Proton has just announced that it has revoked the Lotus brand licensing from the 1 Malaysia Racing Team led by Tony Fernandes. The team will continue to be called Lotus Racing till the end of this season but that will not be case in 2011. This also applies for the Team Lotus name that was recently announced for 2011.
The press release’s exact words were “with Proton’s agreement, Group Lotus has now terminated its licence to 1 Malaysia Racing Team to use the “Lotus Racing” brand in the 2011 and future Formula 1 seasons as a result of the flagrant and persistent breaches of the licence by 1 Malaysia Racing Team, which were damaging to the Lotus brand”. This is definitely not good news for the team.
It went on to add that it believes “neither 1 Malaysia Racing Team, nor any other company associated with Mr. Fernandes such as Tune Group Sdn Bhd or Team Lotus Ventures Limited, has the authority of Group Lotus to use any Lotus brand in the 2011 Formula 1 season”.
It was also revealed that the Tune Group’s recent rights acquisition of the Team Lotus name from a business formerly owned by David Hunt called Team Lotus Ventures Limited will not enable the Formula 1 team to use the classic name. Group Lotus said that it believes the so called rights have “no proper legal foundation”, as Hunt’s attempt to acquire the name in 1994 was ineffective. It was also said that Tony Fernandes knew this for a fact.
Proton also confirmed that it will take “all necessary steps” to protect the rights in the Lotus name, “including resisting any attempts by Mr. Fernandes or his companies, or any other unauthorized person, to use the Lotus name in the 2011 Formula 1 season”.
Chairman of both Proton Holdings Bhd and Group Lotus, Dato’ Sri Nadzmi Mohd. Salleh said, “We believe the Lotus brand to be one of the most valuable brands in Formula 1 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 1 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.”
“To put it simply, Group Lotus is everything Lotus. The fact that 1 Malaysia Racing Team entered into an agreement with Group Lotus to use the brand means that both Mr. Fernandes and 1 Malaysia Racing Team recognises and acknowledges Group Lotus’ rights,” he added.
The press release also stated that Proton will withdraw its sponsorship of the Lotus Racing team for the 2011 season. If this revocation continues to be implemented, Fernandes will have no choice but to rename the team, but there could be other underlying issues. So what will happen to the Lotus Racing team? Only time will tell.
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what happen to the 1 Malaysia Sprit?
I think who-who-who will know. If you know what I mean. :-)
Is all about $$$ & publicity, Malaysia Boleh! If anything bad happen to the F1 team, Proton reject the name to be use. If the current F1 team successfull, do you think Proton will reject so fast?
How can you tell the success of a NEW team when its first full racing season hasn’t even ended yet? Did Vijay Mallya think his Force India team is useless since they weren’t any good for 2-3 years?
I thought i smell some political motive here…Proton as a GLC company is pulling PM Najib’s leg by killing one of his biggest baby in the 1 Malaysia project…who dare to do that? or should i ask, who has the influences to do that?
Luckily he named it “Air Airsia”, not “Air Malaysia”
Otherwise GOV will revoke the word “Malaysia”
Proton can’t even turn around Lotus, still loss making company and subsidised by tax payer $$$.
This means the WHOLE OF ASIA has the rights to sue Fernandez???
This guy is screwed…..
too bad,Tony~!!
paul, i’ve dropped by your (excellent) site on and off for some time. lately, i noticed there has been marked and obvious trend for comments to be made or marked up in favour of a certain commercial entity. the above comment is an example, at the time my writing of this comment, it has 27 thumbs up, and 1 thumbs down. correspondingly, comments slightly negative or neutral of this commercial entity has a large number of thumbs down. i don’t know if there is anything much you can do about it, but to the commercial entity that may be behind this campaign, please just concentrate on producing good cars, that is the only way forward.
You think too much. You don’t think it’s possible that Malaysians are growing confident with this ‘certain commercial entity”? I can’t see what they have done wrong these few years to be honest. So are you saying that if other people doesn’t carry the same sentiment that you have against this “certain commercial entity”, it means that those people are not real?
Oh, damn you Proton!
If you are not going to do anything with Team Lotus, let someone else do. Don’t you realise that Lotus brand is mega huge in F1? It is second only to Scuderia Ferrari. It helps to expose your own brand, Proton.
The way I see it, Proton is just being childish.
in my oppinion, if the management of the team and engineers are from Lotus, then only it should use the name Lotus. if not forget it. it just bring bad name for Lotus if it doesnt win. humiliating for Lotus you know!
example if Ferrari does not participate in F1. and the name Ferrari is use by some loser team, every race is a losing result. then Ferrari will have bad name and track record in F1.
what for to be just proud of a big and famous name but you cannot deliver what the brand name is all about…
You don’t succeed in the first season… EVER. Lotus under tony did very well both relative to the other new teams as well as compared to the top teams considering the development of the car has been halted completely to focus on next seasons model.
Tony is pretty much a business guru, people emulate his techniques, shouldn’t that mean financially, if it was a loss making business, he would be the first to withdraw?
I’m sorry but in my opinion, Tony is all about earning more and exposing his name ‘Air Asia’ widely through Lotus’ name. More people pay attention to Lotus F1 because of their name so widely known for succeeding in the past.
So, for me, Tony uses their name for his gains only and indirectly destroying Lotus’ name without even their own engineers at it. A bit like buying a franchise from a third party and destroying the name.
I disagree. Tony has made good of his promise of showing respect to the Lotus name. This evident from the support he is getting from European fans, who understand the heritage more than anyone else in the world. He has earned their respect.
The F1 team needed current F1 engineers with experience. Group Lotus did not have F1 engineers, expertise, facilities or even the funds. And honestly, at the rate of Group Lotus and Protons politicking, Tony would have had to wait til the next decade for them to get around and support the team.
Proton and Group Lotus build road cars. They have no experience with composite single seaters and the aerodynamics required. They can try and start learning I’m sure but it would have been a steep learning curve. Tony is the type that when he wants to do something he simply does it. He doesn’t wait around for mankind to be able to land on Mars first..
Remember Brawn GP before rebranded to Mercedes GP?
that was a different case. they won because they had a good sum of development fund and able to ‘interpret’ the rules change.
technically, brawn is not new as honda F1 exit took place before the new season begin.
Oh and also, Brawn was the team who succeeded at their first attempt of joining F1. Then bought by MclarenMercedes.
I’m sorry Diablo but you see, why I look at Tony this way is because its like he doesn’t love cars and he owns an F1 team? If he loves cars, Why doesn’t he own several collections of exotic and rare cars? To make matters worse, buying an F1 team.
To make my point more relevant. What better way of advertising your company than on sports? You get millions if not billions of viewers on it. Remember, he sponsored Manchester United. For no apparent reason. Obvious reason is because they were the top football club and sponsoring them gets so much more attention. Same goes to F1.
Its Lotus we’re talking. They were F1 champions way back when? They were getting awesome records back then. Now some random guy comes and screw up everything just for the sake of advertisements. FYI, Lotus was involved in F1 on and off. Their engineers are awesome with the superb handling and everything. If I were you, I wouldn’t look down on them. They’re an awesome bunch and its because of them, Proton is surviving.
teams come and go, but lotus 2nd only to ferrari?! LOL!
If you follow F1 long enough. You KNOW that in F1 the Lotus name is so iconic and only second to Ferrari.
SECOND is not good enough.
A WINNER always aim for the best! that is being FIRST…
I think u’re the one who is childish. Proton does not own the Lotus name. Neither does Tony. Its owned only by the Lotus Group. They get to say who can use their name.
Tony knows it… his company owns the AirAsia name… AirAsiaX… Tune… its a no-brainer.
You see, like everyone said, Lotus is a big name in the F1 world..Many of us would say it’s good for Tony Fernandes to use the name as it helps to give more publicity for the real Lotus company.
However, what if the F1 doesn’t achieve good results or even being so crappy that it actually threatens Lotus’ image as a sports car manufacturer?..Lotus’ reputation would get tarnished, isn’t it? Who should be blamed at that time? Tony or Proton?
So it’s a right move to stop them from using the name in the future.
Harlo, Toyota F1 didn’t even win a single race, do people stop buying Toyota? Is Toyota already bankrupt? Hah? Hah?
Unacceptable reasoning.
“threatens Lotus’ image”? Lotus thinks it’s brand is so powerful is it? Among geeky petrolheads can la, but the rest? Syok sendiri saja. Go google most powerful brand, chances are they’re not even in the top 500 most powerful brand in the world. Their cars, up until Evora (FINALLY), are hopelessly impractical, you’re either a die-hard Lotus fanboy or a twat to own a Lotus. Or both.
They’ve got nothing to lose. If it’s “reputation” what they’re trying to protect, they forgot they ALREADY LOST IT the day they quit F1. Their job now is to EARN IT BACK, NOT FUCKING GIVE SHITHEAD EXCUSES LIKE “flagrant and persistent breaches of the licence by 1 Malaysia Racing Team, which were damaging to the Lotus brand”.
