The full hearing for the Lotus name battle begins at London's High Court today. © Sutton Images
The dispute over the Lotus name in Formula One has taken another turn as Team Lotus has lost the support of the name's previous owner David Hunt.
Hunt sold the 'Team Lotus' name to Tony Fernandes but The Telegraph reports that he is now preparing to sue the Malaysian, alleging that Fernandes has yet to pay for the name. With the court battle with Group Lotus set to resume today, the report says that Hunt is "refusing to assist Team Lotus in court", and sees "potentially some serious holes" in Fernandes' case.
"He's apparently changed his mind at the eleventh hour," Hunt said. "He's trying to renegotiate by offering new terms which are, frankly, ludicrous."
Fernandes had bought the name to Team Lotus when relations with Proton deteriorated, having previously had the backing of Group Lotus. When Proton bought in to the Renault team, however, it wanted the name back in order to call it Lotus-Renault GP.
An initial hearing took place towards the end of January, but both sides are back in court today to attempt to settle all claims. The complexities of the case mean a final decision could take some time to reach, with any grounds for appeal ensuring it will still take some time to resolve.
Credit: ESPN F1 (en.espnf1.com)
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