Lotus F1 Team

This article explains the Formula 1 team that was part of Genii Capital and was active from 2010 to 2015.
For the Team Lotus racing team , which was involved in Formula 1 from 1958 to 1994, see the corresponding article .
For further Lotus engagements in motorsport see Lotus (Motorsport)

Lotus F1 Team

Surname	Lotus F1 Team
Companies	Lotus F1 Team Ltd.
Company headquarters	Enstone ( GB )
Team boss	Gérard Lopez
statistics
First Grand Prix	Bahrain 2010
Last Grand Prix	Abu Dhabi 2015
Race driven	115
Constructors' championship	0 - best result: 4th ( 2012 ), ( 2013 )
Drivers World Championship	0 - best result: 3rd ( 2012 )
Race wins	2
Pole positions	-
Fastest laps	7th
Points	942

The Lotus F1 Team was a UK- based Formula 1 racing team belonging to the Luxembourg investment company Genii Capital , which competed in the Formula 1 World Championship from 2010 to 2015 under changing names. He emerged from the former Renault works team. The racing team was supported by the British sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars until spring 2012 ; the team name should indicate this connection. There is no relationship with the traditional team Lotus , which was active in Formula 1 from 1958 to 1994 ; there was also no connection to the team Lotus Racing , which started with a Malaysian license and which in 2011 used the name Team Lotus. After Lotus ran into economic difficulties in 2015, Renault bought the team back in December 2015. Since the 2016 Formula 1 season , the team has been a Renault works team under the name Renault Sport F1 Team ; it continues to use the former Lotus team's UK-based base.

History of the team

Lotus plant in Enstone, Oxfordshire

The team is based in Enstone , Oxfordshire , England.

Emergence

The Lotus F1 Team is the successor to the Renault works team, which participated in the Formula 1 World Championship from 2001 to 2009. Renault had its own Formula 1 team based in France from 1977 to 1985 , and with it established turbo technology in Grand Prix racing. After a temporary withdrawal, the French state-owned company successfully returned to Formula 1 at the beginning of the naturally aspirated engine era in 1989 as a pure engine supplier. Nigel Mansell , Alain Prost , Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve (all Williams ) as well as Michael Schumacher ( Benetton ) won five Renault drivers in the Formula 1 World Championship between 1992 and 1997 . At the beginning of the new century, Renault decided to bring a complete Formula 1 team back to the start. Instead of building its own team, the French company took over the UK-based racing team Benetton, which in turn went back to the Toleman team, which first appeared in 1981 .

In 2001 the team was initially called Benetton regardless of the new owner; for the 2002 season , the name was changed to Renault F1 . The team was run by Flavio Briatore , who brought a number of drivers from his squad into the team. The most successful driver was the Spaniard Fernando Alonso , who won the drivers' world championship for Renault in 2005 and 2006 after years of Ferrari dominance had come to an end. In both years the team also became world constructors champions. After Alonso left the team at the end of 2006, the performance of the French-British racing team collapsed. The low point was when the so-called Crashgate Affair became known, an accident deliberately caused by Renault driver Nelson Piquet junior at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix , through which Piquet's team-mate Alonso should be given a strategic advantage. The damage to the image caused by the affair for which Briatore and Pat Symonds were responsible was, in addition to economic considerations, a reason for Renault's decision to withdraw from the Formula 1 World Championship at the end of the 2009 season.

In December 2009 Renault initially sold 75 percent of the team shares to the Luxembourg company Genii Capital and withdrew from the racing team's operational business. Genii Capital later took over the racing team completely. From 2010 onwards, Renault limited itself to supplying several Formula 1 teams - including the former factory team - with engines.

In 2010, the team signed up under the previous name Renault F1 Team; In 2011, after an agreement with Lotus Cars was signed, it was called the Lotus Renault Grand Prix. With the start of the Formula 1 World Championship in 2012 , the name Renault was dropped entirely; the racing team has since been called the Lotus F1 Team.