I can’t believe this. Proton, I am disappoint. I hope DSZ isn’t part of this madness. But right now, I must say: NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDZZZZZZZZZZZZZMMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!! FFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
i think you’re the one who needs to go google out the fact that everyone(except you, apparently) knows that the real Lotus is a big name in the F1 world.
Didn’t finish reading my comment is it? Lotus already LOST it. LOST. Do you understand the word LOST? IT IS THE PAST. The glory, the prestige, everything is gone the day they quit F1 many moons ago. They have nothing now. NOTHING.
Only geek petrolheads and old people think Lotus as a brand that is second to Ferrari. The rest of new generations including me, think Lotus is a new team like others (Virgin n Hispania). If they want the glory back, EARN IT. Not fucking cowardly pull off for some stupid childish excuses. Your “everyone” is not valid, not at least to youngsters. In fact, now that they’re going to pull out, we youngsters are more and more convinced that all this grandiose plan for Msian F1 team is indeed, a big bloody waste of time and money which could’ve been put to good use elsewhere.
It’s like saying Nokia is the best smartphone maker today, but obviously that’s rubbish when all the craze is now on Blackberry, iPhone n Android.
Nokia now wants to get back into the fight. Well, at least they know what they have to do: work hard to earn back what they’ve lost.
Lotus, it appears, don’t understand that.
I’m sorry, tell me who made Proton survive. Why isn’t Proton selling Lotus for now? Why are so many other manufacturers out there wanting to snatch Lotus for now? Seriously, Toyota is BIG so their divisions are big. Be it in production, tech, F1? They got so big, they even have other car companies. Lexus, Scion? Looks like you’re a Proton fan or something. But just so you know, Proton has been using ‘Lotus Handling’ for how long? Its because of us, that the fit & finish of the car is awful. Its cause we want more income from Lotus.
Oh and sorry, I like Mclaren. Not Lotus. I just have deep respect for them.
You can reply me and throw some other rubbish comment rudely but see your ratings. Looks like the world opposed your thoughts?
@Ayecaramba!
Do you read the earlier comments? That guy said “what if the F1 doesn’t achieve good results or even being so crappy that it actually threatens Lotus’ image as a sports car manufacturer?..Lotus’ reputation would get tarnished, isn’t it? Who should be blamed at that time? Tony or Proton?”
So what if it gets “tarnished’? Why does one assume their reputation will get tarnished when they suck at race? If that is true, then BMW, Toyota and Honda are “tarnished” and people must be so disgusted they stop buying these cars and those carmakers have gone bust. Even Ferrari’s new supercar, the 458 always burn until they have to recall it, does it “tarnish” Ferrari’s brand? Is Ferrari a disgusting sports carmaker now? You know that’s not true, right?
Frankly, I feel Lotus’ reputation is tarnished when they quit. Blablabla all you like, they quit, they stop racing. Loser. Period.
So what if I’m a Proton fan? Does it change the fact that Proton/Lotus is being chickened out of racing F1 next year?
So what if you’re McLaren supporter? I am first and foremost Sebastian Vettel fan, as far as Lotus goes, I have this to say to them: “don’t just tell me, show me.” You can brag all you want about how you’re a fearsome team back in the days before I was born, but what’s the point if you can’t emulate it today? I can wait for you guys to regain back into competitive stage, but if you quit on me, then you are indeed a loser.
So what if many people thumb me down? Sorry to interrupt, but I see my comments as a warning of an incoming disaster. Nobody likes to hear a disaster coming, so it’s expected my comments won’t be popular. But when the disaster I warned arrives, I can definitely have the last laugh.
for me its simple… unless there is a clear reference thatt Lotus Team is not representing Lotus Group..then it should be okay for them to use the name Lotus Team. doesnt matter if Lotus have lost it when they quit F1..honda have quit, but nobody are allowed to use the name team honda unless honda says they can use it …or the guy who want to use team honda name is Mr E.Honda or something like that – even then, team honda will fight for it….. its like saying, if you have a name with some goodwill, but for some economic reason you gone bonker..doesnt mean somebody else can use your name to build on it .. its unethical..
As usual, proton has found another way to shoot itself in the foot. Tune was reintroducing the lotus brand name to a generation that wasn’t around during its peak. Allowing them to use the brand name both allows for good advertising as well as improved performance based development. Knowing proton, they’ll start their own team now and fail miserably forcing the taxpayer to bail them out all over again.
Advertising per se cannot help to ‘reintroduce’ the name of Lotus if no direct technology is even used. A brand is delivering an experience. If true Lotus engineering was used and prove to perform then it is a worthwhile effort to put on the name brand.
Oh yeah. Stop ASSUMING that u know Proton. We don’t see u making cars or racing them.
“Advertising per se cannot help to ‘reintroduce’ the name of Lotus if no direct technology is even used”
Really? Which current F1 team meets that criteria?? The closest is Ferrari and even then it’s ‘disconnected’. The dual clutch, direct injection and other tech found in their road car don’t come from the Scuderia.
Reality is there is no such thing. F1 and road car technology diverged quite some time ago. Auto makers usually ‘buy into’ existing F1 specialists. Honda bought the Brackley base, Toyota ran out of the high tech Motorsport facility in Cologne, focusing on F1 not road cars.
Maybe just Fernandes Team, lol
There is an alternative which is just as good. Remember the Lotus Indian Restaurant chain? Use their name. Besides, the license fee would be much cheaper.
Banana leaf curry rice, anyone?
Question 1:
Why is Proton too keen to remove the branding from TF? Not getting money from TF is it? Or is it the dismay performance and burning of the car in Singapore recently? TF used the Lotus name without proton’s consent. How come it took this long to come out with a press statement?
Is this the case of Lembu punya susu, sapi dapat nama?
New possible name:
Air Asia Racing
Tune Racing
TF Racing
its not TF used the brand name without permission from proton. both the F1 managing company (1malaysia F1 whatever) and proton (as the owner of Lotus Group) signed a licensing deal beginning this year to give permission for the team (which is Litespeed Racing) to use the name “Team Lotus”
the fact that proton is the one giving money to the team, opposite to what u mention there. the brand “Lotus” is being use with permissions from Proton, get that straight.
dismay dissappointed or whatever it is, remains speculation but i do believe that with proton pulling out in total means they know the business isnt worth the investment. having said so, i think proton already did the homework and should be able to predict how the costing would look like. another theory is that proton is going somewhere else with the money.
as for the team’s new name, AirAsia Racing would be good because now Tony is going head to head with his ‘best pal’ Sir Richard Branson. however, Sir Richard is know to be the TEAM OWNER of the Virgin Racing. TF is just happened to be pick from thin air to be the team principal of Lotus Racing.
this whole f1 business is not worth the money, isnt that what some of us have been saying all along?!
Proton have plans for Lotus. They’re thinking of joining the Indy Racing League. Ok, so it’s not as big as F1 around the world, but they do have the Indianapolis 500 as their crown jewel. And Lotus do have some history at that race too.
Hi. Thank you for comments.
However let me set the record straight on a few facts.
1. Lotus Racing is not Litespeed. Although Litespeed did attempt to bid for an entry and failed. The Lotus Racing team’s make up is bespoke.
2. Proton is a sponsor to the team and receives value in return like other sponsors of the team. The team is privately funded by Dato’ Sri Tony, Dato’ Kamaruddin and En. Nasarudin
I work for the team and have been following paultan.org for some time. Perhaps Paul Tan can join us in Hingham this December for a planned factory tour for media. The insight will certainly be interesting to paultan.org readers.
so the crews are from where? thin air as well?
i must congratulate mr razuan upon getting a job with the team and i wish u all the best in doing whatever job they assign u. it is so refreshing to know someone from malaysia ( u r ‘name’ sounded like a malaysian, forgive me if u are not) is on board with arguably the biggest sporting adventure the nation has ever involved in.
however, i am quit suprise on the insistance of u on that ‘Lotus are not Litespeed’. that gives me an impression that its either u are saying the team is named Lotus and not Litespeed, which is totally really really true, or u simply are no informed by this fact. but of course u worked for the team, and i dont. this could be my biggest mistake ever to discuss about the ‘guys that formed the Lotus Racing teams’
i admit the ownership isnt quite clear to me. however, from Tony’s special interview with Formula1.com, i wish to highlight u upon a few paragraphs.
1) Q: But when was it that you really got hooked on the idea of having an F1 team?
TF: Well, the guys who put in the first application – from a Formula Three racing team called Litespeed – approached me just before Silverstone and since then it’s been a very fast development.
2) Q: You have teamed up with Mike Gascoyne – a very familiar face in Formula One racing. How is that working?
TF: Litespeed had teamed up with Mike and we struck up a very quick relationship in Silverstone.
(http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2009/9/9986.html)
we are not interested at the outcome of the entry bid by Litespeed on 14th march 2009. my 2 paragraphs (1) and (2) strongly supported my beliefs that the pit crews, data analysers, race engineers, and whatever technical staffs on board, are made of such guys.
please verify the statements made by tony and published by such websites. thank you.
