Lotus-Renault go British
Should Renault hit the top step of the podium in 2011, do not expect to hear the French national anthem. Rather, the British will ring out.
Having teamed up with Lotus ahead of this year's Championship, rebranding the outfit 'Lotus-Renault GP', the Renault Formula One team has opted to swap their French racing licence in favour of a British one.
"Lotus is an English manufacturer," team boss Eric Boullier told Autosport.
"I have not announced this before, but we will be running under a British licence now.
"It means that if we win, we will play the British national anthem. And that is important for everybody inside the team. We are rebranding everything inside the company now."
Lotus-Renault's decision means Fernando Alonso's victory in the 2008 Japanese GP was the last time the French national anthem was played in F1 circles. And it may be the last time for many years to come.
The team also revealed their livery for the 2011 season at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham on Thursday with a 2010 Renault F1 car sporting the traditional black-and-gold colour scheme of Lotus.
Lotus-Renault's new 2011 car, the R31, will be launched in Valencia on 31st January before hitting the track the following day for the start of pre-season testing.
Credit: PlanetF1.com (www.planetf1.com)
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