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The Chapman family has now officially come out in favour of Group Lotus in the ongoing battle over the use of the famous name.

They have also made it clear that they did not want to see the Team Lotus name back in F1, and imply that they had been told by Lotus Racing that its name would not change.

When Lotus Racing was announced the family was totally behind the project, but things changed when the war over the name stepped up a gear in the autumn, and it became apparent that Group Lotus was planning a deal with Renault.

It was soon suggested that the family had withdrawn its support of Tony Fernandes, but Colin Chapman’s son Clive declined to comment when asked by this blog some months ago.

He did however mention that Group Lotus’s ambitious plans included a museum, or ‘heritage centre’ at Hethel, which would become a home for the fabulous Classic Team Lotus collection which he curates – something that Fernandes clearly could not offer.

A statement by Clive issued on behalf of the family reads as follows:

“The Chapman Family is impressed by the exciting developments underway at Group Lotus, and it is very grateful to Proton for the significant investment that is being made, to secure a strong future for the excellent workforce at the Hethel factory.

“In 2010 the Chapman Family and Classic Team Lotus have been pleased to support Group Lotus in many ways.  In consultation with Proton, this included supporting the use of the Lotus name in Formula One, which was licensed by Group Lotus.

“The Chapman Family was impressed by the achievements of Lotus Racing as a new team, and appreciated its respect for Team Lotus history.  However, then its license to use the Lotus name was terminated and things changed.

“During 2010, the Chapman Family, as and when appropriate, made it clear to those involved that it would prefer that the Team Lotus name should not be used in Formula One.  Indeed, assurances to this effect were received.

“The Team Lotus identity represents the motor racing legacy of Colin Chapman, and this was preserved by the Chapman Family and invested within Classic Team Lotus.  The association by Group Lotus with Team Lotus history is much appreciated and entirely appropriate, especially as it is in keeping with how things were in Colin Chapman’s time.

“The  Chapman Family is looking forward to continuing to give its support to Group Lotus, which is the ongoing Lotus entity created by Colin and Hazel Chapman.  After all, the Lotus marque is the responsibility of Group Lotus, and Hethel is the home of Lotus.”

Vitaly Petrov has signed for two more years with the renamed Lotus Renault GP team.

The Russian, who endured a difficult rookie season in 2010, will partner Robert Kubica again next year. Although there had been some question marks about his continued involvement, the team has decided to give him another chance.

Petrov said in a team statement: ““I am very happy to continue with the team and proud to be representing Lotus Renault GP for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. I learned a lot about the sport, the circuits and the car this year. That will help me improve even more in the future. I am very excited about working with this great team once more, and I’’m confident that I will deliver. In many ways, 2010 was about learning. 2011 will be about performing. Today, I feel I am ready to rise to this challenge.”

Genii boss and team chairman Gérard Lopez commented: “”We’re delighted to have Vitaly on board for another two years. Last season, he showed on several occasions that he clearly has the potential to deliver. It was just a matter of putting everything together during the same weekend, race after race, and this will be his target for 2011. Also, thanks to Vitaly and the team, Russia is opening up to Formula 1. Over the past few months, we’’ve established close links with this country and with some of its strongest companies. We’re looking forward to building on this special relationship and turning it into a very successful adventure over the next two seasons.”

”Eric Boullier said: ““We are very pleased to confirm that Vitaly will be staying with us for 2011 and 2012, in order that both he and the team can build on a promising 2010 campaign. The entire team has been working flat out over the past months to improve our competitiveness, and a stable driver line-up is essential to achieving our targets. Robert Kubica provides a remarkable benchmark for both speed and consistency, and we are certain that Vitaly will move closer to this level of performance next year.””

Incidentally the team company name has now been formally changed to Lotus Renault GP Limited in official documentation.

”Here’s a Q&A with Vitaly Petrov Issued by the team:

Vitaly, how does it feel to be confirmed at Lotus Renault GP?