The initial bid was by Litespeed but when that failed Tony got involved directly with Mike and he lead the new bid, not Litespeed. However typical of Tony, he did not alienate Litespeed and kept them with the project.
Litespeed only had their existing F3 crew and is a small group of people. The total Lotus Racing team now numbers close to 200 while Litespeed is still busy competing in F3. You can hazard a guess how small a crew for F3 would be and how impractical for Litespeed to swell their team to the size of Lotus Racing. Neither did the current team have sufficient current F1 experience.
I have seen and spoken to Nino Judge at the factory but if you were there yourself you would know how ludicrous it is to suggest that the team is run by Litespeed.
It would be better to appreciate that we have 7-8 Malaysian engineers in the design office alone doing aero simulation and structural FEA simulation. The goal is to have more.
It’s just impractical to have an F3 team run an F1 operation. The fact is Mike and his team recruited and handpicked personnel with current F1 experience.
I am giving an insight into the team as a member of the team and the only thing I would ‘verify’ for you are:
1. We can read what has been written and draw our own personal conclusions.
2. What is reported or published is not always accurate.
I hope you understand that the team is very much led by Malaysians and the Europeans in the team respect and accept their Malaysian bosses. They certainly appreciate the ‘Malaysianness’ within the team and enjoy the new cultural experience.
This team is truly an Anglo-Malaysian family. Hopefully Malaysians back home can appreciate the growing camaraderie and respect.
of course it would absurd to suggest they run an F3 operation on F1. crews for example, need to be enlarged and then the car itself. although an F3 car can be upscale to the its F1 equivalent. but no, i am not suggesting an upscaling procedures have been used for Lotus Racing.
nevermind, i will rest my case on this. however, the links are so strong that if one doesnt able to see it is only because one doesnt want to see it.
“if one doesnt able to see it is only because one doesnt want to see it.”
Very much agree with you Mr drM. I don’t think there is anything he can do to make u see what you don’t want to see
Why does Malaysia always have to involce politics in every category? Let the CARS be CARS!
f1 is about politics! look at how ferrari can get away with team orders! if it was mclaren, confirm fine 100 juta!
everything is politics. get used to it. cheers
What? why are the Malaysians playing hardball with each other? can’t we all just get along? Team Lotus Malaysia cannot meh? or F1Lotus?
hahahahaha kanak kuning G**! Corona beer
So, Proton are going to sell Lotus to Toyota?
What is happening?
Very sad for me as a bloke who once did get to meet Colin Chapman
Mike
its just Proton and Lotus Group doesn’t want Tony Fernandes to use the ‘Lotus’ name on 2011.
the current team is a bit ‘suck’, and they don’t want the Lotus name to be branded as ‘sucky’ too.
weird, because the current team is improving. a lot. except for the shitty hydraulics though. xD
yeezzzzzaaaaaa~~!!
dun give that legendary name to a caplang team!!
way to go~
What game there are playing har?
Damn Proton sell out Malaysian F1 team!!
I think Proton has done the right thing. It looks like Proton wants to enter Formula 1 successfully with a successful team. This just means they don’t wanna do a half assed job like so many other teams who are in F1 for the sake of being in there. They want to get the formula right.
If you had money to invest, wouldn’t you invest it into something that will reap rewards? Proton are doing the same. Since it is supposedly “our money”, shouldn’t we be happy that Proton is not jumping on to some back-end-grid-bandwagon-team?
Geee.. Proton wants to enter F1 properly??
What was Group Lotus and Proton doing before Tony brought Lotus into F1? Suddenly now all ‘interested’ in F1? Both GL and Proton sat on their arses for years and years with the Lotus brand. Someone like Tony comes along and walk the talk and suddenly F1 is on Proton and GL’s agenda. The least they could do is show support, show some grattitude.
Tony and co are footing millions of personal £ on this project while GL and Proton just sit there. Free brand advertising from them. The least they could do is use the buzz to sell more Lotus cars.
As for Proton, they’re not fit to get into F1 themselves. They don’t have a global product and their global market share is insignificant. Plus they don’t have the money. Someone should get their head out of their arse.
This mess is making Malaysia look stupid. All protecting their egos
No la… ure misinterperating his comment. U can ‘ENTER’ F1 just by sponsoring a good n productive team or be involved in the technology used. U don’t have to have a full fledge race outfit to ‘ENTER’ F1.
Tony and Co. went into F1 to make money! Period! oh… n nothing is Free in branding or advertising… ‘buzz’ merely creates interests or awareness… they don’t necessarily produce sales.
If puling out of F1 makes Malaysia look stupid…. what does that make BMW and Germany? Who should get his head out of his arse again??
Yikes…! Losing the name is one thing. Losing a sponsorship from Proton is another. Wonder what came about behind closed doors.
But in the words of Steve Jobs… “Change your (apps) name. Not that big of a deal”.
i strongly believe there is behind the close door incidents that coming to Proton pulling out in total. i am hoping blogs to highlight this matter
aiyoo..put team tony la next yer..hahahaha
Business isnt it?
Never mind. Just rename it Team CarTune.
or Team CarToon for that matter… sorry… just jokin’.. :P
i still don’t understand what the heck malaysia and proton is doing in F1. Even successful carmakers, (Toyota) has exited F1. Where are the priorities
Relax… Proton was just a financial sponsor not like Toyota as a racing outfit. N Tony… he’s in it for the money.
Too much money to burn?
perhaps… we do pay tony way long before we fly… hehehehe :P
If anyone of you noticed, the car carries the Naza logo/name as well and maybe that is the reason why Proton a little pissed with Tony? Competitors mah….
No.
Tony’s head grew too big for his own good. Proton, being the brand owner, doesn’t like anyone doing deals behind their (Proton’s) back.
Basically, Proton slapped Tony down.
what is proton judgment that lead to this action?
so..what will the team name next year will be?? NazaTune Racing Team maybe?if Group Lotus is everything Lotus then what about the Indy Series Lotus counterpart??do the Group Lotus own that to??
yup the Indy Series Lotus entrant was by group Lotus themselves…not related to the F1 team at all
It will be called ‘Team Lotus’ and Proton/GL can and probably will challenge Tony in the court of law. Tony believes the rights he bought from David Hunt is valid.
In 1998 Group Lotus challenged David Hunt in court for the rights of Team Lotus and Group Lotus LOST. Therefore if they lost then, why would they not lose again this time? Especially given that Proton/GL was all quiet with it before Tony took it into F1.
This is weird. You get thumb’s down for giving our some fact. They are either really hates Tony or don’t know squat about the history of Team Lotus and Group Lotus.
“Who needs facts, when you know the truth?”
:lol: :lol: :lol:
WTF????!!! This is more twisted than a typical episode of lost!
Its all about the licensing and who actually owns what. Obviously Fernandes and Proton have had discussions which must have led to a dead end, hence Fernandes digging up Hunt who allegedly bought the rights to the name Team Lotus from a liquidator , Proton are disputing that fact. Due to the failure to meet on common ground, it appears they are racing each other to the rights to the name, hence the recent spate of applications in UK courts from Lotus Group and Lotus Ventures, imagine how many are in the process of being files as we debate the issue!
I am waiting a lecture from Dr.M now:)
proton, airasia, naza, maxis…these stupid non-multinational local companies shouldn’t be advertising on international platform anyway…tony fernandes just wants to bodek by helping put a bunch of malaysian faces in international arena…their achievement so far serving nasi lemak in pit area…
Err..Proton, airasia market are global, thus it makes sense. Naza definitely not. Maxis..i think also same as Naza. Why NAZA got involve??? maybe just to influence potential or current joint venture with foreign car companies.
stupid comment… if you dont get exposure to the international viewers, how are you goint to be multinational?
again… stupid comment…
A multinational implies a company with business already present in multiple territories. When you already have sales outlet across the globe, only then would it make sense to promote the brand across the globe. Imagine an european consumer seeing the Maxis brand.. then tries to look for a Maxis product in his/her area which is non-existent..
Spot on Diabolo,,
Now every stupid can talk…
Ustaz is not an expert (obviously as he was a graduate of Islamic studies from Madinah..) but even with shallow thinking, ustaz would agree with Diabolo… multinational goes a long way than just sticking your local brand names overseas.
Your presence must be there first… not just names only..
finally protong comes to sense, after spending millions of people money…
Not really. Believe me, they will find another hole to pour the $$$ into.
well said
Could this mean Proton has bought another F1 Team?
Torra Rosa ?
Mike/Liverpool
Team Kereta F1 Tony xD
Great Job Proton…i was pissed myself when tony start bragging about using lotus name recently buying over from that david hunt…wtf…Lotus is a car manufacturer, same goes to lotus in F1…not some milionaire playing with their toys…some more promoting Naza more than proton…what the ????
When company A has thrown in 10 times more money than company B, logically you tend to give more exposure to company A. Guess which company is Naza
What people never realise is that Lotus Group and Team Lotus are always a separated entity but always connect with each other. The way I see it is that Proton and Lotus is trying to reap what Lotus Racing have achieve for the past few month and that just plain greedy.
i guess mnazri,tan does not know the true story about lotus founded by colin chapman….he set up team lotus is for racing motorsport & group lotus is for road car manufacturer…proton is evil u know….try to snatch ppl rights even they lose b4 in same scenario back in 1998 against Team lotus in f1…hope mnazri,tan is not a fool
can they use lotus curry house version of team lotus, now every one can eat lotus curry :)
Why tony always look happy even their team always a loser?