Name dispute

In the 2011 season two independent teams competed with the name Lotus in the name: on the one hand the team Lotus Renault GP, which emerged from Renault, on the other hand the racing team Lotus Racing founded by Tony Fernandes in 2009 and driving with a Malaysian license (2011 registered as Team Lotus ). While Lotus Renault GP traced its name back to the still active British sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars, the Malaysian racing team referred to the former British Formula 1 racing team Team Lotus. Both companies - Team Lotus and Lotus Cars - were founded by Colin Chapman ; Since the 1980s at the latest, however, they were legally independent and apart from their name no longer had any reference points. The rights to the name Team Lotus belong to the British racing driver David Hunt , who acquired it in 1995 after the team went bankrupt. Hunt allowed Fernandes to use the traditional name for the Malaysian team in 2010.

The use of the name Team Lotus was the reason for a legal dispute between the Malaysian team and the company Lotus Cars, which had participated in the former Renault works team. Both teams wanted the name "Lotus" exclusively, i. H. to the exclusion of the other, use for yourself. On May 27, 2011, a British court confirmed that the Malaysian team Lotus is the official successor to the traditional name and that this name is rightly used. At the same time, the court allowed the company Lotus Cars to use the name Lotus in Formula 1 racing; Lotus Cars had to do without the addition “team”. This allowed Lotus Cars and Genii Capital to call the former Renault works team the Lotus Renault GP . Tony Fernandez decided in autumn 2011 to register his Formula 1 team under the name Team Caterham from 2012 . This ended the name dispute after more than a year.

Cooperation with the Lotus Group

The British car manufacturer Lotus, which is majority owned by the Malaysian Proton Group, entered into an alliance with Genii's Formula 1 racing team in early 2011. It was initially reported that the team was working in technical terms with the automobile manufacturer, which had also acquired shares in the racing team. In fact, Lotus Cars only had the position of title sponsor in 2011 and 2012 and also had the option to take over shares in the team. Lotus made no use of this.

In 2012, as agreed, the racing team started under the name Lotus F1 Team. After two races, Genii and the Lotus Group ended their cooperation in April 2012. The Lotus Group, which had not met its payment obligations for several months, gave up its position as main sponsor with immediate effect due to financial difficulties. Genii waived the payment of the outstanding sponsorship money and received permission in return to continue bringing the team to the start under the name Lotus. The team received the rights to use the name Lotus until 2017.

Economic difficulties

Regardless of the sporting successes, the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship was marked by economic difficulties for the team. Kimi Raikkonen's salary was paid with significant delay after he publicly threatened to leave the team this season. In September Raikkonen announced that he would be leaving the team at the end of the year and returning to Ferrari . The only reason for this change is the fact that Lotus cannot pay his salary. He stopped playing the last two races of the season for Lotus due to a back operation, after he had previously announced at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that he would skip the two races if the outstanding salary was not paid. In the media, there were also suspicions that Ferrari had advised him to have an operation at this point and thus skip the races so that Ferrari would stay ahead of Lotus in the closely contested constructors' championship. After the end of the 2013 season, Lotus lost numerous employees who switched to competing teams. In January 2014, Éric Boullier left the financially troubled racing team and switched to competitor McLaren , where he held the position of race director.

In 2014 there were again reports of financial difficulties for the racing team. In May 2014 , Renault stated that, among other things, outstanding invoices from several customer teams (apparently Caterham and Lotus) were the reasons why the development of the Renault Energy F1 2014 could not continue as desired. After Caterham and Marussia announced they were bankrupt and would no longer compete in the United States Grand Prix , Force India , Lotus and Sauber considered boycotting the race to force commercial rights holders CVC Capital Partners and Bernie Ecclestone to make financial concessions close.

