Group Lotus on departure since December

The future of Group Lotus seems increasingly uncertain since its takeover by DRB-Hicom. The Malaysian company could not hide its financial instability and was unable to honor the payments it owed to Lotus F1 Team, which this season became the only representative of the British brand in F1. Genii Capital, the company that owns the English team, and its president Gerard Lopez, then preferred to end the contract which linked it to the Malaysian group in December 2011 in order to be able to recover a new title sponsor.

The current situation of Lotus F1 Team is far from worrying since the forecast budget for the 2012 season had already been completed before the termination of the contract with Group Lotus. The new partnerships signed this year with Unilever (one of the most important of the season) and Microsoft have played a large part in the team's good financial situation. However, the departure of Group Lotus now allows enstone to look for a new long-term title sponsor. The British team, which intends to keep its name at least until 2017, is already in discussions with several potential partners for next season.