Lotus has announced that they will be entering Formula One’s feeder series GP2. This will be the Group Lotus, the car company which is owned by Proton. It is not to be confused with the Lotus Racing team run by Tony Fernandes. Lotus will partner Nicolas Todt’s (son of Jean Todt) ART Grand Prix team next year.
Lotus plans to provide technical and engineering support for ART’s GP2 and GP3 race teams for an unconfirmed period. “We come together with a common goal: to continue our great success in motorsport,” said Lotus’ communications boss Gino Rosato.
“The goal is clear: winning together the future GP2 and GP3 championships. I can’t wait to see the new livery of our racing cars,” added ART team manager Frederic Vasseur. The ART team, a big player in the GP3 category, have already claimed the championship with Esteban Gutierrez this year. They have also had success with current Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Nico Hulkenberg in the GP2 category.
In the midst of this news, it has also been reported that the Lotus Racing Formula One team which is linked to a Renault engine supply deal in 2011 will be called Team Lotus starting from next year. Team Lotus was the name used in Lotus’ Formula One campaigns in the past. It has also been reported that Tony Fernandes has been successful in applying for a GP2 entry next year, under the name of Team Air Asia. The team’s entry has been approved until 2013.
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if proton shud be run by tony fernandes…
sure proton will improved a lot…
Proton already improved a lot under DSZ’s management.
Dato’ is doing business..do he care from where the money came from?..i don’t know..hey Dato’ motoGP..D1GP..don’t want ha?..hehe~
he is already sponsoring in MotoGP 125cc
I can’t help but notice that Dato’ has earned big time with his airline and other businesses, coz racing cars is no cheap business. So instead of wasting tonnes of money in car racing, why dun Dato’ consider to give back a little bit back to millions of passengers that make him such a wealthy person, let’s say, by lowering down the air fares of Air Asia ah?? The air fares of Air Asia can get rather steep, and there’s less possibility that I can get extremely cheap air fares these days. I think it is more meaningful to us malaysians than winning F1 championship or GP2 championship, right?
If Air Asia not cheap enough try Malaysia Airlines…
Good luck
Wow..Team Air Asia =)
guess what…
the LOTUS GROUP PLC- ART entry into GP2 is to make sure sometime in the near future they can bury lotus racing that was run by tony fernandes and in the end it will be group LOTUS GROUP PLC will run historic TEAM LOTUS not tony fernandes..
it is believe LOTUS GROUP PLC have withdrawn permission for tony to use TEAM LOTUS name.. and I believe LOTUS GROUP PLC is now trying to make sure tony fernandes can’t use LOTUS name in his LOTUS RACING team.
LOTUS GROUP PLC co-operation with ART in GP2 entry is their first move to make sure they can enter F1 under the original TEAM LOTUS
So, now PROTON must choose between DANY BAHAR or TONY FERNANDES if PROTON want to see original TEAM LOTUS F1 team can be revive again and be associates with PROTON. LOTUS GROUP PLC is clearly against tony since the very first day of LOTUS RACING entry into F1; they only give permission to use LOTUS name just because it is own by PROTON
and now LOTUS GROUP PLC have make a move to enter GP2 as their first step back into F1; and if they succeed to enter F1 in the future that original TEAM LOTUS will run by ART… not tony fernandes.. that was LOTUS GROUP PLC plan
okay.. thumbs up if you like my comment..
LOL
How the hell LOTUS GROUP PLC going to F1 race under TEAM LOTUS F1 when Tony own the name?
just remember that FIA has decided to let that 13th grid lot remain empty even tho in my opinion.. stefan GP, Epsilon Euskadi and even Villeneuve/Durango have resource financially and technically to run an F1 team.
ART is own by jean todt’s son nicolas todt. and now ART is team up with LOTUS GROUP PLC to enter GP2.
ART is eager to enter F1 and at some point nicolas is said have make some offer for sauber but was decline by peter sauber.
so now, ART have got LOTUS GROUP PLC as partner in GP2 and will surely in the near future will make a move for that 13th slot in F1.
do you think tony is not eager to submit that GP2 application under LOTUS name as what he did when he submitted F3 entry as LOTUS instead of Air asia?
