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Proton says F1 team cannot use Lotus name
Source: Agencies |
September 28, 2010, Tuesday
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PROTON, the Malaysian car manufacturer that owns Lotus sportscars, squared up for a fight with team boss Tony Fernandes yesterday over his use of the brand in Formula One.
The company said in a statement that it had terminated a licence for Fernandes' 1 Malaysia Racing Team to compete as Lotus Racing and would also "take all necessary steps" to stop him using the Team Lotus name from 2011.
Fernandes announced at the Singapore Grand Prix that Lotus Racing would compete as Team Lotus, the original name given to the outfit by late founder Colin Chapman in the 1950s, next season. "A new dream starts today, Team Lotus is back," he declared on Friday.
The entrepreneur, who runs the Air Asia airline, said he had acquired the rights to the Team Lotus name from David Hunt - brother of the late world champion James - who had held them since the demise of Chapman's original team in 1994.
Proton disputed Hunt's rights and vowed to protect those claimed by its Group Lotus.
Proton chairman Nadzmi Salleh said: "We believe the Lotus brand to be one of the most valuable brands in Formula One today.
"We are the owners of this brand, and will take all necessary steps to protect it.
"Tony Fernandes has no rights to use the Lotus brand in the 2011 Formula One season, and we will strongly resist any attempts by him to use our brand without our permission and will withdraw our sponsorship of the Lotus Racing team."
The Lotus name is one of the most famous in Formula One, the original team winning six drivers' championships and seven constructors' titles.
Greats who drove for them include Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna.
Group Lotus, which owns Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Proton. Until 1994, Lotus' last year in F1 until this season, the team and car firm were in common ownership.
Proton said Group Lotus had terminated its current licence to Fernandes because of "flagrant and persistent breaches of the licence by 1 Malaysia Racing Team, which were damaging to the "Lotus" brand."
The company said in a statement that it had terminated a licence for Fernandes' 1 Malaysia Racing Team to compete as Lotus Racing and would also "take all necessary steps" to stop him using the Team Lotus name from 2011.
Fernandes announced at the Singapore Grand Prix that Lotus Racing would compete as Team Lotus, the original name given to the outfit by late founder Colin Chapman in the 1950s, next season. "A new dream starts today, Team Lotus is back," he declared on Friday.
The entrepreneur, who runs the Air Asia airline, said he had acquired the rights to the Team Lotus name from David Hunt - brother of the late world champion James - who had held them since the demise of Chapman's original team in 1994.
Proton disputed Hunt's rights and vowed to protect those claimed by its Group Lotus.
Proton chairman Nadzmi Salleh said: "We believe the Lotus brand to be one of the most valuable brands in Formula One today.
"We are the owners of this brand, and will take all necessary steps to protect it.
"Tony Fernandes has no rights to use the Lotus brand in the 2011 Formula One season, and we will strongly resist any attempts by him to use our brand without our permission and will withdraw our sponsorship of the Lotus Racing team."
The Lotus name is one of the most famous in Formula One, the original team winning six drivers' championships and seven constructors' titles.
Greats who drove for them include Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Mario Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna.
Group Lotus, which owns Lotus Cars and Lotus Engineering, is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Proton. Until 1994, Lotus' last year in F1 until this season, the team and car firm were in common ownership.
Proton said Group Lotus had terminated its current licence to Fernandes because of "flagrant and persistent breaches of the licence by 1 Malaysia Racing Team, which were damaging to the "Lotus" brand."
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