End of Lotus Racing ’a shame’ - Fernandes

Tony Fernandes’ F1 outfit is pushing ahead with the Team Lotus moniker, despite lingering expectations he might drop the name before the start of the 2011 season.

The Malaysian, whose official license for his team’s 2010 identity Lotus Racing was terminated because Group Lotus wanted to enter F1 separately, has said several times recently that he favours a "pragmatic" solution to the dispute.

But the latest news is that green and gold ’Team Lotus’ signage, including the famous CABC logo, has been erected outside the outfit’s Hingham (UK) factory.

The signage also features at the team’s new official website, which is located at teamlotus.co.uk because teamlotus.com is controlled by Group Lotus.

"The migration to the Team Lotus brand has started," Fernandes wrote on Twitter. "It’s a shame. I liked Lotus Racing and always thought Team Lotus should be returned to the Chapman family.

"But that’s the deck of hand cards we got handed," he added.

Renault F1’s new website, located at lotusrenaultgp.com, will be launched on January 31.