Tony Fernandes has reiterated that the current naming row involving the ‘Lotus’ brand is not acceptable, amid continuous speculation that his team will be rebranded ‘Caterham Formula One’ from 2012 onwards. Since the start of this season, two teams have carried the name ‘Lotus’ in their official titles.
Fernandes entered F1 with ‘Lotus Racing’ branding in 2010 before switching to ‘Team Lotus’ – taking the name originally entered by Colin Chapman - for this campaign; however, this was met by opposition from sports car manufacturer Group Lotus, which became the title sponsor of Renault.
The debate has been a hot topic amongst fans for the duration of the season, although Fernandes seems likely to change his team name for 2012.
“Unfortunately I can’t go into detail on that right now, but I do want to say that I am very proud of what we have achieved with Team Lotus since we brought it back into F1,” the Malaysian, who purchased Caterham Cars this year, told the official F1 website.
“I have always been very mindful of our role as custodian of the brand, and we always kept the door open to a solution to the issues we have had off track over the past few months, and whatever happens we can be very proud that we brought Team Lotus back into the place it belongs.
“I honestly don’t know what happens from here but I do know that, if somebody else owns the name in the future, it will be the right people using it for the right reasons and, if we have played a part in helping it find its natural home, then I am happy. We have to be realistic about this situation. Is where we are now tenable? I don’t think so. It doesn’t help F1 and it doesn’t help the fans.”
Word also continues to circulate that Team Lotus will soon switch from its current base in Hingham, Norfolk although the squad refuses to make an official comment.
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