With the downfall of Renault engines in Formula 1, there have been lots of rumors regarding the engine manufacturer’s future plans. Lotus though, isn’t worried.
Since F1 cars have adopted hybrid technology, Renault has struggled to keep up with Mercedes – generally speaking, because this season they’re not keeping up with Ferrari either.
Some have said that they might plan on withdrawing from F1 or simply carrying on as a works team by purchasing somebody like a Toro Rosso or a Lotus.
Lotus were actually owned by Renault, before the team got sold to Genii Capital in 2009. This might be relevant if Renault is indeed to move in the direction of team ownership.
However, according to Lotus F1 chief executive Matthew Carter, that’s not going to be the case. Carter was quoted by the Daily Telegraph saying “My shareholders have said quite specifically the team isn’t for sale. I guess there’s a famous quote that everything’s for sale at a price but certainly shareholders have told me they don’t want to sell the team, they don’t want to give up their majority interest in the team.”
And we can understand why. Since switching to a Mercedes unit, Lotus has looked very promising in terms of outright performance (though not as an overall package).
Until Renault finally decides what to do, we’re looking at a very interesting waiting game.
Story references: planetf1
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