Lotus bosses excited by Renault future

Lotus bosses are excited by the team's future under expected new owner Renault, as a takeover deal moves closer.

Renault signed a Letter of Intent to take control of Lotus on Monday as part of the process towards returning to F1 as a full constructor next season. Deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi says the history enjoyed by both Renault and the team will act as a motivating tool if a deal is completed.

"It looks like we’re engaged to be married again, which is interesting as we’ve had a few relationships together before!" Gastaldi said. "It’s positive for the sport and it’s positive for Enstone that a company with the history and prestige of Renault is looking to strengthen its role in Formula 1.

"It’s true we’ve both experienced a few knocks over the years but we’ve also had some exceptional highs and that makes us all collectively exceptionally motivated to harness our resilience and show everyone what we can do."

Technical director Nick Chester says the takeover will leave the team with plenty to do before the start of the 2016 season.

"It looks like there are exciting times ahead," Chester said. "We’ve worked exceptionally closely with Renault for many years in our history so it’s going to be exciting to embark on a new phase of our relationship. There’s a lot of work to do for next year so it’s certainly never a dull moment at Enstone."

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