LOTUS GROUP PLC and TONY FERNANDES seems like in some kind of competition ..
F1 – Tony
Indycar – Group lotus PLC
F3 – Tony
WSbR – Tony
GP2 – Group lotus PLC through ART, Tony through Team Air Asia
GP3 – Group lotus PLC
so what’s next to grab for GROUP LOTUS and TONY? Rally? Nascar?
Now the question remains.. who’s really got that ultimate ownership of TEAM LOTUS name and copyrights despite reports that said TONY did buy that copyright from it’s previous owner mark smith but Group Lotus, has embarked on three legal actions to stop Tony Fernandes from using the Lotus name next year.
Some clarification:
1.Rights to use ‘TEAM LOTUS’ in F1 belonged to David Hunt (not Mark Smith) Neither Group Lotus or Tony had the rights. That’s why Tony named it ‘Lotus Racing’ However Tony has now bought those rights from David Hunt.
2.Group Lotus did not withdraw permission for tony to use TEAM LOTUS name, which they don’t have rights over anyway. The word is they withdrew permission with regards to the name ‘Lotus Racing’
3.In F3 the team (Junior Lotus) is run by Litespeed.
Whatever it is, Tony gave Group Lotus an awakening they deserved. In what single series did Lotus appear a year ago? Nothing. Now its the talk of the racing world thanks to him and Group Lotus now tripping over themselves in motorsport.
yea thanks for the previous TEAM LOTUS name david hunt…. I don’t know who mark smith is.. just forget it was actually david hunt … hehe.. thanks for the clarification.
my point is.. GROUP LOTUS PLC (DANY BAHAR) and TONY FERNANDES seems not in a good term.
GROUP LOTUS is said to have withdrawn the permission for tony to use LOTUS name altogether because GROUP LOTUS claim that DAVID HUNT has no right to sell the logos (that CABC logo) and TEAM LOTUS name.
It is believe GROUP LOTUS PLC wants to get back into F1 but not under Tony fernandes; they want ART team to represent original TEAM LOTUS into F1 under DANY BAHAR and Nicolas Todt
what ever the issues between group lotus especially DANY BAHAR and TONY FERNANDES.. it’s up to PROTON now whether to support dany bahar effort in reviving that historic TEAM LOTUS or Tony Fernandes..
you’re right about that awakening on GROUP LOTUS PLC.. that’s why they seems aggressively trying to compete with Tony in open wheel racing series entry
If I’m not mistaken, Tony did mentioned in the early days of the Team Lotus F1 revival, that he would like to see the F1 team eventually will be run the Group Lotus plc itself. Could there be any possibility that Tony would offer some (maybe the majority) stakes in the current Team Lotus F1 to the Group Lotus in future? Proton must be very cautious if Group Lotus would ever thinking about running the F1 team, a money pit it is. I would foresee the funding will mainly come from the sponsors.
Team air asia is affiliate with Lotus F1…. so it is a young talent development base b4 entering Lotus F1…Lotus motorsport only provide technical and engineering support….not a real base of lotus young talent base for join lotus F1….jz same meaning like renault & toyota provide technical and engineering support to lotus F1….does that mean lotus is renault & toyota is sister team…answer is nope…
get the facts right…lotus motorsport is not even involve in any aspects of lotus F1…let alone have anythg to do with team lotus…they cant even afford it…ask again, if they are where would the financial resource be coming from? simple answer…..father christmas…
Check this out for more deep info http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/a-mess-developing-in-malaysia/
P.S Look like Tony already took control Team Lotus
http://twitpic.com/2r4mfa
Just look at the plane’s fin logo. Familiar logo isn’t it.
@tonyfernandes Twitter update-“In singapore. Lots of buzz. Razlan u need to do this. Renault , team lotus , db , cosworth T 320. Boy I’m loving this. What a package.”