Lotus Returns to Formula 1

[Parramint]

Lotus return to F1 next year, awaiting details on TV

[ZJChaser]

They were given the 13th and final team spot bumping BMW out...
autosport.com - F1 News: Lotus granted 13th entry for 2010

[knucklehead]

I would be pissed if I were BMW.

[cornbeef]

So from f1-live, it is the Gasgoyne team that's financed by the Malaysians however there was no menction of Proton or Lotus cars....... There is also talk of the team being based in Malaysia in the future....

[erics75218]

Sounds good, but are people who work AT Lotus gonna have any input to the car.

Gasgoyne, without looking at wikipedia, is a decent designer if my memmory serves me correctly. I think he did the Jordan F1 cars back in the day? But he's not a Lotus Employee is he?

[dbisbee]

More information here. Lotus returns to F1

[...m...]

Lotus team awarded spot on 2010 Formula One grid
By EILEEN NG (AP)

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia — Lotus is returning to Formula One racing.

FIA, the sport's governing body, on Tuesday awarded Lotus the 13th spot on the grid for the 2010 season.

Lotus has been out of F1 since 1994. The team, initially based in Norfolk, England near the Lotus car factory, is funded by a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian businessmen.

The team headquarters is expected to relocate to a purpose-built facility at Sepang International Circuit, home of the Malaysian Grand Prix for the last 11 years.

FIA turned down an application from BMW Sauber, but said the team would be granted a spot in 2010 if a vacancy arises. FIA said it is consulting urgently with teams about a possible expansion to 14 teams and 28 cars for 2010.

Lotus' team principle will be Tony Fernandes, owner of the Air Asia airline. The team technical director is Mike Gascoyne, who held the same role with Force India, Toyota, Renault and Jordan.

Lotus has reached an engine supply deal with Cosworth.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak held a news conference Tuesday to outline details of what was called the 1Malaysia F1 team.

"The 1Malaysia F1 team is a government and private sector initiative combining the collaborative experience of Proton and Lotus, coupled with world class expertise," a Malaysian government statement said ahead of the news conference.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the team would integrate Malaysian technical and pit crew, with the future design, research and development, manufacturing and testing conducted near the Malaysian capital. The driving lineup is set to be announced by Oct. 31 from a short list of six candidates.
Najib declined to give investment costs or other details, but said the future design and testing would be conducted in Malaysia.

He said the venture would be a big boost to local automaker Proton, a government-owned company which has suffered in recent years because of increased competition from foreign car makers after the liberalization of the auto market.

"If we want to export Proton we need to establish our brand name so that it is accepted globally," Najib said. "We are determined to do our best to make our mark in this arena."

The investors in the venture are Proton, budget airline AirAsia and Naza Motors, a local auto group.

Najib said the creation of the team is a "natural progression" since Malaysia has hosted a leg of the F1 race since 1999 and national oil company Petronas has been a sponsor of BMW Sauber team for the last four years.

Lotus competed in F1 from 1958-94, winning 79 Grand Prix races and seven constructors' titles. Lotus had world champion drivers in Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi.

FIA noted that BMW has announced it is pulling out of the sport in 2010, leaving uncertainties over the future ownership of the team.

"Nevertheless, the FIA considers that BMW Sauber's application is of high quality and would constitute a competitive participant in the championship," FIA said. "As such, it has awarded BMW Sauber the '14th place' in the championship meaning that it will be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises on the 2010 grid."

[...m...]

...the critical element as to whether this new lotus formula 1 team will be perceived as a legitimate successor will be the extent of involvement from lotus cars and former team lotus personnel...i also wonder how david hunt's naming rights will come into play, and whether there will be any issues regarding his previous arrangement with litespeed...

[RoadDad]

dbisbee linked your thread here http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f3/b...news-uk-78625/ so I thought I'd return the favor.

[Slipstreamer]

[...m...]

...reading details of the press conference, i see no explicit mention of lotus branding for the 1malaysia team, only that lotus and proton will both consult on development with a malaysia-based engineering staff...

...perhaps the AP headlines were sensationalistic?..

[Maxster]

Originally Posted by ...m...

...reading details of the press conference, i see no explicit mention of lotus branding for the 1malaysia team, only that lotus and proton will both consult on development with a malaysia-based engineering staff...

Lotus-Cosworth, sounds familiar?

[EliseAtLeast]

This is great. Have been waiting for this for a while.

[propracer]

Finally a make to root for on the F1 grid.

[MattG]

Lotus is not returning to F1, but rather, Proton is using the Lotus name to market their Malaysian-based F1 effort. It's a shame to see this happen. Yes, Lotus will be involved to some extent, especially initially, but as the transition to Malaysia takes place any link with the history and legacy of Lotus will fade away.

[mikehall]

Originally Posted by knucklehead

I would be pissed if I were BMW.