“It feels great. I learned so much this year and I know that I can come back stronger in 2011. I’’m extremely proud to be part of this team and I’m determined to repay the faith they have shown in me.”

Looking back on your rookie season, what did you enjoy the most?

“There were a lot of special moments. The race in Shanghai is something that I will always remember when I overtook Schumacher and Webber to score my first points. Then, the first time I made Q3 in Turkey was an important step for me. And, of course, the race in Hungary was probably my best weekend when everything came together for me.”

How has your life change since you became an F1 driver?

“There’s a lot more travelling and not a lot of time for myself, but I will never complain because I love what I’’m doing. I still feel like a boy at Christmas every time I get in the car. Life is not as easy as people think, of course, and there’s a lot more to F1 than driving the car, but it’s an amazing experience and I know I’m lucky to be one of just 24 drivers on the grid.”

Do you feel at home at Lotus Renault GP?

“Yes, definitely. Previous drivers have always said that there is a special atmosphere here and I have to say I agree with them. The team is very warm, friendly and open, and I get on really well with the guys.”

Can you feel the growing support for F1 from Russia?

“Definitely. I get more support from my country every week. In fact, recently one of the major lifestyle magazines included me in their top ten most attractive single men of Russia! You can feel that the sport is becoming more popular and soon we will have our own Grand Prix, which will create more interest. Even our prime minister, Mr Putin, got a taste of F1 when he tried a Renault F1 car earlier this year.”

What will be the main challenges of 2011?

“There are quite a few changes that we have to adapt to as a team: new tyres, moveable rear wings and KERS, which I’’ve never used before. There’s even a new race in India. So there are some things to adapt to, but they should improve the show and make for better racing. I’’ve already seen the new car in the wind tunnel and it looks very promising. I also love our new colours and can’’t wait to get back in the car and go racing.”

What do you hope to achieve in your second season?

“My objective is to continue improving as a driver and to become more consistent. There were times this year when I made mistakes and lost points, and I know this is where I can improve. I think I showed that I have the speed, but I need to be consistent over the whole weekend and get the maximum from every session.”

What is your plan over the next couple of months before testing begins in February?

“I was thinking about spending a few days in Maranello this winter, but I have been told it probably wasn’’t the best idea… Seriously, after a busy year I’’m taking the time to go back home and see my family and friends. It’’s also the time to recharge my batteries so that I can come back fresh next year. I’’m already working hard on my fitness and doing lots of training to be ready for the start of the season. Then, in January, I will be at the factory to see my engineers and for my seat-fit in the new car.”

Jerome D’Ambrosio has been confirmed alongside Timo Glock at Marussia Virgin Racing for 2011.

The GP2 veteran drove in the first Friday session for the team at four of the last five races of this season, and has also done some testing for Renault. He replaces Lucas di Grassi, who ironically was on the Renault Driver Development scheme with him in 2004.

D’Ambrosio, who turns 25 next week, will be the first Belgian to compete in F1 since Philippe Adams was briefly at Lotus in 1994.

Team Principal John Booth said: “Jerome had been on our radar for quite some time as a driver we should seriously consider for a 2011 race seat. We had followed his progress in GP2 closely and it was clear he was ‘one to watch’, but when we put him in the car for the four race weekends and the Abu Dhabi test he surpassed even our own expectations. He slotted into the team perfectly and everyone took a shine to him, including our partners and the media.

“Apart from his obvious skill at the wheel of a Formula One car, he is an immensely personable young guy who is a pleasure to have around. He has secured this seat absolutely on merit and I think coupled with Timo we have the perfect blend of youth, experience, speed and potential and we can’t wait to see what they can achieve together next season.

“Timo has done an excellent job for us in our debut season, in often challenging circumstances. There is no doubt that he has helped us to establish a strong foundation from which to develop the team and the package. We look forward to being in a much stronger position to deliver the car he deserves in 2011.