In 2015 there were repeated reports of outstanding payments, including for Pirelli tires. In July 2015 there was a trial in a UK creditors' court after several subcontracting companies, including Xtrac , sued for outstanding invoices to be paid. There were media reports that there were liabilities of 800,000 euros with a total of 27 creditors. Xtrac had filed for bankruptcy, and the team was able to avert bankruptcy through a payment . Since, under British law, only one creditor can file for bankruptcy at a time and the British courts are unable to negotiate because of the holiday season, the company is safe from claims by other creditors until September. At the Hungarian Grand Prix a few days later, Lotus only received the tires required for the race weekend shortly before the start of the first free practice session, as Pirelli did not want to release them due to another payment arrears. According to the team, there were technical problems with the transfer of the installment payment for the tire bill. At the Belgian Grand Prix , the team's equipment was confiscated by a bailiff, but the team was allowed to participate in the race. Only after reaching an agreement with the creditors Bell , Toyota Motorsport and Charles Pic , the team was allowed to leave the paddock of Spa-Francorchamps on August 27, 2015. In the course of this it became known that the liabilities to Bell amounted to 80,000 euros, Toyota, whose motorhome the team had rented, to 280,000 euros and that of the former test and replacement driver Pic amounted to 800,000 euros. At the Japanese Grand Prix there were again media reports about the racing team's financial difficulties. The team was not allowed to enter the hospitality provided in the paddock because the rent had not been paid. The team's air freight also arrived at the racetrack late. A court hearing in London for tax debts of the team of 3.7 million euros was scheduled for September 28. In the run-up to this negotiation, Lotus and Renault published a letter of intent that Renault wants to take over the team. In addition, according to media reports, Lotus paid the tax debts with the help of a loan from Renault. The team was then given until December 7th to settle its remaining debts. In the run-up to the Brazilian Grand Prix , there were further reports of payment difficulties; the team was initially prevented from entering the box due to outstanding claims by the organizer from the past amounting to around 330,000 euros. Only after Ecclestone settled the claims was the team allowed to enter the pits. Even at the season finale in Abu Dhabi , the team employees were prevented from entering the pits. Again, according to media reports, Ecclestone paid the liabilities.

The Formula 1 commitment

2010 season: takeover of Renault

Robert Kubica in the Renault R30 at the Bahrain Grand Prix

The team used the Renault R30 , a car designed by James Allison and Tim Densham , in its first year of independence from Renault . An eight-cylinder Renault RS27 engine, which Red Bull Racing also used with identical specifications, served as the drive . The drivers were Robert Kubica and Vitaly Petrow . Kubica was the more consistent and successful driver: he only dropped out in three races and scored 136 world championship points, so that he finished the world championship in eighth place. His best result was second place in the Australian Grand Prix ; in addition, he reached two third places and twelve other positions in the points. Petrov finished fourteen times and achieved five positions in the points. His best result was fifth place at the Hungarian Grand Prix . He finished the season with 27 points from thirteenth. Renault achieved fifth place in the constructors' championship with 163 points. Red Bull scored three times the number of points and became constructors' champions.

2011 season: Lotus Renault GP

The Renault R31 in the black and gold livery of Team Lotus (here Heidfeld at the Malaysian Grand Prix)

For the 2011 season , the racing team was named Lotus Renault GP . He thus followed up on a connection that had been successful in the mid-1980s: in the turbo era, the Lotus team had purchased six-cylinder engines from Renault as a customer team for several years. The cars, painted in black and gold , had been driven by pilots like Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell and had achieved some notoriety. In memory of these traditional cars, the Lotus Renault team adopted the black and gold color scheme for its cars in 2011.

The Renault R31 , a further development of the previous year's model, was reported as an emergency vehicle . It was powered by the Renault RS27 engine, which, in addition to Red Bull, was now also available to the Malaysian team Lotus.

The continuation of the Kubica-Petrow driver pairing was planned for the 2011 season. On February 6th, however, Kubica was seriously injured in a rally in Italy and had to undergo several operations. The team replaced him with Nick Heidfeld for the first eleven races of the year ; from the Hungarian Grand Prix went Bruno Senna Kubica's car.

