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Mr Justice Peter Smith has this afternoon delivered his judgement in the case of Gorup Lotus plc v 1Malaysia Racing Team in the High Court in London and has found in favour of Team Lotus, who can continue to use the name in F1.

However, Group Lotus can continue to use the ‘Lotus’ name and black and gold livery.

Tony Fernandes announced the news on Twitter as follows:

“We won. I’m over the moon. Team Lotus belongs to us. Our chasis name stays Lotus. No one can use the chasis name. We are the only Lotus. Team Lotus”

He added: “Well done to everyone at team lotus and thank you to all our fans for supporting us. The good do always win. Judgement was just given by Justice Smith a few mins ago.”

The team then followed up with more from Tony: “We are all pleased that it has been clarified that we are the rightful owners of Team Lotus. We have always been confident that the factual evidence we presented would lead to this decision and today’s judgment confirms that belief. We are of course disappointed about the decision that Group Lotus was entitled to end the our licence agreement in 2010.

“We entered into that contract on the basis that we were beginning a long-term partnership with Group Lotus but unfortunately they then used technical breaches of the merchandising pre-notification process to bring the licence and our partnership to an end. However, my fellow shareholders and I are firm believers that when one door closes another door opens.

“In the early days of our agreement we realised its termination was inevitable and as events have unfolded the end of the licence has proved positive for us, with many new avenues being opened up as a result.

“We wanted to develop a long-term relationship with Group Lotus and help them sell more cars around the world but that door closed and now we are delighted that we can turn our attention to ensuring success for Caterham Cars on the road and Team Lotus on track.

“These are two very exciting brands and their future development, bringing these two iconic brands together under the Caterham Team Lotus umbrella, will see us introduce new Caterham cars and a range of new Team Lotus brands into the global marketplace.

“Now our main aim is to build on the solid foundations that has made Caterham Cars the model for how to run a profitable contemporary car company and add more history to the incredible story of Team Lotus over the coming months and years and with the people, spirit, passion and determination we have in both businesses we know that marks the next stage in our incredible story.”

FOTA has today written a letter to F1 fans summing up the organisation’s achievements in the light of last year’s fan survey – although it will be interesting to see how Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA react to some of those claims.

The letter reads as follows:

Monaco, 27 May 2011

Dear Formula 1 fans,

As some of you may remember, in early 2010 FOTA undertook a global research study together with our partners at F1 Racing and LG Electronics.

The study sought opinions and feedback from the global fan base, and was conducted to help us better understand our strengths and to prioritise our challenges for the future. The survey was exhaustive and took on average more than 35 minutes to complete, so we were very pleased and grateful to receive detailed feedback from more than 85,000 fans from more than 190 countries.

A year on from the announcement of the initial findings, we feel it is appropriate to share the work we have undertaken and the actions we have implemented over the past 12 months. First, you provided FOTA with a very strong mandate (more than 80% support) to work to support the teams, to develop technological improvements and to enhance the reputation of F1 around the globe.

As fans you voiced your opinion that F1 needed to attract new followers by ensuring its position as the pinnacle of motorsport from both a technical perspective and driver perspective. More than 90% of you highlighted that more exciting racing and increased opportunities for overtaking represented the most important issues for us to address.

Through the FOTA Technical Regulations Working Group and in partnership with the FIA and our new tyre supplier, Pirelli, we put this issue at the top of our agenda. Writing as we are after the Spanish Grand Prix, five races into the 2011 season, we hope you feel that innovations such as the Drag Reduction System and the revised tyre compounds have made very positive contributions in this area.

Within the 2010 study we asked you about KERS Hybrid, and the feedback from fans was that you did not feel the technology had been given sufficient time to prove its benefits to the sport. So the rules have been amended, increasing the minimum weight, to allow its use again in 2011. In this way we hope that F1 can become an invaluable “laboratory” via which we may fast-track this technology to road car applications and thereby spread the benefits of F1 to society as a whole.

We also asked for your feedback on our proposed points system for 2010, and, while you were in favour of our plan to award points down to 10th place, you also stated a preference for a greater differential between points awarded for race wins and points awarded for lesser placings. We took that feedback on board and the points system was revised ahead of the 2010 World Championship, resulting in the closest F1 title battle for many years, with four drivers vying for the Drivers Championship at the final Grand Prix.

Thanks to FOM Productions, HD television broadcasts has been adopted from the start of the 2011 season and this is an important achievement that matches the expectations of many of you.

We are pleased with these achievements, but we are not complacent. We know that there is more work to be done, and we aim to continue to listen to our global fan base so that you may continue to guide our efforts to improve the sport we all love.

Finally, in the 2010 study, you asked for the opportunity to engage directly with the teams and drivers; we conducted a Fans Forum in London in 2010 and we are pleased to announce three further Fans Forums planned for this year in Canada, Great Britain and Italy.

And while we will not be able to meet you all, rest assured that we will be listening and will be continuing to push for enhancements wherever and whenever possible. Together with you, we now look forward to a fascinating and challenging race here in Monaco.

