One of Britain's fabled motor racing names Lotus to return to Formula One for 2010 season

One of Britain's fabled motor racing names Lotus to return to Formula One for 2010 season


Lotus, one of the most evocative names in British motor racing, will return to the Formula One grid next season after 16 years away.

The fabled team, which took the likes of Jim Clark and Graham Hill to world title glory, have been named as new entrants for 2010.

The new Lotus, however, will be different from the homespun outfit introduced to F1 in 1958 by the great Colin Chapman.
Graham Hill

Golden memories: Graham Hill driving the legendary Lotus at Silverstone in 1958

The funding comes from the Malaysian government, which controls the Lotus company through its government owned Proton car marque.

However, sources in Malaysia indicated that Lotus would be initially based in Norfolk, with a view to establishing a permanent base in Malaysia.

Starting up Team Lotus again was originally the idea of F3 team Lightspeed, only for the FIA to overlook their claims in June by preferring applications from three rivals, including the British team Manor Grand Prix.

That, though, was before the nacking of the Malaysians, who will support the project with money from the state-owned Petronas oil and gas company.

Mike Gascoyne, a highly respected figure in the sport after spells at numerous teams including Force India, will be technical director.

Lotus will plug the gap left by BMW, if a buyer for them cannot be found, and other manufacturer teams if they decide the cost of remaining in F1 is too great.

It remains to be seen if the FIA will unveil more new teams today.

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