Because he knows, in F1 every team is a loser first before becoming a winner. In the history of F1 has any team won in their first season??
Brawn GP won their first F1 Champioship in their first season last year. Diablo, u don’t follow F1, don simply say la.
Lol,seem that you are the one really don’t know brawn gp actually is Honda before that.
Dude, the engine in Brawn GP was mercedes not Honda. So it is not 100% Honda. Sure you can still stick to your argument that it is a still a Honda but the fact is it is Brawn GP and not Honda that won the first F1 Championship in its first season. Driver, man u better do some research before rebutting others’ comment.
mmouse, true Brawn Gp used mercedes drivetrain but Brawn GP was formed on 6 March 2009 when it was confirmed that Ross Brawn, the former technical director for the Honda Racing F1 Team, Ferrari and Benetton teams, had bought the team from Honda in the wake of the Japanese marque’s withdrawal from the sport in December 2008. On 17 March 2009 the FIA officially agreed to the name change from Honda Racing F1 Team to Brawn GP. With the loss of Honda’s engines, Ross Brawn stated that several manufacturers offered to supply the team’s engines, but it was the Mercedes-Benz engines that best fitted the car with Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello comprising the driver line-up. Again is true that not is Honda Racing that win the title but Brawn GP but bear in mind that all the development of the chassis before is under Honda Racing. This argument had been debated in international forum or blog before and many agreed that they are not totally new entry. Even Keith Hayes, Vice President of FIA, agreed to waive the standard entry fee in recognition of the team’s circumstances.
When Honda pull out from F1 in 2009, they already finished the development of the 2010 car.. All Brawn do for 2010 is getting the fund and race the car.. They are actually racing the “Honda” car…
brawn GP
mean that you dont know much about F1
bcoz lotus racing hv won the 10th construction standing as the best new team…i guess u even watch 2010 F1…
For those of us who have heard TF speak in public, you’ll know he has a great ability to connect with people. He has what I would call a magnetic personality. And the way he’s marketed Air Asia, it is, I think, a more global brand than Proton.
So I don’t think this is going to have a major impact on him and it’s going to be interesting in the days ahead to see how things unfold next.
tu la aku dah kata sebelum ni tapi ramai thumbs down komen aku…
so now, PROTON have choose to be on TONY BAHAR side in reviving TEAM LOTUS name..
GROUP LOTUS PLC entry into GP2 with ART team is their first step into F1 world. just remember that 13th slot still empty after FIA rejected all application entry.
so now what’s tony will do? still wants LOTUS name? or just pick up a new name and let PROTON and GROUP LOTUS eat the smokes next year
We’re looking at 2011 season.
The 13th spot for 2011 is not available and will highly unlikely to become suddenly available. F1 cannot afford any more struggling teams. And the timelines are now to short to put together a car for Bahrain next year without being disgracefully 7 seconds of the pace. I don’t think Lotus or Proton want that reputation.
Tony will run as Team Lotus and will take to court any challenge he receives. I think thic can only be settled in court. On the surface of things it seems Tony has the upperhand because in 1998 challenged David Hunt in court for the rights of Team Lotus and lost.
So why would they not lose again this time?
Btw, who is TONY BAHAR?? :)
former ferrari guy that try to make group lotus bcm fake ferrari…
Dany Bahar lah. Dany Bahar CEO Group Lotus ex-Ferrari want the “Team Lotus” name for ART team. He wanted that GL become like Ferrari. Roadcar and F1 under one management. I was aware as a fan of the difference between the two. GL and TL is not in one entity from 1958. Go google the real history.
my bad… typo meh.. DANY BAHAR dude
ppl around the world will even sad look that bahar destroy the lotus name as a fake ferrari…
VERY GOOD !!! SERVE YOU RIGHT TONY !!
Opportunist at the expense of others
at first i hate tony for i feel cheated with air asia sometime..then i love him for his effort in f1…then i start to despise him this week when he acquire the lotus name from david hunt..come on la…that is a disgrace to the group lotus..he should be talking to them first…and what about his promise of malaysian base etc etc…
nonetheless at first he make some great effort with the f1 team, giving opportunity to Malaysian driver but the truth is, the way things work, i think he will never let fauzy drive on race day…fairly simple..he want to win, and we all know fauzy is far from that…especially now that he is getting engine from renault…i think tony has become a bit big headed ..which is not good..
i said this before and i will say it again, in truth, i think he should in the first place sit down with group lotus and find way to work together…clearly at lotus danny is eager to show of what he has on his sleeve..he want to prove himself and he want to show he can do better than ferrari..so when some dude make use of the lotus name without him getting any credit, for sure he dont like it…furthermore there is not bit of lotus dna in the team…they should bring lotus engineer, get expertise from lotus people etc…not like now…not one lotus work in on the car…And i also think danny realize, like ferrari…racing is the best marketing tool and he want to build this in a proper step..first the GP2, and the Indy…establish that and enter the f1…at first he may think he can work with this guy tony for quick ticket to F1…but tony being typical tony fernendez…always being proud of himself and his great team (which trully great and passionate with him) but never about his fan, and client…seriosuly fly with air asia at least once to Jakarta…poor flight, delay ( i was stranded for 6 hours once at jakarta airport)…messy airport…confusing system…and wtf with no air bridge…i cant believe my eyes seing a mom carrying her child whilst in the same time holding the umbrella fighting rain and strong wind heading to the plane…clearly he couldn’t care less on his client..not to mention the complicated policies applied…i guess after a while, danny feel what i felt with air asia…
i was disappointed last week seeing the news…now, i am more relax and happy with the development..and i think i can predict the outcome..i think someone will pull the string and proton will work with lotus..but this time around, tony will remember well..stop playing tony stark…
“Tune Racing” coming up.
well. seeing that next year they would be using the same engines that power the Red Bull Racing team….I wonder what drama would come up then?
If Proton wants so much to protect the Lotus branding in F1, instead of revoking their rights, why not sponsor them to improve the current cars, bring in the right people on the team and get Team Lotus to where it should be? Or are they too scared to take that risk with one of Malaysia’s best entrepreneurs?
It doesn’t take a genius to know that success is not possible without defeat.
Its not Proton protecting the Lotus brand. They’re just adhering to their agreements. Its Lotus Group that owns the Lotus brand.
oh.. and sponsorship does not necessarily meam technical involvement.
Team Bunga Teratai would be good…
A firm called Paintglossy Limited (later renamed Team Lotus Ventures Limited)-David Hunt and Co-bought the rights to the name and logo from the administrator. The “Team Lotus” trademark process was completed in January 1995, specifically in relation to Formula 1 racing. Group Lotus challenged this decision in the courts in 1998 – after the Proton takeover – and lost. Thus Group Lotus has no real legal claim on Team Lotus, based on the decisions made up to now.
proton never get improve bcoz their never learn their lesson…it hv been vr clear set by colin chapman what is team lotus for & group lotus for…..so Proton will lose again…childish p1….
its all about POLITICS!
No. its all about business.
good move..someone using others righful/owned named so easily and manipulating as they (he) like, of course one will be pissed off..read properly people, Tony BREACHES a lot of contract deals..to heck with him..duh~
Dudes.. Lotus is nothing. Stop trying to flog a dead horse. It’s no where near Ferrari in terms of technical prowess or racing heritage. Any tom dick UK kit car companies can do a light weight car that can go decently fast. And BTW, the 2nd best known brand in F1 is McLaren. If Lotus was any good it wouldnt be in its current state of affairs.
c’mon , u guys can work it out , two companies should unite to raise the flag and not bark at each other….i bet if tony pays some reasonable liscencing fees proton wd be quite , this is not healthy….
proton should be abit more flexible since nobody has broken any laws….
but proton probably thinks that the agreement was that the name wd be 1 malaysia racing team and NOT lotus f1…so i can see protons refusal to use the name
bt we all wish lotus f1 team to do well WITH protons name on it and wd be nice if all the sponsers wd be local companies oso…
Tony is cunning though how he slowly bought the right of the lotus name without proton realizing it…!
FIA disallow any nation name as the team brand….
are u sleeping? do u know a team called force india?? INDIA!!! got it?
There was nothing ‘cunning’ about the way Tony bought the rights to Team Lotus. Group Lotus and Proton are well aware of David Hunt and Hunt for many years talked to Proton about taking the name back to F1 but they were not interested
dont worry, fernandes still have another trump card to use Lotus Restaurant in case Team Lotus plan doesnt work. It will be called Lotus Restaurant Racing ;)
thus the new team color would be blue with yellow colored font.
