While many believed that such a move would mean that Lotus Group is trying to set up a competitive operation in Formula One's feeder series before making the big step into the Great Circus, Lotus Motorsport's Claudio Berro begs to differ.
“This is not our decision at the moment because F1 has enormous costs. I think that, if Lotus is to go into F1, they have to do it at the top and competing with the best teams, unlike this year,” said Berro in a recent interview with 422race.com.
“Then if Formula One will be accessible and the conditions will be there, we will see. It will be a future step,” added however the Lotus official, hinting that a future move to return to F1 is not impossible.
Last month, Lotus Racing F1 announced that the team will be rebranded into Team Lotus starting the 2011 season, as the Malaysian-backed team has purchased the rights to use that name from 1976 world champion James Hunt's brother David, owner of the Team Lotus name since the mid-'90s through his company Team Lotus Ventures.
A few days later, Lotus Group issued a media statement in which it announced it will challenge Tony Fernandes' right to use the Team Lotus name, adding that “we are the owners of this brand” and not Hunt. Needless to say, the matter will resume in court, with Lotus Racing F1 having already began legal proceedings at the English High Court.
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