Malaysians pushing for Lotus F1 entry

[viper207]

By Jonathan Noble Thursday, September 3rd 2009, 14:58 GMT


A consortium backed by the Malaysian government is pushing hard for Lotus to beat BMW Sauber to the final slot in next year's Formula 1 world championship, AUTOSPORT has learned.

BMW Sauber chiefs have been looking for a buyer to secure the team's future, and there has been speculation that the outfit's Malaysian backers could support a buyout bid.

However, AUTOSPORT understands that the sponsors are instead close to throwing their support behind the totally new team that will use the Lotus name.

AUTOSPORT understands that the Malaysian government is keen to continue the promotion of its oil company Petronas in F1, but also start delivering a higher profile for the Lotus company name - which is owned by Malaysia's national car maker Proton.

The push for the Lotus name in F1 could also be boosted by the arrival of former Ferrari brand guru Dany Bahar as the company's new CEO, although it is believed his appointment at the current time is coincidental and not linked to the F1 plans.

Lotus's ambitions are being spearheaded by respected technical chief Mike Gascoyne, whose original Lotus team linked with the Litespeed operation were widely talked about earlier this year.

Malaysia's Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek refused to deny talk that the government is looking at its involvement in the team when speaking to local media yesterday.

"Nothing has been finalised and there's nothing to comment," he told the Malay Mail. "I'm not confirming, neither am I saying otherwise."

Shabery also did not rule out that an announcement about the team's plans was scheduled to be made after the Singapore Grand Prix later this month by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

He said: "Let's wait for the PM to make the announcement. Who knows what will happen after the Singapore GP."

The FIA is currently evaluating the entries for the 13th team in F1, with an announcement expected in the next few weeks.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78284

 

[viper207]

BMW, Lotus, Epsilon in run for F1 slot

By Jonathan Noble Friday, September 11th 2009, 12:03 GMT

BMW Sauber, Lotus and Epsilon Euskadi are the three teams that are being evaluated for the final grid slot in Formula 1 next year.

The FIA has narrowed down its selection for the 13th place on the grid, and is expected to decide in the next few days which of the outfits has been successful.

BMW Sauber is currently looking for a buyer, while Lotus' plans, revealed by AUTOSPORT last week, are believed to be backed by the Malaysian government.

Epsilon has funding in place after missing out on the first round of new team entries.

FIA president Max Mosley said on Friday that he expected an announcement about which team had got the place shortly after this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

"Finally last night we got the final offers from the three most serious teams and in the next day or two, together with the due diligence people we'll assess them and then we'll pick one of them," said Mosley at Monza on Friday.

"I expect something early next week."

Mosley said that BMW Sauber had asked for more time than originally planned to present its plans for 2010.

"BMW Sauber are one of the three but of course they are now effectively a new team because they didn't sign the Concorde Agreement," he explained. "We were asked to give them another week to produce their documentation and answer further questions which they have done."

Mosley said he had no doubts that the three new teams - Manor Grand Prix, Campos Grand Prix and Team US F1 - were all on course with their plans to be on the grid in 2010.

"They seem fine," he explained. "I think the Cosworth engine may surprise a few people as well."

When asked specifically about US F1, amid speculation that the team may be behind schedule to get its car ready, Mosley said: "This is the rumour. We sent some people over there and it's not quite what it sounds. Someone is going over again at the beginning of October.

"There's all sorts of rumours about them but they say they are very serious, so we have to take them at face value."

 

[viper207]

sangat berharap... akan wujud pasukan Proton Lotus F1 Team

 

[lampor_2003]

leh jadik ker?hmmmm

 

[viper207]

semua bergantung kepada goverment malaysia and FIA

 

[fms]

caya laa..
pasni dpt gak laa nama Petronas nnt..

 

[raimy_m9]

Patut proton masuk sekali...bolehlah boost sale..nnti keta kita kat malaysia ni murah skit...