Team Lotus Deny Breach of Agreement in Naming Dispute

The Lotus naming dispute between Team Lotus and Lotus Group took an unexpected turn of events yesterday, in the same day the High Court action resumed in London. Just when the judges started to reevaluate the dossier, it had emerged that one important figure in the hole affair, David Hunt, had changed his initial stance in regards to Team Lotus.

According to Hunt, Team Lotus' boss Tony Fernandes is yet to pay him the sum of money both parties had agreed upon for the “Team Lotus” naming rights last September.

Hunt, the brother of late F1 driver James Hunt, held the commercial rights of the name until last year, when he agreed to sell them to the Norfok-based organization. However, in a recent interview with the British media, he pointed the finger at Fernandes for breach of agreement.

“He's apparently changed his mind at the eleventh hour ... and he's trying to renegotiate by offering new terms which are, frankly, ludicrous,” said Hunt of Fernandes, as reported by the GMM news agency, citing the British media.

Fernandes quickly replied via Twitter that “greed corrupts and turns people into monsters,” while an official stance from Team Lotus came a few hours later through their spokesperson, who suggested that it is in fact Hunt who is trying to stall on the agreement in recent days.

“Team Lotus has an agreement with David Hunt which was signed by both parties,” he said, according to the Daily Telegraph. “David Hunt has tried to renegotiate that agreement, which Team Lotus is not prepared to do.”

Regardless of how the two parties resolve their differences, the High Court will continue to look into the matter this week, with a definitive verdict expected to be released in approximately 10 days.