“Finally, I must thank Lucas di Grassi for the important role that he also played in establishing the team. He contributed a great deal to our development and we wish him every success in his future career, which we have no doubt will be an exciting one.”

D’Ambrosio commented: “I’m thrilled to have achieved my goal of a Formula One race seat with Marussia Virgin Racing. When I came to the team in September this year it was everything I could hope for. I had a tough test to complete because there was a lot of competition for this seat, but at the same time I got on well with the team and felt that I had found my home. I feel very comfortable with them – they are extremely professional and ambitious people and it is exciting to think that I can be a part of shaping the team’s future. I would like to thank everyone at Marussia Virgin Racing for the faith they have shown in me and everyone at Gravity Sport Management for the support they have given to my career so far.”

Meanwhile Timo Glock, finally formally confirmed, added: “My congratulations to Jerome on joining the team and I look forward to working with him next year. After a tough but rewarding debut season for our team we now have a lot of hard work to do to take Marussia Virgin Racing to the level we should be performing at in 2011. I for one cannot wait to get started in the new car when testing begins in February.”

(PS: Part time Belgian Bertrand Gachot competed in 1995 but he was born in Luxembourg and was officially racing as French by then…)

Sir Frank Williams has been presented with the BBC’s Helen Rollason Award at the prestigious Sports Personality of the Year ceremony.

Named in honour of the BBC presenter who died of cancer 11 years ago, it is presented for ‘outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.’

Accepting the prize and reflecting on the journey he’s taken during his career, Williams said: “It’s one I would love to do again if I were younger. I certainly wouldn’t try and do anything different, except avoid the accident of course. But I would have taken it as it comes.”

Damon Hill presented the prize, while Williams was accompanied on stage by his wife Virginia, Patrick Head, Adam Parr and other personalities from the world of F1 including Eddie Jordan, Martin Brundle and Christian Horner.

Tom Walkinshaw’s widow Martine has sent the following message on behalf of his family, including links for charitable donations in his name. Please feel free to reproduce it elsewhere.

“Sadly, Tom passed away on Sunday 12th December.

“He had been battling with Cancer for three years; he died peacefully with his family at his house in Oxfordshire.

“It was Tom’s wish to have a private family funeral.  A Memorial Service will take place in Gloucester Cathedral on Friday 4^th February 2011, at 12 noon.

“Martine and the boys are overwhelmed with the lovely messages and tributes which they have received and at the same time are extremely grateful to the media for respecting their privacy at this sad and difficult time.

“Tom’s brave battle with cancer would have been harder without the faultless care he received from the hospital in Brussels, Fondation C.A.R.E. Cavell Action for Research & Expertise and, more recently, the invaluable support from the local Lawrence Home Nursing Team.  The family therefore request that should you wish to make a charitable donation, you might like to consider either of these organisations.”

www.lawrencehomenursing.org

www.fondationcare.be

Former Benetton, Ligier and Arrows team boss Tom Walkinshaw died this morning at the age of 64. The Scot, who had endured a long battle with cancer, made his last visit to an F1 paddock at Silverstone in July.

Walkinshaw was a successful driver in his own right. Although he competed in F3, F2 and F5000, he was much more successful in touring cars. He won the Spa 24 Hours in 1981 with a Mazda, and in 1984 with a Jaguar XJ-S, while in the latter year he also won the European Touring Car Championship.

It was at that stage that he retired from driving to focus on Tom Walkinshaw Racing, which he launched in the late seventies. He built the company into a motor sport and engineering empire, most famously finding success with Jaguar.

After the ETCC triumphs he took the marque into sportscars in 1985, initially in green livery. The following year the team switched to the iconic Silk Cut colours, going on to win Le Mans in 1988 and ’90, and both the teams’ and drivers’ World Championships in 1987, ’88 and ’91.