Force India boss Vijay Mallya says that the team is supporting Adrian Sutil in the light of the nightclub incident involving Eric Lux in China.

Mallya made the point that no legal proceedings have been brought against the German, despite threats from Lux.

“As far as my position is concerned, there has been a press release issued which describes an incident,” said Mallya. “We have not heard of any formal complaint being registered in any country for any sort of misconduct by Adrian. So it would be highly inappropriate for us to presume that he did something. It would be equally presumptuous that he would guilty of wrong-doing and take action against him.

“So my position is very clear: if at all we receive a formal complaint or there is some form of formal legal enquiry in any country, we’ll take appropriate action at that time but we can’t be presumptive.”

Pressed on the contractual situation, Mallya said: “You know, contracts do not supercede misconduct, so unless I’m convinced that there is misconduct, the contract shall prevail. And I’m not willing to jump to any conclusions, based on a press release that has been given out by a potentially or supposedly aggrieved party.

“I don’t know what happened there, none of my people know what happened at that particular incident so there’s a due process of law. So if Adrian is to be charged with misconduct, let him be charged. If and when he’s charged, I will assess the situation.”

Sebastian Vettel was a low-key fifth in afternoon practice in Monaco this afternoon, having topped the slower session in the morning.

“I had a good feeling straight away, brushed the wall after three laps, so I don’t have to do it again this week!,” said Vettel. “It’s fun around here, it’s a different track, very bumpy, very rough. Some places of the track they resurfaced, but I don’t think they made it any better, or any worse.

“It’s interesting. Ferrari look very competitive, all in all, everyone is really close to each other. We’ve got Nico up there with the Mercedes, both McLaren drivers, so it’s tight. Not only to find your way without brushing the wall, but also to find your preferred grid slot.”

Vettel is happy with the way his DRS is working: “You cannot use it as aggressively probably as in other places, also the straightlines here are very short, so it doesn’t make a lot of difference in some places, but surely the big straight lines you are using it as everywhere else. I think it was a very good idea not to put us to any risk in the tunnel.”

Vettel did a lot of laps on the supersoft and has no concerns about it.

“I think not bad, positive so far, both tyres are working, that’s most important, and lasting pretty well. We’ll see how conditions are on Sunday. I think similar today. The supersoft seems to be the preferred tyre for qualy, you can be quicker, you can extract more lap time out of it. We’ll see. No drama today, I would say.”

Lewis Hamilton was buzzing after practice in Monaco today, enjoying the challenge of the track and encouraged by his second place.

The McLaren driver was 0.1 shy of pacesetter Fernando Alonso, and admitted he lost a little bit in a couple of slower corners with a balance issue.

“It is fantastic,” said Hamilton. “I love it here, I love the track, just been so excited all day. I think that the circuit is fantastic, look at this weather! This is just a beautiful place to be, I had a great evening yesterday, and now I’m very, very happy.

“Obviously just driving the track today I kept it out of trouble. I’m quite happy with the balance of the car, and comfortable with our high fuel run as well. It’s going to be close though, the Red Bull looks fast, the Ferrari looks fast. I’m pushing, I’m pushing, I’m pushing. I want to win this Grand Prix!”

He said he had no problems with the DRS and KERS.

“With KERS and DRS you just get really used to it, so out of Turn One, you’re on it. Going across the startline, you’re on it. Every little chance you get, you’re on it. But you’re only really on it for say for the main straight and up the hill, then the in between parts you don’t touch it at all, then you don’t touch it again until you come back, so you only really use it twice. Maybe for qualifying I’ll try a fw more places. But I’ll keep that in my pocket.”

Lewis says he’s happy with the supersoft tyre. “It really doesn’t look bad, to be honest. You look at the long run of Vettel, for example, 20 laps, no problem. We might see a different race here. Maybe it won’t be as spectacular as we had hoped, but I’m sure some people will have more degradation than others.

“The tyres seem to last quite long, both tyres, the degradation is quite low. I think you’ll see people doing 20 plus laps on each stint, which is different from other circuits.”

Last year’s Monaco winner Mark Webber didn’t complete a flying lap on Thursday morning after being struck by a gearbox problem right at the start of he session.

Inevitably that meant he had a lot of catching up to do in the afternoon, when he was a modest eighth.

“Not too bad,” said Webber of his day. “It was always going to be the case that you were a little bit behind in that session. Still a lot of good information. It’s easy to go out there and not panic but try and get to where you should be and make even more mistakes. We’ve got the information, a lot of stuff to go through, and day to go through it tomorrow as well. We should be alright.”

Pressed on whether he behind everyone else, he was more forthright.

“Of course we are. We missed 40 laps this morning. We’re not going to get that back overnight, so we need to get back in the groove a little bit on Saturday morning, then hopefully we can do the business on Saturday afternoon. And that will recover your weekend.”

Webber didn’t have much to say about the new supersoft tyre: “Yeah, it was alright, similar to all the Pirellis, really…”

Lewis Hamilton has added an intriguing dimension to the debate over blown diffusers by talking about engine downforce settings – a phrase that, while perhaps familiar within the top teams, has not previously been uttered in public.

