Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsLotus F1

Bailiffs move in at Lotus in Spa

Lotus' celebrations following the Belgian Grand Prix were short-lived after bailiffs moved in at Spa-Francorchamps.

Following Romain Grosjean's third place in the race, bailiffs were present at the team's garage and trucks while the pack-up was ongoing, and also spent time at the Lotus motorhome.

The team was subject to court action ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, with former reserve driver Charles Pic claiming he had not been allowed to complete the agreed number of days driving the Lotus last year. F1i understands the bailiffs present at Spa on Sunday evening were associated with Pic's lawsuit, though the team is hopeful of reaching a resolution outside the race weekend.

Lotus has been facing a number of financial issues this year, with Pirelli threatening to withhold tyres on more than one occasion having been waiting for payment from the team.

The team has been in talks with Renault regarding a potential takeover but the French manufacturer has yet to finalise the deal. It is believed that Lotus F1 Team Ltd currently owes some £18 million (€25 million) to several creditors, suppliers and contractors.

Grosjean's impressive drive at Spa on Sunday gave the team its first podium since the United States Grand Prix in Austin in 2013.

Click here for Sunday's gallery of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.