Walkinshaw was invited to run Benetton in 1991 and brought his sportscar designer Ross Brawn with him. He was also instrumental in headhunting Michael Schumacher after the German’s sensational debut with Jordan at Spa that year.

He continued to run the engineering side of Benetton until 1994, when Schumacher won the World Championship, although the team’s commercial boss Flavio Briatore had a higher public profile and received much of the credit.

However that year the team was embroiled in several controversies, and as part of the fallout Walkinshaw was ousted. He ended up running Ligier, which was owned by Briatore, in 1995. However, plans for Tom to buy the team outright did not come to fruition, and in early 1996 he switched his focus to Footwork (aka Arrows), where he initially took a 51% stake.

He had high hopes of building up the team and convinced Damon Hill to join in 1997. Hill came close to winning that year’s Hungarian GP, eventually finishing second. Despite some high profile sponsors the team ran out of funding, and folded in the middle of the 2002 season, in large part because of the high costs of customer engines at that time.

The TWR empire also collapsed, but Walkinshaw maintained a foothold in engineering and racing, most notably with Holden in Australia.

Although his off track deals sometimes attacted criticism, Walkinshaw was hugely respected by the drivers who worked with him, and he will be remembered as a true racer.

Tony Fernandes has changed his mind on using black and gold next year after the new Lotus Renault GP team announced that it would also follow that route. He says that the team will stick with green and yellow, as used this season.

The battle for the use of the name reached another level this week after Group Lotus announced that it is buying into and sponsoring Renault F1, but Fernandes remains confident.

“Nothing’s really changed for us,” he told this blog earlier today. “We have maintained that we are Team Lotus. It’s sad that it’s reached this kind of position.”

He denies rumours that the FIA has said that he can’t use the Lotus name: “Nothing was discussed… I think we’ve had good support from the FIA and FOM, and I’m unperturbed by that side.”

Regarding the colourscheme, he admits that with the FIA announcing a green (and thus politically correct) engine for 2013 it was not a good time to be doing anything that might be seen to be promoting cigarettes.

He insists that he didn’t know that the John Player Special brand, whose historic colours he intended to revive, is still available commercially.

“I doubt there will be four black cars. With the launch of the new engine and with many people complaining that I may be promoting a cigarette brand that’s still in existence, I think we may be wise to go back to green.

“We’re not silly and emotional and childish about it. We always wanted to be the green team. We thought for a change we’d give black and gold a run, whether it’s co-incidence or they copied, they came out with the same concept. I’m happy to go back to green having looked at everything. It will be silly to have four black cars, so we will be the green and yellow Team Lotus team.”

Fernandes is sceptical about the plans of Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar.

“Dany Bahar has said that he needs a team to win, but so do we. We’re not in F1 to lose. He thinks that we won’t be able to do it, but I’m not sure how he can assess us after one year. I think in one year we have done a very good job, I think no one in the paddock would doubt that, considering we started in September.

“We have done exactly what we said we would do. The whole relationship with Proton soured with the arrival of Dany Bahar, and it was very clear that he had his own agenda, and that didn’t include us.

“He never visited Lotus Racing, he never came and saw what we were building, he thought Mike Gascoyne was old school.

“From the branding point of view, I don’t understand it one bit. As someone who’s built a brand over nine years that is globally recognised, it doesn’t make any sense at all.”

He has also no time for suggestions that Team Lotus is promoting the Lotus name and hence its road cars for no obvious gain.

“We have a tremendous amount to gain from it. I’ve been building brands for a long time, and over the next six months you’ll see our strategy evolving on what we are doing.”

As expected the FIA has dropped the team orders rule from the 2011 F1 sporting regulations. However it has reminded teams that Article 151c – concerning bringing the sport into disrepute – could still be used.

The FIA has approved a number of other changes to the 2011 regs, many involving penalties and their application, although some have yet to be fully clarified.Among them is a stricter control on flexible front wings.

