Lotus is not the first F1 squad to team up with a blockbuster in order to boost its publicity. Back in 2004, Jaguar Racing decided to add some glamour to its Monaco livery by embedding real diamonds in the nose cones of its two R5s. The idea was to promote the upcoming release of Ocean's 12 with the likes of Hollywood stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon also in attendance.
Things went awry when F1 rookie Christian Klien skidded off into the barriers on the opening lap and the £140,000 precious stone lodged on his car disappeared. “Christian lost his steering and hit the barriers, forcing him to retire,” Jaguar said at the time. “His car returned to the garage minus his flawless diamond which has yet to be found.” It's hard to believe the whole thing was not entirely set up when one knows the movie plot has a diamond theft at its core...
