Formula One news

Lotus returns to Formula One

The famous Lotus name will be back on the F1 grid next year, the FIA has confirmed. The governing body revealed on Tuesday that the Lotus F1 Team entry has been accepted to fill the vacant space left by the departing BMW Sauber, which has also submitted what has been described as an 'impressive application'.

With 13 positions currently available on the grid next year and several entries left to select following BMW's July announcement that it will be pulling out of the sport, governing body the FIA confirmed on Tuesday that the Lotus name will be returning to the sport for the first time since 1994.

Jim Clark became the first Lotus World Champion in 1963

The latest version of the Lotus team will be funded by both the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs. The full title of the outfit will be 1Malaysia F1 Team, based at the factory of RTN in Norfolk, England. The building, only ten miles from Lotus Cars, was originally built for Toyota's F1 organisation at the start of the decade before Bentley used the facility for its Le Mans team.

Funding will be provided by the Malaysian Tune Group - the company behind airline AirAsia and headed by Tony Fernandes, who will also be Team Principal - with Mike Gascoyne making his Formula One return as Technical Director, having left Force India last year.

The team will be using Cosworth engines with gearboxes provided by Xtrac and aerodynamics developed by FondTech.


More: FIA calls for 14 teams in 2010

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