1Malaysia, just cracks me up – they want Tony out, Proton could/will never understand the dynamics of business in the 21st Century…
proton may hv to sell RM 1 to tony to shown them how to run a biz globally..
stupid act! if not because of mr. fernandes, lotus won’t stand a chance to show in F1 after so many years, cause no one in proton has the money and guts to be the first to bring the brand in F1. now bring this logo back and stick it at the back of your lousy proton cars…. Mr. Fernandes, go buy over bmw and sign up spaniard young rookie race for 2011
thats ridiculous. Lotus never intended to come into F1. it was TF who courted the name. Lotus Group owns the IP on the Lotus name so its their perogative to do whatever they want with it. Proton is a mere financial sponsor with no technical involvement.
Just wake up! Its just business.
Tony can rename it Team Leen Ngau (Lotus in Cantonese).
But I wonder if this is related to the public spat between the 2 gajahs.
Sorry but as I recall that the Government is sponsoring 1Malaysia Racing Team right or LOAN? if this scrap the whole 1Malaysia Racing does this mean the RM1 Billion is in the drain and not achieving anything?
if i were Tony… i rather name it AirAsia F1 Team……
Diablo: Yes, Brawn GP 1st and only appearence to F1 leads them to became World Champion in 2009.
agree with : mnazri,tan. Lotus should be Lotus and it should get proper expertise from Lotus or at least involves Group Lotus in their technical aspects. Lotus cars not only being light weight and go fast. It’s about their technical magic that makes Lotus as the only Lotus.
Good move Dany Bahar.
DOOM day for Lotus…..Bahar pls dun turn Lotus into Fake ferrrari…..protect lotus face, not destroying the lotus brand….wake up bahar…u no longer ferrari employee…u r Group lotus employee rite now
But Brawn GP isn’t totally zero to hero team. They actually Honda before that. They are not totally new team like Lotus Racing,Virgin or HRT.
I’m sure you’re were well aware that BrawnGP was actually Honda rebranded and was not a team started from scratch like Lotus Racing.
Btw Group Lotus do not have in house expertise to design, engineer and develop an F1 car. They build road cars. They don’t build single seater race cars
I think you got it wrong…They do have in depth knowledge on designing single seater race cars. They failed before not because they are not good in building car, it was because of the financial burden..those day, winning doesn’t guarantee you to win the race….It was a tough year….
At least team Renault despite not own by them run with renault engine…
I am very sure, if some italian chap want to start an F1 team and granted entry, and he decide to name it Lamborghini F1 without any real relationship with lamborghini, the VW people will get pissed off…lisencing fee may not be good enough to allow such thing to happen…It is about ownership of a brand…
To me David Hunt steal the brand…how can you buy brand without the company…?? these kind of people they dont care about people misery…how about the families that depend on Lotus Group ? Would David Hunt care about them ? If DH really passionate about the brand Lotus, he should enter bid in 1994 to get the whole company…not only ripping off the brand …pretty stupid but that has been allowed nowadays under very complicated definition….Now he see the value has rose up, Tony offer good money and probarly lifetime free air asia ride to anywhere…he sell it…he never think and never care the complication that might arise…if DH is genuinely passionate about F1…why is it that he didnt build his own F1 team? or why he didnt sell it back at group lotus the rightfull owner…in which group lotus shouldnt pay even a dime for it…because that belong to them….just try to imagine…someone bought my name mnazri.tan (of course my name worth nothing,my voice worth nothing, my posting worth nothing)….and own that name despite seriously that is my name…pretty idiotic thing but hey, f, the rule allow it and now, we have people who back tony and david hunt for doing what they are doing….
people like Tony & David Hunt, they are clever, opportunist, and they have mean to be successful….they brag about, wow i have great team, i have great driver, i serve good nasi lemak at the pit, i bring youngest malaysian driver to drive F1…but are you really serious of doing that…i challenge that Tony allow Fauzy to drive the whole next year…otherwise Fauzy will get too old by the year after and will never get a chance to drive….If you really about getting malaysian to drive at all cost, Fauzy is your best bet…let him drive will ya ????????…oh yes, since you willing to pay 1mill to heiki,, and 3 mill to jarno…at least you should pay fauzy half mill a year…
Sorry, I have to disagree with your statement about David Hunt stealing the brand. The Lotus company dates back to 1952 when Colin Chapman established the first Lotus company, called Lotus Engineering. Team Lotus, which ran cars in competition, became a separate entity two years later, while Lotus Engineering developed into Group Lotus in 1958, when the company began to build production road cars.
After Colin Chapman’s death in 1982 the Lotus companies were re-organized and Group Lotus was re-financed with capital from British Car Auctions, Toyota and various other parties. In January 1986 General Motors bought out most of the Group shareholders and, by the end of the year, had acquired a 91% stake in the road car business. This firm would later be sold on to Italian businessman Romano Artioli before Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Bhd (Proton) bought control in 1996.
While all this was going on Team Lotus was a separate entity, controlled by the Chapman Family. In 1975 the racing operations were transferred to a firm called Team Lotus International Ltd and a trademark application was made in 1988 for a “Team Lotus”, including the celebrated CABC logo. At the end of 1990 two former Lotus employees, Peter Wright and Peter Collins, took control of the F1 team, with a company called Team Lotus Limited, with the rights to the name and logo being assigned to this new organisation. Four years later this latter operation went into administration and a firm called Paintglossy Limited (later renamed Team Lotus Ventures Limited) bought the rights to the name and logo from the administrator. The “Team Lotus” trademark process was completed in January 1995, specifically in relation to Formula 1 racing.
Group Lotus challenged this decision in the courts in 1998 – after the Proton takeover – and lost. Thus Group Lotus has no real legal claim on Team Lotus, based on the decisions made up to now. There is no reason to suppose that a new legal action will be any more successful than previous ones. It seems that Tony Fernandes has now acquired the rights and logos from Team Lotus Ventures Ltd and so, in theory, has the right to call his organisation Team Lotus. The Chapman Family seems to be in agreement with this situation – which is a point of some importance.
Grandprix.com
SEPTEMBER 27, 2010
Lotus Racing responds
Jarno Trulli, Italian GP 2010
Jarno Trulli, Italian GP 2010
© The Cahier Archive
Later on Monday, after the announcement by Proton cars that they don’t believe that the Lotus F1 operation run by Tony Fernandes has the legitimate rights to change their name to Team Lotus, the team issued a release.
Riad Asmat, Lotus Racing’s Chief Executive Officer, said, “This has been an incredible year for everyone associated with Lotus Racing. Last week we brought Team Lotus back to the Formula One grid when we announced that we had bought Team Lotus Ventures from David Hunt, and would be racing as the successor to one of the most iconic names in world motorsport. This year, we have established ourselves as the leading new team in Formula One as a licensee of Group Lotus, and, although we all dreamt of bringing Team Lotus back to where it belongs, we could not do so in 2010 because those rights were owned by Team Lotus Ventures. As Tune Group has now bought Team Lotus Ventures it means we can now use the Team Lotus name for 2011 and beyond. We are all delighted we can go into 2011 with total confidence in what we own, and what we can take to the track.”
“However, given that this is contested by Group Lotus we think now is the time to clear this matter up so there can be no further arguments. We have therefore today issued proceedings in the English High Court for a declaration that Team Lotus Ventures has the rights to use the Team Lotus name and everything associated with that brand in relation to Formula One.”
Lotus Racing responds
“Racing under the Team Lotus name from 2011 means our licence with Group Lotus has now come to an end. In reality, this has nothing to do with how we will go racing in 2011, as the ownership of Team Lotus has been clearly defined for many years. David was approached a number of times about selling the rights of Team Lotus Ventures, including one official offer of from Proton / Group Lotus themselves. That must have been tempting for David, as the rightful owner of the Team Lotus brand and its rights. Oddly enough, Group Lotus also recently tried to revoke the Team Lotus trade marks at a hearing at the Trade Mark Registry, but they were unsuccessful. I suspect David’s misgivings about their previous offer to buy were justified by that action.”
Even Group Lotus want the IP from David Hunt so you can see that by UK lP law,David Hunt is the owner by right relating Lotus in F1.
Those explanation…is legalizing someone stealing someone name
try this..u go broke…bankrupt and the bank sell your name…
then you see that guy make use of your name to have one business deal…how would you feel???
mnazri.tan,
In real world, “crap” happens. Brand names can be bought and sold. Even if it is your family name, eg: Cray computers, Jimmy Choo, Elvis (that’s from the top of my head. I’m sure there are more). Don’t be surprised if one day the name “Michael Jackson” belongs to somebody that’s not a Jackson at all.
the season left with 4 races only… the stupid proton management only say this now… might as well keep your bloody mouth shut la… “mycar” you’re totally right… without the mr airasia, how can Proton or Lotus be brought back to the track… stupid statement and act!
Good, Hantu lawan Hantu.
So much pride the brand Lotus & it brought nothing to us Malaysians after years of acquisition.
