Team Lotus principal Tony Fernandes has come clean on the Lotus naming row and expressed his disappointment over certain critical remarks that were directed towards him earlier this week by the owner of the other Lotus team.
Renault-Lotus GP team owner Gerard Lopez has suggested that the fight put up by Fernandes over the rights to use the Lotus name was fuelled purely by monetary purposes as a name change for the team right now would mean that the outfit loses its television rights money.
In response to those suggestions, Fernandes mentioned that he was most let down by the fact that the dispute between him and Group Lotus, the title sponsors of the Renault-Lotus team, had once again erupted in public.
“I am disappointed with it. I think it has become very personal. I have never made it personal and what have I done wrong?” said Fernandes in reply to Autosport’s query on the matter.
“I was offered a chance to restart Lotus. Proton agreed, they gave me a five-year deal. I did it in good faith, I spent my own money, I have spent £80 million building this team and I then had the Lotus Racing contract unceremoniously violated for some T-shirt violations which we were challenging. I was smart enough to go and buy Team Lotus though,” said Fernandes.
“I love Lotus and I didn't want all this stuff. I said to the boys in the pits last year, who were very emotional, that we may give up the name because we don't want to drag Lotus into the mud. A few of them came and said 'Don't do it, I was born in Norfolk, I worked for Lotus so don't do it.' I never wanted to give it up, I put my heart and soul into this, but for the sake of the brand I would do it. Well, Group Lotus offered me £6 million to give them everything, the name, everything but we have spent £80 million. To accept their offer would have bankrupted the team as we would have lost the FOM money, and I wasn't going to do that,” he added.
“We have 250 jobs here, we put our own money in, and so we are going to carry on. And I feel good about it. I was reluctant to discuss that offer but there was a lot of pressure on us,” he said.
The outcome of the dispute between Team Lotus and Group Lotus will most certainly be resolved early on in the Formula One campaign. The court hearing to decide on the matter is scheduled to begin on 21 March and Fernandes was eager for the matter to be sorted.
“I am very happy that it has been brought forward. The quicker we do it the better, and we can both move on. I am very happy that Justice Smith said bring it forward,” Fernandes said.
Source: Autosport
thanks..