The boss of the Renault F1 Team, Eric Boullier explains the recent involvement of Lotus Cars with the Renault Formula 1 organization.
In an interview with Italian site 422race.com, Boullier said he could not understand why two teams (Tony Fernandes’ Lotus Racing and the new Lotus Renault GP) were now in a dispute about the ownership of the “Lotus” name.
“The only thing I know is that Proton decided to invest and to be a sponsor of our team. This makes us the official representative of Lotus. Period. What we are facing now is like finding someone Great Britain whose name is Richard Ferrari, so I could buy the right of using his name. This is as stupid as the situation is,” Boullier said about Tony Fernandes who recently purchased the name “Team Lotus” from David Hunt.
Boullier is not happy that Tony Fernandes is trying to use the “Lotus” name.
"It's very bad for the fans, because for me it's fake. Telling the fans about the Lotus heritage and so on is wrong. If you are called Lotus and you are manufacturing cars, then this is the only official name. That's it,” Boullier insisted.
The French engineer is pleased to work with people of Lotus Cars who have previous Formula 1 experience such as Dany Bahar, Claudio Berro and Gino Rosato.
“We'll benefit from that as a partner. We actually plan to meet and discuss with them. But they are currently working with a car manufacturer and they're not in F1. Of course I will be working with them for their experience, but the daily business is run by Genii, not by Lotus Car,” said Boullier.
“"Again, they are sponsors, they are partners. They are not deciding about whom they want. We will keep the driver we believe can bring a full package and a good balance between sporting results and business. Robert (Kubica) is already under contract and we are still in the process of finalising the second driver.”
On the official FIA entry list, the team is listed as “Renault F1 Team” and not “Lotus Renault GP”, why is that?
“It's an administrative issue. The people in charge of the paperwork at the FIA are on holiday now. It has no effect on the commercial rights of the team. Lotus is just a sponsor and, as the title sponsor, they have the right to be in the team name, as the regulations state. So there will be no commercial change,” Boullier explained.
In an interview with Italian site 422race.com, Boullier said he could not understand why two teams (Tony Fernandes’ Lotus Racing and the new Lotus Renault GP) were now in a dispute about the ownership of the “Lotus” name.
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| Is this car a Renault... or a Lotus? (Photo: Glenn Dunbar /LAT Photographic) |
“The only thing I know is that Proton decided to invest and to be a sponsor of our team. This makes us the official representative of Lotus. Period. What we are facing now is like finding someone Great Britain whose name is Richard Ferrari, so I could buy the right of using his name. This is as stupid as the situation is,” Boullier said about Tony Fernandes who recently purchased the name “Team Lotus” from David Hunt.
Boullier is not happy that Tony Fernandes is trying to use the “Lotus” name.
"It's very bad for the fans, because for me it's fake. Telling the fans about the Lotus heritage and so on is wrong. If you are called Lotus and you are manufacturing cars, then this is the only official name. That's it,” Boullier insisted.
The French engineer is pleased to work with people of Lotus Cars who have previous Formula 1 experience such as Dany Bahar, Claudio Berro and Gino Rosato.
“We'll benefit from that as a partner. We actually plan to meet and discuss with them. But they are currently working with a car manufacturer and they're not in F1. Of course I will be working with them for their experience, but the daily business is run by Genii, not by Lotus Car,” said Boullier.
“"Again, they are sponsors, they are partners. They are not deciding about whom they want. We will keep the driver we believe can bring a full package and a good balance between sporting results and business. Robert (Kubica) is already under contract and we are still in the process of finalising the second driver.”
On the official FIA entry list, the team is listed as “Renault F1 Team” and not “Lotus Renault GP”, why is that?
“It's an administrative issue. The people in charge of the paperwork at the FIA are on holiday now. It has no effect on the commercial rights of the team. Lotus is just a sponsor and, as the title sponsor, they have the right to be in the team name, as the regulations state. So there will be no commercial change,” Boullier explained.