Last year, when the Norfolk based organization stepped into the series, it used the Lotus name “under license.” That license was withdrawn by the Proton-owned manufacturer a few months back, yet the team remained committed to the Lotus name after purchasing the commercial rights to it from David Hunt (through Team Lotus Ventures). The two parties are not at war (legally speaking), with the court yet to issue a definitive verdict.
Until then however, Fernandes announced, via his Twitter account, that his team will not let go of the Team Lotus name for the 2011 season of Formula One.
“(Group Lotus CEO) Dany Bahar has done us a favour,” he wrote. “Never felt better about our future and Team Lotus. Looks like they (are) trying to hijack our black and gold idea.” Minutes later, he posed a “re-tweet” from a fan, saying: “Stick with the green and gold, save some cash to spend on the car!”
Fernandes was not the only Team Lotus member who tweeted shortly after the Lotus-Renault F1 announcement was made public, as the squad's technical officer Mike Gascoyne also felt the need to get something out of his chest.
“Lotus, just like buses, you wait for ages and then 2 come along at once. Rest assured, we are Team Lotus and we are here to stay,” added Gascoyne, whose comment was echoed by chief executive Riad Asmat: “To clarify, since I've been receiving numerous calls from the media over here; we are 'Team Lotus'.”
Funnily enough, both teams will use the name Lotus on the FIA entry list, both their cars will feature the colors green and gold, both will feature the Renault logo and both will be powered by Renault V8s.
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