Lotus F1 Team 2013

[raymondu999]

Perez is a guarantee. Slims funding Telmex and Claro Telcel Vuervo NEC

Sound like a pretty good package and Perez isn't a bad driver.

Yes - he "isn't a bad driver" to the point that they even were willing to lose the funding in order to replace him. I've heard of drivers paying for drives, I've never heard of teams sacrificing sponsorship for the sake of replacing a driver.

[Racer X]

I was comparing him to Maldonado.... Lol given the funding situation.

[stefan_]

Perez is a guarantee. Slims funding Telmex and Claro Telcel Vuervo NEC

Sound like a pretty good package and Perez isn't a bad driver.

Yes - he "isn't a bad driver" to the point that they even were willing to lose the funding in order to replace him. I've heard of drivers paying for drives, I've never heard of teams sacrificing sponsorship for the sake of replacing a driver.

I don't think they were thinking "Perez is so bad, we're going to let him go even though he can bring money". I think there's a bigger picture with the new title sponsor (that a deal had been done with before Perez arrived and McLaren) and Honda in 2015.

Perez is fast and he brings money. He too loses his head sometimes, but I would rather put him in the 2nd Lotus rather than Maldonado.
I hope this whole charade with "Quantum" stops soon and Ijaz is kicked out of the paddock. The longer this situation goes as it does now, the more credibility the team loses. And that's not good.

[turbof1]

Yeah agreed. A week back I might still have said "let's wait an see", but now it really looks like the deal is never going to materialise.

I doubt however if the telmex sponsorship is still tied to Perez. Looks to me that he lost that one to the combination Sauber-Guitterez. I certainly am not seeing Perez in a Lotus next year, even though he deserves it more then Maldonado.

[Kiril Varbanov]

Sport BILD claims no salaries this month at Lotus, according to some grainy image of supposedly leaked email - http://sportbild.bild.de/SPORT/formel-1 ... ng-an.html

[anzx]

Boullier confirmed that Quantum money exsists and the deal will be confirmed next week...
Link: http://en.espnf1.com/lotusf1/motorsport ... 37035.html

[Jonnycraig]

From James Allen's site:

There is a potential clash with French oil company Total, an existing Lotus partner, but they are believed to be gravitating towards their relationship with Red Bull in any case.

http://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2013/11/b ... -at-lotus/

Doesn't bode well for Lotus. Good news for Vergne though.

[Cold Fussion]

Just last week Mansor was emphatic in the sky interview that the money would be here this week, which hasn't happened.

[munudeges]

There is no way this scam is happening. Claiming that you're having banking trouble is the most obvious 'dog ate my homework' excuse you can see.

If Maldonado has the money then he'll be there.

[xpensive]

“The fact is that Luxembourg isn’t considered as irreproachable by the US banking system, ” he said. ” That explains why we have had to review the operation and structure the financing differently. The money has been sent back to us and we have to make the payments using a different mechanism. That is not the work of a moment."

Yeah right, but you never know, transferring money of that magnitude might perhaps be more of a challenge than we think?

[munudeges]

Doesn't happen.

[FrukostScones]

I think the chance we see the Lotus team next year is only 35%.

[AnthonyG]

Don't know what to think of the situation, Lotus perhaps has no choice, but to be naïve.
And we can only hope the money is there.

[stefan_]

I think the chance we see the Lotus team next year is only 35%.

We'll see them in one way or another. They have a car and everything pretty much in place for next year.

[anzx]

I think the chance we see the Lotus team next year is only 35%.

The team from Enstone will be there for sure, but if you say for Lotus, I would like to see that Renault comes back like it was till 2009, so they could won the championship with Grosjean (as french team with french driver), I wonder what does Carlos Ghosn think about that

But there will be Lotus for sure and probably even stronger, because they are quite an inovative team...