So much for budget airliner to involved in F1 while squeezing passengers in their A320 tighter & tighter, even there are seats on the middle exit door without some space allowance.
there hv few airline company in f1…so tony want air asia come to f1 to compete with them….kingfisher, virgin, emirate
Childish Proton sure guarantee won’t win in court case…i thought
proton hv learned their lesson in 1998…now they repeating the same
stupid legal action…doesn’t the 1998 court gv clear answer for
them??!! If tony win, Tony plz take legal actions on Group lotus/proton against Lotus name used in single seated motorsport in all racing category… including new GP2 Lotus ART…
In uk, they use common law which is clear if same dispute happen,previous result will be use as reference. Proton don’t have solid ground on that if refering to 1998 case. Bear in mind the trademark relating F1 have been registered in UK under David Hunt not to Group Lotus.
that right…Team Lotus will rise. Hail Lord Tony Fernandes!
Tony, drop the lotus name la… its associated with Proton, not a good sign or lousy reputation. In fact drop anything related to this name, wipe it off the earth, from wiki, from history books, from everything.. they only bring bad..
sorry dude, the fact is Team lotus is nothing to do with group lotus or proton…this is the heritage set up colin chapman…it mean no relationship at all….
Whatever it is… it makes Malaysia look stupid! Tearing their own team apart… should u be 1st or 2nd or watsoever… team work and support is the greatest after all…. should it be winning or lose… as a team we must stat put / together showing to everyone we are 1 Malaysia… ya.. right… Money and Status again that tears them apart.. what a spirit of SATu Malaysia… shame on you Proton !!
Tony, screw them arrogant farts ….
U can call it whatever u want …eg. Tony’s Tune Team aka. 3T
What i see. It’s about branding and trade mark. Remember, TF did not ask any permission from Lotus Group or Proton. Proton holding only doing the right things to protect their product and branding. TF damaged lotus brands before. Can you accept Ferrari steal important facts from Mclaren. People will hate Ferrari soooo much. Customer will lost trust to their product. David and Collin day’s are very different situation then today. Proton is morphing Lotus to start making profit. They bring new faces and idea to make it happen.
Wait for it!!!
Wait for it!!!
Countdown to Paris motorshow.
2 days to go
If Tony is so sure that Lotus F1 brand does not belong to Proton, why in the world he needs to check with Proton or get their consensus?
Now I am wondering, the Lotus Logo belongs to so… that is a trademark item.. or the F1 team has a different logo them other Lotus?
I would rather name the team ANTI-PROTON F1 TEAM. Come on! Get rid out of the way! Go for another sponsorship, like Volkswagen.or Toyota. Shame on Nadzmi! Even BAM cannot survive under him!
Maybe the new team name should be Perodua instead.
Kancil F1 Racing Team
whatever its it, any name will be better then team lotus, giving proton and lotus free promotion already ! i would see the lotus racing in 2011 use whatever name also can, cos it will be a successful one, only leave proton and group lotus crying after the team success next year !
tony’s actions of buying team lotus name seems premeditated. he might of used proton and lotus as a stepping stone to get into f1 under the pretext of 1 malaysia racing team and then dump them as he now has the rights to the name team lotus plus sponsors to remain in f1.
this is shrewd business sense yet to a great extent unethical given the fact proton/lotus allowed them as a private team and as a malaysian outfit, to use the name as a ticket into f1. they would never have stood a chance of getting into f1 in the first place without lotus name.
it will be interesting to see if he can continue to convince the government to back this so called national project.
good decision proton/lotus.
sure team lotus name was bought by hunt but they never achieved any success in the past as they lacked the technical resources namely the absence of any lotus input into the team. it was just a name. similar to what u have now and in the future with tony and the gang. at the end of the day team lotus is and will continue to be a privateer team and not a manufacturer team.
come to think of it it wasnt just proton or lotus that has been taken on a ride but also the FIA who granted their entry. the malaysia as well as the lotus name must have had a strong influence in this decision.
people like richard branson at least branded the team in his own colors and name. plus he has the money up front to finance the team whereby his entry into f1 at least is based on these merits.
team lotus in history and during colin’ s time may have enjoyed a celebrated f1 heritage, but they were also a manufacturer team then which is not the case now and unlikely to be so in the future with the current 1 malaysia racing team. this jewel and recognition lies with proton and lotus and not simply in the name.
i wonder who put up the cash to acquire a team name and who will be paying for 2011.
its there any rules from FIA that manufacturer ONLY get race?? and names with past success only gets a place in F1..come on..be more logical…lotus name is not such a great asset as many claim…and if it is??why???because they won f1 before??its that an advantage??history got nothing to do with merits…the team has the money and financial backing..so its allow to run!!!then question is why did they allow this to happen in the first place??just for the sake of having a f1 to promote 1malaysia??who is the biggest gainer of 1malaysia??and thats where the money comes from…TF is just a scape goat…and now they want him out because he is doing well!!! no one from proton or lotus made noise when lotus trademark colours and lines painted on the car..and they even produce a satria neo with similar colour and using lotus racing as a promotional tool and now all of a sudden they wanna pull out??
its really a sad thing….the real motive of it is unknown but proton did it based on an order from someone who powerful enough to start the f1 team..and they have no choice…
but again,Lotus is just a name…TF can rename it and continue racing and sponsors will surely come!!!and if TF breaks into the top 10…proton and the decision maker will cry!!!
Someone asked why the F1 car got burnt…… Malaysian answered them because Malaysia Boleh! Anything can happened.
Just sacked that “cocky” Mark Gascoigne…..he was never a winner!
Be the best among the newcomer …indeed?? Only losers made such remarks…
Wait…wait……who’s paying for the Team Lotus rights? Is it being paid by Lotus Racing? If it is how much? If its being paid by Lotus Racing, Proton maybe, from a practical point of view, see it as redundant. ( a Lotus is still a Lotus by any other name). From a financial perspective, why waste good development funds on a name thats already is use (Lotus).
Please advise……sorry if I have the whole thing wrong…..
Haha tony finally got what was coming too him!
All u guys praising his can do malaysian spirit have been drinking too much of his bs juice.
Tony is doing this for his own benefit and not the country. Being the slippery character he is, he tried to do it on the cheap…and is now paying a heavy price for it.
It is fact that both Tony, Propton and Group Lotus have all had f1 plans for a while. Tony wanted to do it with d lotus brand and submitted his 1st bid with litespeed using the (eam Lotus licence. When that wasn’t successful, he managed to get in a 2nd time with Proton licence. He far from delivered on any of his promises to proton and GL and knew this so he restarted the TL idea despite attacking Hunt for months before….
Tony…….let’s see u squirm and out of this one……. Proton are right to say by having a licence from them means that u fully acknowledge their position on TL trademark…. U r trying to cheat the rakyat when u try to cheat proton.
Lotus cars will be premium with the amazing new models in the pipeline. The current disgraceful performance will be harming that.
Group Lotus/Proton’s case doesn’t look too sound..
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/87042
“Unfortunately we never reached the point where we discussed extending that one year deal. When we signed our licence to compete as Lotus Racing with Group Lotus, they were very clear that we could not make any reference to Team Lotus as they had no rights at all to the Team Lotus name or its rights.”
Guys,
come on…think carefully….it doesnt matter who gains what and etc…
its nothing to do with proton,lotus or watever you guys have mentioned…
if proton says that it has nothing to do with lotus and etc…remember the special edition satria neo??why was it produced??
and why after 15 races they announcing it now??
not all team can win F1 right away..its a continuous development and money!!
it has nothing to do with spoil Proton’s name or Lotus…they just dont wanr TF being the team principal and the malaysia driver wasnt racing as promised!!!
our F1 team was started by our PM’s so called vision..i wonder how u guys forget so easily…the team created to just put malaysia on the racing track and avoid sepang taken out the calendar!!
Proton wasnt forced to sponsor and lotus didnt complain at first and why all of a sudden???
no matter wat…its just a name….the biggest losers are gonna be proton and lotus…not tony fernandes or his f1 team!!red bull didnt have such history neither do force India…
this clearly show the mentality of malaysian and its politicians…thinking that TF gain more than the rest is pure stupidity…he is a malaysian..and he is doing is job well enough!!!you dont have to from certain colour to lead a team…you just have to be good enough…
imagine if next season TF and his team can make it into the top 10 like force india or red bull??will proton regret??will lotus regret?? yes they will surely….and by then its too late!!
i been watching formula 1 for the last 15 years and lotus is doing well in term of performance…and team management…its such a shame that malaysian’s are destroying themselves…
it doesnt matter if there is no malaysian on the grid..but there is many malaysian in the team…thats what matters..it will inspire many young engineers to be part of the team…it will generate alot of capable and creative engineers..we really have to look at thing as a whole not like what proton and lotus did…it will be ridiculous if lotus blame the team performance for it to pull out or not letting its name being used..because lotus cannot afford to live and sell based on its past history alone!!!
and malaysians cant expect the team driver should be malaysian or the team principal show be choosen one and etc..look at ferrari..even if its pure italian..but the let a spanish driver to bring successs for them…they not stupid to trade success for sum dumb so call 1 malaysia spirit………its really sad that malaysian’s cant work together…this is a recipe for failure…today F1…tomorrow the country!!!