Lewis was talking about the buzz of going for pole in Monaco when he dropped into the conversation.

“Qualifying is probably the most exciting part of the weekend, apart from the start of the race,” he said. “Qualifying is very cool. Especially nowadays when they switch… Before we’d just go to the fastest engine setting, now you go for the fastest, most powerful downforce setting from the engine, which is very, very neat. You put lots of front wing in, you also have loads more grip, and you can throw the car around like crazy. I can’t wait to get into qualifying.”

Regarding Red Bull’s qualifying pace, Hamilton said: “Through the last corner of Barcelona, through Turn 3, they were flat out, in a lot of locations, particularly in qualifying. When we get to qualifying we can only generally do the corner at a similar speed as we can do it in the race. In qualifying they can do it flat out, and we can’t do that, so that’s a massive amount of time they gain.

“They were the first ones to go with the blown diffuser, just like when the Brawns were the first to do the double diffuser, they had the advantage for a long period of time. These are now the first to have done the blown diffuser, and everyone’s playing catch-up.”

Michael Schumacher had an interesting response when told that Lewis Hamilton felt that he had interfered in the lead battle in Spain by letting Vettel through and making life hard for the McLaren driver.

“I don’t recall it,” he said. “And I don’t think it would make sense because I think I have a lot more… although Seb is my friend, but then Lewis is running a Mercedes engine and that’s obviously a lot more important to me, not that I try to favour or not favour anybody. No, that certainly must have been a misunderstanding, but not my idea. I try to keep out of everybody’s way and just do my own thing…”

Meanwhile Schumacher says that he has no idea how competitive Mercedes will be in Monaco, but believes that the way races have worked this year will give him a chance to make progress.

“Due to very different strategies that we apply this year compared to probably previous years. From my point of view I have absolutely no sort of feeling and understanding whether our car may suit this track any better than other tracks so it is going to be completely open.

“Tyres will certainly be the most important factor but I think if you have the right tyre and the right situation in place then it will normally help you. I have at least good memories when in one race I started last [2006] and went forward. So overtaking is a chance, yes it’s difficult, it is a challenge but it’s not impossible, and it’s certainly an extra help.”

Asked about what his first Monaco win had meant, Schumacher said: “It was 1994 and that was after the tragedy that we had in Imola. It was still with us in these moments so naturally emotions were a bit low. Nevertheless as I said at the beginning it is the most prestigious race you can win.

“In qualifying I just had a fantastic lap. It was spot on and that is a big thrill and if you can repeat this in the race, although we had a certain margin I think and I was relatively easy up front, so then you don’t have to but it is the ultimate accomplishment you can have from a race over here, no doubt. Has it changed something to me? I put myself into the record of being in a winner in Monaco and then it is all focussed for the championship and it is just a single event.”

Sebastian Vettel says it would be a ‘huge honour’ to join the list of Monaco GP winners this weekend.

One of the few drivers with an appreciation of the sport’s history, Vettel said he would be happy to add the Monaco trophy to his growing collection.

“I wouldn’t mind!,” he joked today. “It’s a nice Grand Prix, I think we all enjoy coming here, seeing it from a spectator’s point of view it’s a nice thrill, you can get very close to the cars.

“There’s just so many things different, and obviously the history of the Grand Prix here and the tradition is huge, and it would be a huge honour to put your name down on the list of winners around here. We’ll see. But on the other hand it’s a long race, a lot of crazy things happened here already. I think you can never be too sure at any time, really.”

While the emphasis in Monaco has always been on getting pole, Vettel conceded that this year’s tyre situation has complicated things.

“I think it always has been very important to make sure you start from the front. Surely overtaking is not very popular round here, it’s very tight, there’s not a lot of space. The higher up you qualify on Sunday surely the better your chances are on Sunday.

“I think we’ve seen crazy races with a lot of things happening this year with the tyres, we don’t know yet what to expect here, how many stops. For sure you want this to give you the flexibility probably to try something, whereas in the past usually it was a one-stop race, or maybe a two-stop.

“I don’t know how many stops we’ll have this weekend, it’s very hard to judge the supersoft performance, so we’ll see where we are tomorrow.”

The FIA is set to introduce a ‘three strikes’ rule by the British GP to ensure that reprimands for drivers are no longer meaningless, this blog can reveal.

Last weekend in Spain Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Mark Webber all escaped with reprimands for going too quickly under yellows at the scene of Heikki Kovalainen’s accident.

When such penalties are handed out rivals often complain that they have no value, and thus are of little deterrent to those involved.

Now if a driver gets three reprimands in a season he will be handed a five-place grid penalty.

At least two of the offences must involve driving, as in theory reprimands can also be handed out for being late for the official drivers’ briefing or FIA press conference. Unusually, Paul di Resta received one for missing a weight check in Turkey.

The new system has been discussed by the FIA’s Sporting Working Group and now has to be passed by the F1 Commission and then signed off by the World Motor Sport Council, which is expected to be a formality.

If it is approved, it will be in operation from Silverstone onwards. In the interests of fairness previous reprimands earned this season will be forgotten, and everyone will start from zero.