LONDON: Team Lotus have abandoned plans to race in the same colors as Formula One rival Lotus Renault next year although the name will remain the same, owner Tony Fernandes said Saturday. The Malaysian entrepreneur told Reuters by telephone from Monaco that it made no sense having four cars with the same black and gold livery, as would have been the case. But he added the sport could live with two Lotus teams. “Whether they copied us or we copied them that's beside the point now,” said Fernandes, whose team will also be powered by Renault engines. “The point is what makes sense. “Having two Lotus brands on the grid I think is no issue. Having four black cars looking the same I think is silly and one has to relent. “We're not childish and emotional and saying ‘Oh no, we've got to be black and gold'. We're pragmatic.” The cars will likely be green with a dash of yellow, reflecting the Lotus colors and a scheme that the boss said also accorded with the sport's attempts to take on a more environmentally friendly or ‘greener' image. Sportscar maker Lotus Group, owned by Malaysian car company Proton, announced this week a partnership with former champion Renault F1 and said its cars would be black and gold. The scheme harks back to the days when Lotus was sponsored by cigarette brand John Player Special and won championships in the 1970s with the likes of Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi. “There has been a lot of negativity about being associated with a cigarette brand,” said Fernandes, whose team had announced last month a similar color scheme. “There was a strong lobby building up against (black and gold), that we were promoting a cigarette brand. So everything happens for the right reasons.” Fernandes' team competed as Lotus Racing under license from Proton and Lotus Group this year but has changed its name to Team Lotus after buying the rights from David Hunt, brother of the late former champion James. The AirAsia airline boss said he had wanted to continue as Lotus Racing but the deal had been terminated by the other side. “I'm disappointed at the way things have turned out,” said Fernandes, who is seeking damages for wrongful termination of the agreement whilst also asking the High Court to rule on the validity of his Team Lotus rights. “We received a five-year license agreement from Proton and Group Lotus to go into Formula One. The reason why it wasn't Team Lotus was because they clearly told us they didn't have the rights (to that name) so they gave us the license. “We initially called ourselves F1 Lotus Team but their lawyer said ‘No, you can't use Team because David Hunt may injunct us. So we changed it to Lotus Racing. We thought we had five years to go out there and prove ourselves. My original aim was that somehow we would merge or do something together and co-exist,” added Fernandes. “Those plans all changed when Dany Bahar appeared on the scene. He had a very low regard for us.”
