How on earth can the French motor company "RENAULT" become the English legend known as "LOTUS" money may buy the name but not the heritage. Thoughts: polite please. Congrats to Kimi though.
They dont take the heritage of the old Team lotus at all. I think they are quite respectable on that point. They dont take the history. Much better way of doing it than Lotus Racing/Team Lotus turn Caterham Fakers!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_F1 They are not renault either as they dropped them to back Red Bull.
Yet at the same time Team Lotus obtained the blessing of the family of Colin Chapman (I believe that's correct) whereas Lotus F1, while not attempting to claim this blessing, ARE at the same time attempting to ape the look of the famous JPS livery, albeit with the addition of those tacky bright red Total logos. Really I think that no-one has the high ground here.
In my mind the mere notion of using the LOTUS name by anyone other than the original LOTUS Chapman family, whether purchased or given permission or otherwise is simply an postulation, and quite frankly the sale of the LOTUS heritage is abhorrent.
I was quite shocked to hear the British national anthem, actually. I suppose I was expecting the French but I'm not sure why... Still, well done to them today. I know they're not the Lotus I used to follow when I was a kid but I like the spirit of the new team anyway.
I was quite shocked to hear the British national anthem, actually. I suppose I was expecting the French but I'm not sure why... Still, well done to them today. I know they're not the Lotus I used to follow when I was a kid but I like the spirit of the new team anyway. Yea, well, maybe I need to adjust my perspective a lot, but I do feel a tad irritated that simply by the exchange of sheckles, that such illustrious heritages can be exchanged, surely that's not possible is it.
I suppose the question rests in what you consider to be the heritage of a team. What will happen to the legacies of the non-constructors such as Mclaren or Williams?
I think they're mostly funded by a Belgian venture capital group called Genii, I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, and that Renault have been decreasing their involvement with a view to pulling out altogether. Lotus cars were funding them but pulled out unexpectedly causing a bit of a crisis for the team at the time. The way I see it is that I doubt any F1 fan thinks they have any DNA of the Chapman team but I like to see the name still around. I see them as totally separate from the heritage of the original Lotus and, having struggled to survive and to surmount the scandals of the Briatore years, they are now forging a new identity. I think that when Lotus Group were funding them, Lotus Group were waging a very aggressive and personal war with Tony Fernandes's team and were determined to win and take the name from him. But as I understand it, all that remains from that liaison is the name as Lotus Group dropped the team just as swiftly as they arrived, under orders from parent company, Proton; I think it ended up this way more circumstantially really.
I don't get why people get so worked up over this. McLaren are nothing like the team Bruce founded, Ferrari are completely different from the marque Enzo created. So what if Lotus have nothing to do with Chapman's team? It's only a name, things change, Lamborghini started out making tractors.
Thanks for that Max, I bow to your informed post and will resist from further protestation, although as to Proton ultimately controlling the destiny of the Lotus name defies belief, however circumstantial.
These teams you mentioned evolved and developed through natural progression, passion and vision and are essentially the same, the Lotus issue is somewhat different and has been effected by greed and capitalist, Enzo would be pleased by what he would see, Chapman I'm not so sure !!!! he was an engineer after all. Rightly or wrongly Engineers and Accountants see the world differently, I can assure you.
Yes, indeed it is. I should know better, as I work for one of the most Global companies that currently exist.
Team Lotus/Caterham lost the blessing of the chapman family and proton/Group Lotus. Basically they had to make the brand more respectible and desided to back the 'Renault team' who were nolonger owned by Renault > sold to Genii. They actually now have the blessing of the chapman family and Group lotus. Lotus also back other ventures with their name in other series too: LeMans please log in to view this image Indy please log in to view this image GP2 please log in to view this image
also are: please log in to view this image the same as please log in to view this image or please log in to view this image the same as please log in to view this image ?
I hear ya Ernie... This team isn't Lotus and never will be and I too struggle with the name being back in this way, but they are at least bringing some glory back to the Lotus name and doing it flying the British flag. Though they may not have the heritage of Lotus, maybe they can at least create a new one... It would be quite something if "Lotus" took a WCC again. Doubt it though, my money is in Ferrari.
Trying to get my head round this, So Proton owns Group Lotus, the blessing from the Chapman family and cover from Group Lotus does not cover Caterham, it was terminated before 2011. Tony Fernandes however took the name anyway. And Genii is taking over from the Renault shares in Lotus F1 Team? So infact it is soon going to be Lotus - Genii F1 Team Unless Renault leaves, they cannot get away from the scandals in the past...?
