Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has indicated that the company might eventually buy more of the Renault F1 team.
Renault selling its remaining shares in the team to Genii Capital has enabled the new partnership. Group Lotus plc will subsequently become a major equity partner in Lotus Renault GP, which it will co-own with Genii Capital. Reports published on Thursday suggested the deal might become a complete takeover within time.
In an interview with London's Telegraph, Bahar remained quiet: "Yes, it is interesting to talk about control and shares and all that, but for us as a car manufacturer the bigger picture is far, far more relevant than just F1." Genii's Gerard Lopez is also not disclosing much. "It's funny because the same question was asked of us a year ago when we bought the majority shareholding in Renault F1. It's not the kind of thing that we will be disclosing," he insisted. But Bahar indicated that taking control of the team now is not the plan. "We are busy delivering ... targets rather than taking another hassle on," he said, referring to controlling an F1 team. "We are very, very aware that F1 is an evolving adventure. It can change in the future. "Let's concentrate on today and tomorrow let's see what happens," added Bahar, former Red Bull chief Dietrich Mateschitz's right hand and Ferrari’s brand manager.
A more immediate matter is the identity of Robert Kubica's teammate for 2011, with Vitaly Petrov in pole position due to Group Lotus owner Proton's eagerness to leverage Genii's access to the Russian market. But in the image of the black and gold R30 distributed to the media on Wednesday, the branding of the Russian carmaker Lada was not featured, which asks questions about the future of Vitaly Petrov with the team. The Lotus press release also indicated “Genii is also offering Proton the ability to leverage on its existing business relationships in Russia and other parts of the world, as a means to expand Proton's global reach. Through Genii, Proton can also potentially access advanced automotive technologies by virtue of Genii’s association with Mangrove, a venture capital group.” Recent Articles
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