Heidfeld crossed the finish line eight times in eleven races. His best result was third place in the Malaysian Grand Prix . After he was eliminated from both Germany and the Hungarian Grand Prix due to driving errors, the team released him in summer 2011. Within the team, Heidfeld was just ahead of Petrow with 34 to 32 points. At the end of the season he finished eleventh in the world championship. Bruno Senna, who had made his debut with Hispania Racing the year before , only finished in the points once in eight attempts; at the Italian Grand Prix he was ninth. Vitaly Petrov scored 37 points; his best result was third place in the opening race in Australia. The team was again able to take fifth place in the constructors' championship, although in 2011 it scored significantly fewer points with 73 points than in the previous year.

2012 season: Lotus F1 Team

Romain Grosjean in the Lotus E20 at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix

In the Formula 1 World Championship in 2012 , the racing team competed under the name Lotus F1 Team. Kimi Räikkönen , who returned to Formula 1 after a two-year break, and Romain Grosjean were signed up as drivers . The car was the Lotus E20 , which was again powered by a Renault engine. The team was more competitive than the year before. At the Bahrain Grand Prix and at the Hungarian Grand Prix , both drivers achieved a podium finish, and in Abu Dhabi , the team won for the first time a Grand Prix.

At the Italian Grand Prix there was a driver change, Jérôme D'Ambrosio replaced Grosjean, who had been banned from this race. At the previously held Belgian Grand Prix , he had triggered a pile-up, which resulted in Lewis Hamilton , Fernando Alonso and Sergio Pérez all being canceled.

Raikkonen finished on a podium seven times, Grosjean twice. Thanks to the good racing results, the team was in third place in the constructors' classification in the interim classification until summer 2012. The team finished the season in fourth place in the constructors' championship, which was already determined before the last race of the year.

2013 season: constant pursuer

Kimi Raikkonen in the Lotus E21

In the 2013 season the team started again with the drivers Räikkönen and Grosjean. The emergency vehicle was the Lotus E21 . The season was successful, Raikkonen won the season opener in Australia and finished second in six other races and third in one race. There was also a second and five third places from Grosjean. The team scored 315 points over the course of the season and, as in the previous year, was fourth in the constructors' championship. Due to the team's economic difficulties, Raikkonen announced in September 2013 that he would be returning to his former Ferrari team for the coming season. After an operation on his back, he was replaced for the last two races of the season by Heikki Kovalainen , who was unable to score any points for the team.

2014 season: Difficult turbo year

The 2014 season denied Lotus with the driver duo Pastor Maldonado , who came from Williams, and Romain Grosjean. The emergency vehicle was the Lotus E22 constructed by Nick Chester and Martin Tolliday , which, like the cars from Red Bull , Toro Rosso and Caterham, uses hybrid engines from Renault ( Renault Energy F1 2014 ). The test drives before the start of the season showed that Renault had numerous problems with the drive. The Lotus pilots could only do a few test laps. The problems persisted at the first race of the season in Australia . In qualifying in Melbourne, Maldonado did not cover a single timed lap due to technical difficulties. He was nevertheless admitted to the race because in third free practice he had achieved a lap time that was below 107 percent of the (later) pole time (so-called 107 percent rule ). Grosjean, who found the team's situation "frustrating", was more than six seconds slower than pole setter Lewis Hamilton. Both Lotus started from the back row.

The team achieved only three top 10 positions in the entire season and ended the season in eighth place with ten points.

2015 season: Mercedes engines

Romain Grosjean in the Lotus E23 Hybrid at the 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix

For the 2015 season, Lotus changed the engine partner. Instead of Renault engines, Lotus used Mercedes engines . The team was the third Mercedes customer team alongside Williams and Force India . Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado continued to work as drivers.

During the year there were numerous reports of an impending takeover of the racing team by Renault. Lotus managers and Renault confirmed that negotiations were taking place on this. However, an agreement initially expected for summer 2015 did not come about.

Despite the economic difficulties, the athletic results improved. Lotus was the weakest of the Mercedes customer teams; Nevertheless, Lotus was able to increase the number of points compared to the previous year from 10 to 78. The team thus ended the season in sixth place in the constructors' championship. It achieved 15 places in the points and with Grosjeans third place in Belgium for the first time since 2013 a finish on a podium.

