Lowcost F1LOTUS F1
Much like celebrities who get hitched to entirely inappropriate partners, the team formerly known as Toleman has the kind of history that should make any prospective bedfellow run a mile. Lotus F1 is merely the latest in a line of rebrands that has seen Toleman beget Benetton, Benetton beget Renault and now Renault beget Lotus.
Much like many of those those same celebrities, the marriage probably won't last very long, which would be A Good Thing because this name change means that there have now been three distinct Formula One teams called Lotus: the original and best Team Lotus, Tony Fernandes's short-live Lotus Racing and now Lotus F1.
In its favour, the team has brought back to the sport the legendary black and gold livery made famous by the original Team Lotus when it was shamelessly accepting sponsorship from tobacco pushers John Player. Its origin may not be anything to shout - or, perhaps, to wheeze asthmatically - about but the colours undeniably look good on a racing car and it does at least make a refreshing change from "mainly white, with some sponsor logos splashed randomly about". TIGRA 16v: The tooltip with lowered suspension and a racing windscreen wiper has announced the name of its 2012 challenger, ahead of the car's first test later this month.
The car will be called the E20, which commemorates the fact that it's the 20th F1 chassis designed at the team's base in Enstone.
That's the official line, anyway. Paddock rumour has it that team boss Eric Bouillon is just a really big Eastenders fan.
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