In all other motorsport series Group Lotus has recently entered, they have used their own "classical" green and yellow. But now...

Perhaps Fernandes should now announce that despite all actually his team will continue using the same colours they had this season - wonder, how would Bahar react.

Two Lotuses on the grid next year would be unusual, but then again we also have two Red Bull teams with only slightly different liveries, so perhaps we can get used to it... :

[garyshell]

I am so confused by all the variants of Lotus this and Lotus that. But I admit I haven't kept close track of it either. Can someone kindly point me to a flowchart, family tree or time line of the various incarnations including the racing as well as commercial/passenger car variants of the name since Colin started it up?

Gary

[Sonic]

I am so confused by all the variants of Lotus this and Lotus that. But I admit I haven't kept close track of it either. Can someone kindly point me to a flowchart, family tree or time line of the various incarnations including the racing as well as commercial/passenger car variants of the name since Colin started it up?

Gary

You are not the only one!

But I think probably the most important fact in all this is that Lotus cars was sold to GM (I think) when Team Lotus was still very much alive and kicking. In my eyes that confirms that David Hunt, as the owner of Team Lotus, has every right to sell the rights to Tony F.

[I am evil Homer]

But that's the odd thing about all of this...it's only the right to use a name it doesn't make automatically it "Lotus" in any way shape or form as Fernandes and co seem to think. They haven't bought Lotus F1 team they've been allowed to use a name, no more, no less.

So to then say the Lotus company shouldn't use the name of their company to now compete in F1 is not only dumb it's also counterproductive. Even more so with all the name calling and childishness presented by Mike Gascoyne via Twitter thinking they somehow have a moral high ground in all of this - no one is coming out of this with any credit whatsoever - on either side.

I find the Renault-Lotus tie up interesting esp with the stake Lotus has now bought in the F1 team but that's getting lost in all of this.

[UltimateDanGTR]

I don't think I've ever seen a prospective F1 entrant (if you can call group lotus that) act so ridiculously. Clearly, Dany Bahr and his motly crew have been as green as Lotus Racing's cars with envy over the last year, and now they want a slice of the 'Lotus In F1' pie. Copying Team Lotus' future livery really doesn't help either. Quite frankly It all looks pathetic.

One of the two parties will fail, and I can imagine Group Lotus ending up with egg on their face. Team Lotus should stick with their current livery, and not sink to group lotus' levels. I still think Team Lotus will be the moral victors however it ends up.