Even after the 2015 season was over, the future was initially unclear. There were increasing reports that Renault was paying outstanding bills from the Lotus team, and according to Lotus managers, Renault technicians have been working at the Lotus plant in Enstone since October 2015. An agreement on Renault's entry was still pending. According to statements from Lotus management, the technicians were working on two different vehicle concepts for the 2016 Formula 1 World Championship , one for the - again - use of a Mercedes engine and another designed for the Renault engine. Shortly after the end of the season, Renault officially confirmed the takeover of Lotus. According to media reports, the main reason for the repeatedly postponed confirmation was the fact that Renault was unable to agree with Ecclestone for a long time on bonus payments that exceeded the payments agreed with the Lotus team under Concorde contracts . Renault acquired a 90 percent stake in the racing team through its British subsidiary Grigny for a price of just one pound sterling .

Numbers and dates

Statistics in Formula 1

Status: end of season 2015

season	Team name	chassis	engine	tires	Grand Prix	Victories	Second	Third	Poles	nice Round	Points	World Cup rank
2010	Renault F1 Team	Renault R30	Renault RS27 2.4 V8	B.	19th	-	1	2	-	2	163	5.
2011	Lotus Renault GP	Renault R31	Renault RS27 2.4 V8	P	19th	-	-	2	-	-	73	5.
2012	Lotus F1 Team	Lotus E20	Renault RS27 2.4 V8	P	20th	1	4th	5	-	3	303	4th
2013	Lotus F1 Team	Lotus E21	Renault RS27 2.4 V8	P	19th	1	7th	6th	-	2	315	4th
2014	Lotus F1 Team	Lotus E22	Renault 1.6 V6 Turbo	P	19th	-	-	-	-	-	10	8th.
2015	Lotus F1 Team	Lotus E23 Hybrid	Mercedes-Benz PU106B Hybrid	P	19th	-	-	1	-	-	78	6th
total					115	2	12	16	-	7th	942

All drivers in Formula 1

Status: end of season 2015

Surname	Years	Grand Prix	Points	Victories	Second	Third	Poles	nice Round	best WM-Pos.
Romain Grosjean	2012-2015	76	287	-	2	8th	-	1	07th ( 2013 )
Vitaly Petrov	2010-2011	38	64	-	-	1	-	1	10. ( 2011 )
Kimi Raikkonen	2012-2013	37	390	2	9	4th	-	4th	03rd ( 2012 )
Pastor Maldonado	2014-2015	37	29	-	-	-	-	-	14. ( 2015 )
Robert Kubica	2010	19th	136	-	1	2	-	1	08. ( 2010 )
Nick Heidfeld	2011	11	34	-	-	1	-	-	11. ( 2011 )
Bruno Senna	2011	8th	2	-	-	-	-	-	18th ( 2011 )
Heikki Kovalainen	2013	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	21st ( 2013 )
Jérôme D'Ambrosio	2012	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	23rd ( 2012 )