Lotus Racing Responds
http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns22644.html
every1 come and see this….wake up & make urself clear….Team Lotus going to beat Group Lotus & Proton ass…
Riad Asmat, Lotus Racing’s Chief Executive Officer said :
Group Lotus also recently tried to revoke the Team Lotus trade marks at a hearing at the Trade Mark Registry, but they were unsuccessful.
When we signed our licence to compete as Lotus Racing with Group Lotus, they were very clear that we could not make any reference to Team Lotus as they had no rights at all to the Team Lotus name or its rights. In fact, in the licence agreement between 1Malaysia Racing and Group Lotus the use of the Team Lotus name is expressly prohibited as they had agreed contractually, as long ago as 1985, that they had not rights to use that name.
The details of what has been going on behind the scenes are now coming to light, and that’s good because it means the shareholders of Proton, the government, will now know the truth of what has been going on.
We have already invested heavily in ensuring the Malaysian / ASEAN motorsports platform grows, something that cannot be said for our colleagues at Group Lotus. We created a world first when we ran Nabil Jeffri in our aero test earlier this year – the youngest ever F1 test driver. Fairuz has been gaining invaluable experience at the highest level by driving for us, and, through Tony and Din’s AirAsia Driver Development programme, we are giving young Malaysian / ASEAN talent the chance to reach the top.
WCC title holders , Ferrari : 16 , Williams : 9 , McLaren : 8 , Lotus : 7 , other teams that have participated max. holds 2 titles only, yep, Team Lotus is quite a big deal , hopefully , Team Lotus will make a huge comeback one way or the other
after reading and reading wikipedia i have found dat…
1) Team Lotus and Group Lotus are separate entities, although founded by the same dude , colin chapman
2) Proton bought Group Lotus
3) David Hunt Bought Team Lotus tried to save it but ran it to the ground and all staff were laid off in december 1994, yang tinggal hanyalah nama….’Team Lotus’
3+) i dunno wtf happend in 1998, somebody enlighten me on this matter, but it seems GROUP LOTUS(LOTUS ENGINEERING) failed to acquire the ‘Team Lotus’ name
4)moving on to 2009 ,tony uses Litespeed F3 & wants to enter F1, but got no experience, so they hired MGI Lt. lead by Mark gascoyne, n den they need a name to be granted entree, so they bought the rights from proton , the lotus group ,and all malaysian companies & government jump on board, they name this mess ‘Lotus Racing’ , so now, ‘Lotus Racing’ name is no more, now, tony bought the rights from david hunt to rename it ‘ Team Lotus!’ from Team Lotus Ventures Ltd.
5) So, Actually (not technically) proton has no rights whatsoever to claim ownership over the ‘Team Lotus’ name… if they want it, they have to pay for it…. all proton can do is just withdraw their sponsorship and forbid the use of ‘Lotus racing’ name
6) It’ll be effing wierd tho to have group lotus and team lotus but not associate with each other
7) Group lotus will just have to buy back the name or even better just buy the whole team since im sure they have their hands full tuning waja’s replacement’s suspensions….but can they afford it?
8) From what i can see Lotus Group can just sit back and enjoy this ‘free advertisement’ ran by TONY, cuz im sure nobody in their right mind would want to enter F1 and lose a bunch of money and humiliate themselves, so far, they are doing well… and just give them a chance, they acquired renault engines for next season, im sure they can do better…
9) If ‘Team Lotus’ starts to do very2 well, *cough*cough*, the price of the name might skyrocket, big tony could be richer than ever, and might just buy Group Lotus under proton’s nose, which then could be proton’s biggest fear…
we’ll see we’ll see…….
cuz…most of them exotic automakers started as racing teams….remember this….
thanks for the research! looks like this will get very interesting from now on.
good reading.
thank you, i wonder whos the bad guy in this mess…
1)Proton and Lotus group waited until tune group bought the rights from Team Lotus Ventures, and then when everyone is in a big family, they decided to take the name back ” we’re lotus!! we’re lotus!! , all that is lotus belongs to Group Lotus “…
2)Or Tony tought to himself ” lets just ‘pinjam’ lotus name for awhile from lotus group, later we’ll buy back the REAL TEAM lotus from David Hunt …
Its a big mess, however I hope next season everything will be fully clarified, Team Lotus F1 is owned by Tune Group , and Group Lotus will make highly competitive cars and one day make enough fortune to buy “Team Lotus F1”
I fully understand the importance of having the Car manufacturer AND the racing team under one roof, but Dany Bahar could’ve done it much much sooner, and Group Lotus could’ve played nice in the first place to buy the name from David Hunt instead of filling a lawsuit and revoke his license that he fully paid for ( i guess this happens in 1998)
ahhh. TF with his “dirty” tactic again….
guys….. remember when TF acquired license to operate sabah sarawak rural area airline n named it FAX, saying that he can he can make MAS non-profitable n govt susidized route servicing rural area into very profitable 1. N uhh, once he established himself in airline network n got more landing right domestic n elsewhere, he abandoned sabah sarawak rural area, n FAX was returned back to MAS (now MASWings) with big damage to rural area network n also damage to the aircraft to the point some aircraft cannot fly anymore – being cannibalised for other serviceable aircraft as spare parts. n MAS has to incur all the expense.
Imagine that he doing the same thing to Proton. After TF is well known(mayb not very well, but good start up point) in F1, sitting comfortably next to Bernie Ecclestone in F1 grandstand, he is taking next step to become next Jean Todt leaving behind Sir Richard Branson n dished out another GLC. It may looks like Proton withdraw Lotus brand from the team, but TF is 1 step ahead to achieve his goal. N Proton has to act before its too late, n unwillingly accept n swallow all the negative comments regarding the withdrawal, otherwise they will become like another MAS sabah sarawak disaster.
proton did the first mistake by succumbed to the political pressure to allow other people to use the rights for lotus name where proton not directly involve. that so stupid proton! someone from proton should take the responsibility and resign for such a stupid act.
yes, that’s the sad part. Proton should run entirely like how a business should be. Not doing charity works so others could gain profit from them!
proton kena buli…kesian! somebody from top G should be blamed for this…
.. i think mr tony got his secret planned..maybe like to own lotus for his own, after fail to buy or bodek to buy group lotus before…but after his planned known by proton top management….mr tony sudah ‘kantoi’…proton know this guy try to back stab them…ini semua business punya pasal…haha
haihz…
just rename it to Force Malaysia lor..
so far they have beaten Virgin(hopefully till end of the season), next year beat Force India.
A lesson learn for Tony and others. It shows he quite ‘tamak’ this time around. Maybe he can rename the team Dara F1 haed to head with Virgin F1. :-)
or maybe he can still use Lotus brand from Restoran Lotus, Jalan TAR..
Proton can’t sue him for that..
After Tony and co. toiled hard to put Lotus name back in F1, now Proton do this to them? Boo!!
Tony use one of AirAsia aircraft to fly to Singapore with only 4 passenger.
Air Asia is public listed company.
………
Just like how he success in AA, the MA use whatever it takes to pull him down…same to F1, i wonder where all the supporters of TF at the F1 launched? seeing him gaining some respect world wide (with virgin), P1 now wanted it back (said to us since all $$ will pour to hole)
Well, in marketing point of view, this is good for current TF F1 team though.
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2010/09/27/lotus-racing-begin-court-proceedings/
READ!
guys, I bet Lotus wanna hold some control in the F1 team & guess current management didn’t allow this. And that’s why Lotus use their right to protect the “Lotus” name. -MY OPINION-
I bet this will be solve if:
1- Lotus F1 let Lotus Cars own & manage partly of the F1 team.
Can you imagine IF Ferrari let others(as if non-auto biz ppl) managing their F1 team?
Obviously what Lotus F1 is doing right now is affecting Lotus Cars.
Go Dany Bahar, you’re the man!
Saving Lotus from “becoming a sore loser” is the right thing to do for the re-branding of Lotus.
bahar stop destroying the lotus heritage….dun turn lotus into Fake ferrari…here is no ferrari….here is lotus for road car….not F1….doom day for group lotus…we knw u r former ferrari employee…
hahah…proton scared people associate the lotus f1 team poor performance with its own brand…maybe they will call it proton f1 team next year ^^ hahahahaha
Way to go Proton. I fully back you guys for doing this.Tony’s sucks
By right, the team deserved to be named as Lotus Racing, ONLY if it was run by the same Lotus Group company , or if they are heavily involved in this project. I have always rejected the idea of Tony & Co using the Lotus brand for their team when the actual manufacturer does not contribute much for the team (if any?). A hollow branding exercise. Tony, by next year, just change the name pls.
I think it’s a case of Tony Fernandes squeezing Proton’s balls to get more money for themselves by dangling the Team Lotus name in front of them. Proton plays hardball, and here we are. If this scenario is true, isn’t it better for Proton to pull out?
seems like many are behind proton in this hmmm
it seems now clear that Tony ‘stabbed’ proton in the back
it seems now clear that Mr. rubbish airliner stabbed proton in the back
and then…..suddenly…..tony fernandes buys lotus!!!…..everyone gets richs and proton gets to dispose lotus which mahathir said before that lotus has brought nothing substantial to proton.
i think Mahathir implicitly ask proton to make use of lotus in major way.
