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[LewEngBridewell]

Much closer ties are now being formed between the Renault F1 Team and Group Lotus. With Tony Fernandes' squad set to rename as Caterham (viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10920), this is starting to pave the way for a possible thorough re-branding of the team as Lotus.

Source: Autosport

The Renault Formula 1 team is poised to forge much closer ties with Group Lotus, AUTOSPORT has learned, with sources suggesting the outfit's owner Gerard Lopez is to take a financial stake in the sportscar manufacturer.

With moves underway to rebrand and rename the Enstone-based outfit as Lotus in 2012, a full integration of the F1 team and the Norfolk-based car maker appears to be on the cards.

High level sources have revealed that Lopez and his Genii Capital company has held advanced talks with Group Lotus' Malaysian owners about taking a management and financial interest in the company - which could even go as far as him taking a majority shareholding.

Such a move could result in Lopez and Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar working together closely to push the Lotus brand in both F1 and the road car business.

Bahar has openly talked of a five-year scheme to turn Group Lotus into a profit-making car company, and part of that effort has been a ramp-up of marketing - which has included an expanded motorsport programme.

For this season, Group Lotus took title sponsorship of the Renault team, as the first step towards the company taking a stake in the outfit if it could be renamed as well.

Such a scenario is currently on the cards, with AUTOSPORT revealing earlier that a request to change the Renault name to Lotus for 2012 is to be discussed at a planned meeting of the Formula 1 Commission on November 3.

Interestingly, both Renault team boss Eric Boullier and Bahar hinted that a move for closer ties between the F1's outfit owners and Group Lotus was on the cards.

Boullier said about the possibility of Genii Capital taking over Group Lotus: "It is another rumour. I like this one."

Speaking to AUTOSPORT's sister publication Autocar Bahar said: "I can only say this: When we made the announcement about our involvement in Lotus Renault GP we made it clear that this was the start of a close relationship and this journey continues."