Results in Formula 1

season	chassis	driver	No.	1	2	3	4th	5	6th	7th	8th	9	10	11	12	13	14th	15th	16	17th	18th	19th	20th	Points	rank
2010	Renault R30																							163	5.
		R. Kubica	11	11	2	4th	5	8th	3	6th	7th	5	DNF	7th	DNF	3	8th	7th	DNF	5	9	5
		W. Petrov	12	DNF	DNF	DNF	7th	11	13 *	15th	17th	14th	13	10	5	9	13	11	DNF	DNF	16	6th
2011	Renault R31																							73	5.
		N. Heidfeld	09	12	3	12	7th	8th	8th	DNF	10	8th	DNF	DNF
		B. Senna													13	9	15th	16	13	12	16	17th
		W. Petrov	10	3	17 *	9	8th	11	DNF	5	15th	12	10	12	9	DNF	17th	9	DNF	11	13	10
2012	Lotus E20																							303	4th
		K. Raikkonen	09	7th	5	14th	2	3	9	8th	2	5	3	2	3	5	6th	6th	5	7th	1	6th	10
		R. Grosjean	10	DNF	DNF	6th	3	4th	DNF	2	DNF	6th	18th	3	DNF	EX	7th	19 *	7th	9	DNF	7th	DNF
		J. D'Ambrosio														13
2013	Lotus E21																							315	4th
		K. Raikkonen	07th	1	7th	2	2	2	10	9	5	2	2	DNF	11	3	2	5	7th	DNF
		H. Kovalainen																			14th	14th
		R. Grosjean	08th	10	6th	9	3	DNF	DNF	13	19 *	3	6th	8th	8th	DNF	3	3	3	4th	2	DNF
2014	Lotus E22																							10	8th.
		R. Grosjean	08th	DNF	11	12	DNF	8th	8th	DNF	14th	12	DNF	DNF	DNF	16	13	15th	17th	11	17 *	13
		P. Maldonado	13	DNF	DNF	14th	14th	15th	DNS	DNF	12	17 *	12	13	DNF	14th	12	16	18th	9	12	DNF
2015	Lotus E23 Hybrid																							78	6th
		R. Grosjean	08th	DNF	11	7th	7th	8th	12	10	DNF	DNF	7th	3	DNF	13 *	7th	DNF	DNF	10	8th	9
		P. Maldonado	13	DNF	DNF	DNF	15th	DNF	DNF	7th	7th	DNF	14th	DNF	DNF	12	8th	7th	8th	11	10	DNF

Legend
colour	abbreviation	meaning
gold	-	victory
silver	-	2nd place
bronze	-	3rd place
green	-	Placement in the points
blue	-	Classified outside the point ranks
violet	DNF	Race not finished (did not finish)
	NC	not classified
red	DNQ	did not qualify
	DNPQ	failed in pre-qualification (did not pre-qualify)
black	DSQ	disqualified
White	DNS	not at the start (did not start)
	WD	withdrawn
Light Blue	PO	only participated in the training (practiced only)
	TD	Friday test driver
without	DNP	did not participate in the training (did not practice)
	INJ	injured or sick
	EX	excluded
	DNA	did not arrive
	C.	Race canceled
		no participation in the World Cup
other	P / bold	Pole position
	SR / italic	Fastest race lap
	*	not at the finish, but counted due to the distance covered
	()	Streak results
	underlined	Leader in the overall standings

