It's only been two years now since Renault bought its
F1 team back and rebranded it again as its own. But we already miss it, and
looking at these renderings, it's not hard to see why. In five years on the
grid – first as Lotus Renault GP, then as Lotus F1 – the team performed
respectably, though not impressively. It won all of two grands prix, and
finished no higher than fourth.
That's a far cry from the world championships the
same Enstone-based team (under Benetton and Renault ownership) won with Michael
Schumacher in the mid-90s and Fernando Alonso in 2005-06. But what it lacked in
substance, it made up for in style.
When Genii Capital acquired the team, it also
secured the rights to use the Lotus name (after a protracted battle with the
team that would later become known as Caterham). And with it, the Lotus team
brought back the iconic black and gold livery of the John Player Special days –
one of the most beautiful color schemes, to our eyes, ever put on a racing car.
Now that Renault's back in control, the black and
gold have been replaced by yellow and black. And that's Renault's right, of
course, footing the considerable bill as it does for the team's budget. But
looking at this livery, laid over a modern chassis by specialist designer Sean
Bull, we can't help but wish that Lotus would come back. Maybe it will, now
that Geely is in control... but we're not going to be holding our breath over
here.