But not as upset as the Investment company that just bought BMW F1. They are now relying on another team dropping out if they are to race next year (Renault perhaps?), being told by the FIA:-
"the team had made a "high quality" application and that it would be entitled to fill any vacancy that arises.

[dwkoski]

still...who'da thunk it a year ago. I'm so happy to see even the name brought back, even though it will be a backmarker team. Richard, are you going to be the PR guy for the new team? Can I get a job as team physician? Even if it's for free, it will be a better deal than Obamacare, where I will lose money on every patient but will be expected to make it up in volume...Dave

[andykeck]

Originally Posted by MattG

Lotus is not returning to F1, but rather, Proton is using the Lotus name to market their Malaysian-based F1 effort. It's a shame to see this happen. Yes, Lotus will be involved to some extent, especially initially, but as the transition to Malaysia takes place any link with the history and legacy of Lotus will fade away.

Agree. If they're really looking to promote Proton worldwide, I doubt they're even going to call the team "Lotus", at least for long.

[jsfarmer]

The BBC is reporting that Lotus will return to F1 in 2010. This does not appear to be the same as the original report involving Litespeed.

[Hooray!]

Link

Lotus will return to F1 in 2010
Jim Clark in a Lotus in the team's heyday
Racing legend Jim Clark won both his world titles with Lotus in 1963 and 1965

Lotus are to return to Formula 1 next season for the first time since 1994.

The Malaysian-funded outfit have been awarded the final grid spot and join Campos GP, Manor and US F1 as one of four new teams for 2010.

The FIA has given current team BMW Sauber "14th place" for next season, meaning they are now first reserves.

However, motorsport's governing body says it will "consult urgently" with the 10 existing teams to expand the grid from 13 to 14 teams for 2010.

"The FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams," read an FIA statement released on Tuesday.

"It will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first Grand Prix in 2010."

The Lotus team will be initially based in Norfolk, though its future design, research and development, manufacturing and technical centre will be purpose built at Malaysia's Sepang International circuit.

In its new incarnation the team is a partnership between the Malaysian Government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs.

It will be led by team principal Tony Fernandes, the founder of the Malaysian-based Tune Group, which owns the Air Asia airline.

Mike Gascoyne - who has 20 years experience in the sport after working with Jordan, Renault, Toyota, and most recently Force India - returns to F1 as the team's technical director.

"We are not just a small new team, we have the possibilities to be a very substantial team," Gascoyne told BBC Sport. "And the FIA recognise that, combined with the name and that we're also a team based outside Europe.

Moss glad to see return of Lotus

"When you look at the calendar now, the centre of F1 is changing. With all that's happening in the sport, this is a very good news story for F1.

"Next year will be a huge challenge… we will be releasing the car late, and that has reliability aspects. But we'll target being the best of the new cars on the grid and I would hope by mid-season we are challenging the bottom rung of the current teams. That's achievable."

Lotus has reached an engine supply deal with Cosworth.

"The team will announce its two drivers by October 31 2009. Currently six local and international drivers have been selected," said a statement from the Malaysian Government.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak added: "This is not only a dream, it is a reality. Malaysia is part of Formula 1 and we are determined to do our best to make our mark in this arena.

"I believe this is a meaningful development that will boost Malaysia's image."

606: DEBATE
It will be wonderful to see the Lotus marque again but the big question is which drivers can they get?

Tenordrumman

Just three hours after the Lotus return was confirmed by the FIA on Tuesday, BMW Sauber revealed Swiss-based Qadbak Investments had agreed to buy its team.

The German car manufacturer, which took over Sauber in 2005, had said it would withdraw from F1 at the end of July, citing "current developments in motorsport" as the reason for their decision.

BMW was the second major manufacturer to announce it was leaving the sport after Honda's withdrawal eight months earlier.

But the FIA said it had received an "impressive application" from the team despite the uncertainties over its future ownership.

BMW Sauber's reserve slot means they can fill any vacancy that might occur between now and the start of the 2010 championship.

The organisation behind the new Lotus team have bought the rights to the name Team Lotus - which competed in F1 from 1958 through to 1994 - and have been awarded BMW's place, also pushing out Spanish outfit Epsilon Euskadi, following an intensive selection and due diligence process conducted by the FIA.
Nigel Mansell battles Ayrton Senna

Senna wins the 1986 Spanish GP in a Lotus

The team won seven constructors' crowns and six drivers' championships, including wins by Britons Jim Clark and Graham Hill, during their golden era in the 1960s and '70s.

Three-time world champion, the late Ayrton Senna, drove for Lotus for three seasons between 1985 and 1987 - although the team enjoyed limited success during that period.

Lotus withdrew from F1 in 1994 because of financial pressures but remains the fourth most successful constructor of all time.

[Shine]

Originally Posted by knucklehead

I would be pissed if I were BMW.

Why? They announced that they were withdrawing from F1 after this year and they refused to sign the Concord Agreement. The FIA owes them nothing further.

If anyone is pissed it should be Kubica and Heidfeld.