The full list is as follows:

– The article forbidding team orders (39.1) is deleted. Teams will be reminded that any actions liable to bring the sport into disrepute are dealt with under Article 151c of the International Sporting Code and any other relevant provisions
–  Amendments to the list of penalties Stewards are permitted to apply
–  Revisions to driving and driver conduct
–  A limit on the width of the fast lane in the pits
–  The introduction of a regulation permitting the Race Director to close the pit lane during a race for safety reasons
–  The re-introduction of intermediate tyres for 2011
–  Penalties to be applied to any driver who fails to use both specification of dry weather tyre during the race
–  An amendment requiring gearboxes to be used for five consecutive races, instead of four
–  Clarification on when cars can overtake the safety car
–  A refinement to the principles of the regulations already agreed concerning moveable rear wings
–  A better definition of the reference plane, and reinforcement of bodywork deflection tests, especially at the front of the reference plane
–  The allowance for anti-intrusion panels to protect drivers’ legs

In addition, the following amendment were made to the 2012 Technical Regulations:

–  Team communications will be made available to broadcasters
–  The inclusion of fuel compounds produced from biomass
–  A limitation on suspension uprights

The FIA has finally formally confirmed that a new 1.6-litre engine formula is coming for 2013. Although it had been in the pipeline for some time, there had been attempts to postpone its introduction.

The four existing manufacturers – Cosworth, Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari – now have some 27 months until their new engines have to be on a grid for the first time. VW/Audi is also waiting on the sidelines.

The move is part of the FIA’s laudable attempt to make F1 greener and encourage sustainability, traits that will make it easier for car makers to justify future investment in F1.

An FIA press release said: “The WMSC approved the introduction of a new specification engine from 2013, underlining the FIA’s commitment to improving sustainability and addressing the needs of the automotive industry. Following dialogue with the engine manufacturers and experts in this field, the power units will be four cylinders, 1.6 litre with high pressure gasoline injection up to 500 bar with a maximum of 12,000 rpm.

“The engines will deliver a 35% reduction in fuel consumption and will feature extensive energy management and energy recovery systems, while maintaining current levels of performance. In 2013, five engines will be permitted per driver, but each year after that the limit will be four.”

The efforts of Tony Fernandes to hang on to the Team Lotus name have clearly suffered a blow after his key countrymen backed the Group Lotus/Renault F1 deal.

Crucially he does not have the support of the former Prime Minister, who had earlier backed his project. A Lotus statement quotes Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Proton advisor as saying: “This is an exciting development which delivers strategic benefits to both Group Lotus and Proton. I fully support the partnership.”

Meanwhile Dato’ Sri Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, Chairman of Proton, said: “We know that Group Lotus has much to offer Formula 1 and vice versa. After careful consideration, we believe this arrangement will be fruitful, both from a commercial and marketing point of view.”

Lotus has also revealed more of the background behind the deal: “Group Lotus plc will acquire a major equity stake in the team from Genii Capital. The transaction represents a partnership between Group Lotus and Genii Capital and signifies the beginning of a more comprehensive strategic alliance between the two organisations.

“The partnership between Lotus and Genii brings the ability to quickly incorporate new technologies from F1 cars into Lotus road cars including hybrid technology, Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems, aero advancements and lightweight materials. Genii, an investment holding company with a portfolio of automotive technologies, bring non-F1 technologies such as lightweight braking systems, variable compression engine technology and on board software systems to the partnership.”

Meanwhile Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and CEO of Renault, said: “This multi-partner alliance will bring a new dynamic to the team and enable it to compete with the sport’s best from next season.”

Gerard Lopez added: “For Group Lotus, access to Formula 1 opens up new marketing opportunities and a major platform for business exchanges and development. In this regard, Genii Capital possesses shareholdings in, and direct access to, cutting edge companies in the automotive industry. Our tie-up with Group Lotus and Proton, which will enable its future road car ranges to take advantage of significant new technologies, is a natural step.”