Lotus: Did Fernandes want too much money?

The war between the Lotus Group and Tony Fernandes seemed to take on too great proportions in the face of a simple name attached to the wing of a car. It was indeed difficult to understand the reasons why Danny Bahar, CEO of Lotus Cars, did not want to let the team F1 Malaysian company to take over the manufacturer's brand, while such a poster would have ensured visibility for the company at a lower cost.

Danny Bahar then took the floor to explain that "Team Lotus" should only belong to the past and to the history of the English brand, or to highlight the lagging performances of the new team (which was all also the most efficient of the new teams of the 2010 season).

The CEO of Lotus Cars finally admitted that it was for financial reasons that the company preferred to turn to Genii Capital. “We tried (to sign a deal with Tony Fernandes), but his proposals were so ridiculous that we didn't continue the conversation,” Danny Bahar revealed to jamesallenonf1.com. “The contract (signed with Genii) only amounted to a third of the initial cost. »

However, Tony Fernandes denied the facts. But the CEO's thesis seems to hold water, given the turnaround carried out by the Lotus Group. In any case, the Malaysian businessman no longer has a title sponsor. His team is likely to be called 1Malaysia Racing and he has already announced that his cars for the 2011 season will not use the famous black and gold colors, Lotus. Renault GP having beaten him.