Chapman, Mansell back Group Lotus
As if a pending legal battle was not enough for Tony Fernandes to worry about, the Team Lotus boss has now lost the support of Clive Chapman.
Clive Chapman, the son of Lotus founder Colin Chapman, had at times during the 2010 season shown support for Fernandes and his Lotus team, but the Briton has now issued a statement backing Group Lotus and their partnership with Renault for the 2011 season.
"During 2010, the Chapman family, as and when appropriate, made it clear to those involved that it would prefer that the Team Lotus name should not be used in F1," the statement read.
"Indeed, assurances to this effect were received.
"The Chapman family was impressed by the achievements of Lotus Racing as a new team, and appreciated its respect for Team Lotus history.
"However, then its license to use the Lotus name was terminated and things changed. [The family] now looks forward to giving continued support to Group Lotus as the ongoing Lotus entity created by Colin and Hazel Chapman."
The loss of support from the Chapman's comes as a huge blow to Fernandes, although it in essence has no bearing on the legal position of either party.
Former World Champion Nigel Mansell, who began his F1 career with Lotus in 1980, has also shown his support for Group Lotus.
"I am extremely grateful to Lotus - and especially to Colin Chapman, who was so inspirational and almost like a second father to me - and have been watching with great interest the developments that have been taking place recently at Hethel with their ambitious race and road car projects," Mansell is quoted as saying by the Group Lotus website.
"I am really delighted to see that Lotus is back where it belongs, competing with the best in the top echelons of motorsport. It is particularly pleasing for me to see the union of Lotus and Renault again and the return of the iconic black-and-gold colours as driven by the late greats Ayrton Senna and Elio de Angelis, Johnny Dumfries and, of course, myself in the 1980s," he added.
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
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