Lotus/Renault deal imminent

As already revealed by F1i several weeks ago, Renault’s takeover of the Lotus F1 Team is set to materialise into a deal over the next few days.

After a final meeting and presentation scheduled for this Monday, the main protagonists will have reached the stage of signing an agreement.

As F1i previously revealed, the French constructor is set to follow a similar business model to the one used by Mercedes when it bought out Brawn GP five years ago.

Renault will re-take a stake of two thirds in the Enstone-based team, while Lotus co-owner Gerard Lopez remains a 25% shareholder with four-time F1 world champion Alain Prost endorsing a non-executive role similar to that of Niki Lauda at Mercedes along with the final 10%.

A few questions remain unanswered for the moment though. Will Lotus cars be using Renault power as early as next year? And if this is the case, what happens to Viry’s current contract with Red Bull, which runs through to 2016?

The industrial cooperation between Renault and Mercedes could facilitate an amicable settlement in the senior management ranks between Carlos Ghosn (Renault) and Dieter Zetsche (Mercedes).

On the drivers’ front, Romain Grosjean is primed to retain his seat, whereas Pastor Maldonado’s future at Enstone beyond this season looks more uncertain despite having a contract for 2016.

Indeed, Renault would gather its own pool of sponsors and could continue without the substantial financial support brought by Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA. Time is running out though, and Renault’s official return may well have to be delayed until 2017 before fully materialising.

Click here for a lighter look at the Belgian Grand Prix, courtesy of F1i special contributor Eric Silbermann.

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