Susah susah pakai jer logo Restarant Mamak Lotus. Habis cerite…!!
Pure Malaysian company… i guess :D
http://www.lotusgroup.com.my
“when right, keep it right….
when wrong, put it right…”
hahahahahaha………………
Hahaha. Hahaha. Hahaha. (Can’t stop laughing reading this article, the best so far from PaulTan, “terbaik dari ladang”).
Protong pulling back from 1Malaysia team? As one famous Malay quote, “Nasi sudah menjadi bubur” (Rice turn to porridge already). Literally means, its too late. Damage control lembab! The team 1Malaysia fragile alliance break up less than 1 year after formation. I told you so.
Protong tak tahan lagi dgn performance lembab team 1Malaysia. Kononnya nak tarik diri pasal nak jaga air muka. Memang “drop my water face” awal2 lagi dah. F1 car terbakar masa racing. Not good for publicity and commercial too. Dah lah memang terkenal dgn QC/QA teruk, lagi terkena bala bencana F1 pula.
Satu lagi contoh-contoh terbaik, rezeki tidak berkat. A lesson to be learned. What goes around, comes around. Haha.
^^ i think the person above doesn’t even understand what really happened. typical internet troller lol.
he not watch the singapore gp last week…that why he spoke stupid comments here…he is a fool guy…
mr tony gud in business… proton dont know abt business…
ppl inside proton dint get any money thats y they dont allow tony to do this…
to get result need yrs of development, tony manage to get engine supply from renault, also use by redbull n renault. i think this is a big improvement…
is good for proton to pull out, coz they themself r not making profit, proton money all come from G, mean that is rakyat money. better dont waste it.
tony done a great job for manage to get so many sponsor for the team(LG N CNN) while u see sauber dont even have any sponsor.
by geting back the name the team can get more sponsor… no money no improved…
this business not like mas airline that run by G, no profit also can continue operation thats y they not getting anyway.
who said no profit company cannot continue business
u dun get it do you? sauber vs lotus 2010
sauber although the size of the team is almost exactly the same as lotus they have the facilities, experienced engineering team from the early 2000, supercomputer named albert that bmw invested into and so on, their facilitiy is considered 2nd after ferrari b4 bmw left
peter sauber made it clear that they will do well next year they know what is backing them up plus having many sponsors which pay small sum is not good in f1 business, furthemr, sauber is given a very late special entry just bcos they raced for so many years in f1 n at that time it is alrdy hard to find sponsors.
many sponsors doesnt mean that ur doing good
a sidepod for a lotus car may be priced at 500k while at ferrari it may cost 3 or 4 times more
Seen like at international forum/blog around the globe, saying Proton/Group Lotus have to no right regarding Team Lotus name based on court decision on 1998. Will be interesting and embarrassing to see Proton vs Tune group (both from Malaysia) in civil war.
no doubt….proton dun hv 1 malaysia spirit….they destroying the lotus brand itself….really un wise decision from proton….shame on proton!!!
Here for more history for everybody including me about Lotus
http://www.vivaf1.com/blog/?p=4824
Tony (OWN +LITESPEED) vs Dany (ART) ; Nadzmi (Proton) vs Nasarudin (NAZA)
Looks like it’s going to be serious litigation(?) war :o
But…. I would not be suprised if all these bruhaha turn out to be a publicity stunt by Datuk Tony and gang. :lol:
Que… exit door stage left!! while there’s still something left to salvage… some PRIDE maybe!!!!!!
I think Mitsubishi should come and say Proton cannot put the Thundercat logo on their Lancer…buat malu aje…just see how many Malaysians who own the Lancer are pissed when they found out the new Waja is just a rebadged Lancer….
Sendiri buat cam ni tapi sekarang mau bully Lotus ka ? Settle problem kat rumah sendiri dulu la Proton….
Lotus Racing is not a factory team. The real story here is the crisis between Proton (through Group Lotus) and Lotus Racing. Proton and Lotus only licenced the Lotus name to Group Lotus, that’s all.
Tony u r so fishy mate!
Why didn’t u just buy the TL licence from David Hunt right from the start? Ooooh i know why…..coz u thought you had conned Proton, Petronas and the PM to pay for your ego trip in F1!!
Clearly the PM was completely misled about ur F1 teams plans, funding, heritage, goals and other key elements. It was painfully obvious to see this at the launch event held in MOF when PM announced to stunned press corps the launch of the team. A confused looking Nadzmi was the icing on a hilarious cake.
For the first 6 months of the LR’s life, u went on and on about the Malaysian element of the team, the collaboration with GL and Proton la di da. When asked about ur relationship to TL, u just said that bu were merely celebrating its heritage and not the owners of it and that LR will build its own success.
Fast fwd 6months down the road and u are now claiming that being TL was your plan all along!
This whole saga will expose u as the unsrupulous opportunist of the century to the Malaysian public and the world. 1MRT and particularly Mr. Fernandes……u should be ashamed of yourselves….
GO PROTON!!
Hunt don’t want to sell the TL to Tony at first because Hunt think this is another tricky plan from GL. But after Chaplin family backing Tony and he saw what really Tony is doing, finally Hunt agreed to sell it.
Typo…lol like Charles Chaplin pulak. *Chapman Family
and I thot in 1 statement during the launching was TF will resigned and be replaced at one stage during the first season..at the start of the racing season if not mistaken… it was strange back then, some just view it as TF is lending his hand to make the team 1malaysia a reality.. but after 1 saeson.. the true story come out… and the old stories of how he get into the Air services in malaysia resurrage again… no doubt he is a good bussinessman .. a shrewed one..but an ethical one he is not… but then again no body values ethic anymore nowadays… its only good when u want to potray somebody is bad enough…
Excellent view and perpective! Most likely 100% true.
Why I’m not suprised.
Air Asia owes Malaysia Airport a lot of money……………
rm50 mlln only if i not mistake
Great work. Time to go back to running an airline Tony – not cavorting round the world with the F1 brigade for the sake of being able to say you own an F1 team.
Same for the NAZA peeps – so we pay good money for these APs, so they can in turn spend it on F1 promotion (i.e. fly their troupe to each race so some mix portugese-chinese female can take a picture with Heiki?????) What is the value of NAZA sponsoring an F1 team anyway? Product development and research? More like trying to reach the global F1 market to pop by Msia and pick up a nice reconditioned marque…
See even Sir Stirling Moss twitting saying opposite to GL @StirlingMossCom
Group Lotus is wrong, never ever owned rights to Team Lotus name.
can it be that the outcome is..TF will have the name right..but he cant use it in F1 race.. just like when Chapman have before this..he has the name right…but he cant sell the name in F1 because Lotus still have the rights to the name as a trademark.. hence why team Lotus cant use the name Team Lotus as Chapman owns the right. so TF might have the Team Lotus name…but he cant use it in the race… Chapman wont let go the name last time because Lotus doesnt pay him enough, but when somebody come with the money and he knows he cant use the name anymore..he is more than happy to bite on to TF hands
Eh?? Colin Chapman owned the rights and raced Team Lotus in F1!
Colin died in 1982.
Vijay Mallya get Force India. Richard Branson already setup Virgin Racing. Tony Fernandes should call 1 Malaysia. Not Lotus Racing, Team Lotus or AirAsia. 1 Malaysia Racing Team
Latest on Lotus Group and some speculation! LMP2 cars
http://bit.ly/cDpFu3
Too many racing projects I would say. Who is funding all these projects I wonder. Lotus Cars isn’t making Ferrari-like profits
Here’s a clearer story of who owned what.
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/the-lotus-affair/
Lotus is a name that deserves its place on the tracks. Colin Chapman invented ‘downforce’ back in the early 60s. Come 2011, Malaysia and Proton invents Forcedown. Acquiring Lotus was a mere publicity stunt to help Proton sell more of its cheaply-made shitmobiles to Malaysians who were gullible towards the RM30 ‘by Lotus’ emblem stuck with double-sided tape onto the cars. Lotus was in Proton’s hands for almost a decade. Nothing good ever came out of it. Our conglomerates only has the power to ‘suck’ every drop of ‘greatness’ from everything great and turn all it touches into shite. It is in these kind of activity that causes Colin Chapman to die … twice.
when honda withdraw, brawn change the teams name same goes for mercedes when they acquire brawn. normally automotive company won’t let u use their name unless they were involve fully in the process. normal f1 team would have “sponsor-operation team-engine” none of which involve lotus now
lotus aero – fondtech/ aerolab
engine – cosworth
gearbox – xtrac
next year there are news about they’re getting renault or even a full toyota package for their car so its pointless to use the name lotus
look back at the team that been bought n rebought, bmw sauber/sauber , jaguar/redbull
redbull use their name after acquisition of jaguar
sauber will use their name only next year
honda f1 team changed to brawn then to mercedes
imo its all about the $$$ if bmw name is used next year by sauber i guess they will take action too
Keith Hayes is a punjab