See also

• Lotus (motorsport)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ^ ^{A b} Mathias Brunner: Renault takes over: Lotus brand will disappear. Speedweek.com, November 9, 2015, accessed November 10, 2015 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Heiko Stritzke: Lotus takeover: Renault paid only one pound. Motorsport-Total.com, December 27, 2015, accessed December 28, 2015 . 
4. ↑ Norman Fischer: Renault installs new management. Motorsport-Total.com, January 10, 2016, accessed January 10, 2016 . 
5. ^ ^{A b} Sven Haidinger: Finally official: Renault takes over Lotus. Motorsport-Total.com, December 3, 2015, accessed December 3, 2015 . 
6. ↑ Because of this affair, Renault lost several sponsors shortly before the Singapore Grand Prix , including the title sponsor ING Groep : "After 'Crashgate': Renault loses the title sponsor" (Motorsport-Total.com on September 24, 2009)
7. ↑ Proton increases its commitment to Genii: Message on the website www.motorsport-total.com (accessed on December 3, 2011).
8. ↑ "Lotus changes the team name for 2011" (Motorsport-Total.com on September 24, 2010)
9. ↑ "Renault Shareholding: The facts on the table" (Motorsport-Total.com on February 4, 2011)
10. ↑ "Absurd case of Lotus: Both sides celebrate as winners" ( Memento of the original from May 30, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ^ "Lotus name dispute before the end?" (Motorsport-Total.com on August 27, 2011, accessed on October 22, 2011)
12. ↑ These details became known on the occasion of the termination of the cooperation in April 2012. See "Lotus Group ends sponsorship of the Formula 1 team": News from April 6, 2012 on the website www.motorsport-total.com .
13. ↑ Until 2017 in Formula 1: Lotus Group reacts. Motorsport-Total.com, April 12, 2012, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
14. ↑ "Lotus Group ends sponsorship of the Formula 1 team": Message from April 6, 2012 on the website www.motorsport-total.com .
15. ↑ Lotus keeps the name until 2017: News from April 10, 2012 on the website www.motorsport-total.com .
16. ^ Sven Haidinger: Raikkonen case: Formula 1 financial misery reaches the next level. Motorsport-Total.com, September 20, 2013, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
17. ↑ Stefan Ziegler: Lotus confirms: Raikkonen no longer drives in 2013. Motorsport-Total.com, November 10, 2013, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
18. ↑ Christian Nimmervoll, Dominik Sharaf: Raikkonen is fed up with: No Lotus salary, no races! Motorsport-Total.com, November 1, 2013, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
19. ↑ Sven Haidinger: Räikkönen & Hülkenberg not in the Lotus: Ferrari is behind it. Motorsport-Total.com, November 13, 2013, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
20. ^ Roman Wittemeier: Renault in distress: Who has not paid? Motorsport-Total.com, May 9, 2014, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
21. ^ Roman Wittemeier: Sauber, Lotus and Force India: Boycott as a cry for help? Motorsport-Total.com, November 1, 2014, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
22. ↑ Dominik Sharaf: Tires & Hotel Rooms: Can't three teams pay? Motorsport-Total.com, March 12, 2015, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
23. ↑ Gerald Dirnbeck, Dieter Rencken: Creditors go to court against Lotus. Motorsport-Total.com, July 6, 2015, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
24. ↑ Dominik Sharaf: Media reports: Mountain of debt presses on Lotus. Motorsport-Total.com, July 20, 2015, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
25. ↑ Markus Lüttgens: Lotus: Debts paid, bankruptcy averted for the time being. Motorsport-Total.com, July 21, 2015, accessed July 22, 2015 . 
26. ↑ Christian Nimmervoll: Paid at the last minute: Lotus is waiting for Pirelli tires. Motorsport-Total.com, July 24, 2015, accessed July 24, 2015 . 
27. ↑ Roman Wittemeier: Lotus: podium thanks to nice bailiffs? Motorsport-Total.com, August 24, 2015, accessed on August 27, 2015 . 
28. ^ Roman Wittemeier: Lotus is allowed to leave Belgium: found solutions? Motorsport-Total.com, August 27, 2015, accessed on August 27, 2015 . 
29. ↑ Sven Haidinger: Waiting for the money: Lotus locked out of team hospitality. Motorsport-Total.com, September 24, 2015, accessed September 24, 2015 . 
30. ↑ Norman Fischer, Dieter Rencken: Lotus confident before the court date . Motorsport-Total.com, September 27, 2015, accessed on September 28, 2015 . 
31. ↑ Christian Nimmervoll: According to Renault Letter: Lotus gets insolvency grace period. Motorsport-Total.com, September 28, 2015, accessed September 28, 2015 . 
32. ↑ Christian Nimmervoll: Lotus: Bernie Ecclestone helps with 353,000 US dollars. Motorsport-Total.com, November 12, 2015, accessed November 13, 2015 . 
33. ↑ Norman Fischer: Lotus locked out again: Ecclestone pays bills. Motorsport-Total.com, November 26, 2015, accessed November 26, 2015 . 
34. ↑ Motorsport: Kubica threatens retirement after accident (Die Presse on February 6, 2011)
35. ↑ "Blast: Senna replaces Heidfeld in Spa!" (Motorsport-Total.com on August 24, 2011)
36. ↑ Kerstin Hasenbichler: "Formula 1 - Official: Lotus confirms Maldonado". Fantastic opportunity. Motorsport-Magazin.com, November 29, 2013, accessed November 29, 2013 . 
37. ↑ Timo Pape: Grosjean: "Yes, it's frustrating". motorsport-total.com, March 15, 2014, accessed March 15, 2014 . 
38. ↑ "Change perfect: Lotus is switching from Renault to Mercedes". Motorsport-Total.com, July 5, 2014, accessed July 5, 2014 . 

Web links

Commons : Lotus F1 Team  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of the Lotus F1 Team