Renault getting closer to Lotus buy-out

Reports are circulating once again relating to an eventual buy-out of the Lotus F1 Team by Renault.

The French manufacturer has been weighing its options with regard to its future in Formula 1, including a withdrawal altogether from Grand Prix racing, but it is believed that management's current preferred alternative would involve Renault fielding once again its own team.

Negotiations with apparently Lotus were kick-started in Barcelona with both parties making rapid progress since. Sources say a final decision may even be imminent in accordance with the setting of a May 31 deadline. Should a Renault-Lotus deal materialize, it would only become effective at the end of the 2016 season, upon termination of the manufacturer's present agreements with Red Bull.

According to Italian publication Autosprint, Renault would entrust management of its team to Bob Bell (pictured here above) who  ensured an interim oversight of operations after the demise of Flavio Briatore in 2009, and before joining Mercedes GP. The British engineer has been a free agent for the past year and was consulted by Renault when it conducted its feasibility study linked to its future in F1.

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