Lotus owner Gerard Lopez has moved to allay fears the Enstone based team is on the verge of collapse. When the FIA issued the official 2014 entry list recently, Lotus' place was marked with a conspicuous asterisk, fuelling rumours of financial doom. "We just had the wrong team name on the list, namely the one of two years ago," Lopez told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport on Wednesday. "I can assure you -- everything is still the same." Despite the reassurance, however, many wonder if […]

As fears about Lotus' health grow, 2013 reserve driver Davide Valsecchi has revealed he has not yet been paid by the Enstone based team. As reigning GP2 champion, 26-year-old Italian Valsecchi served last year as Lotus' reserve driver, but he admitted last week he is now likely to exit. "After a 2013 season in which I travelled a lot but did not get on the track, I want to go back to wearing overalls and a helmet," he had said. When Lotus overlooked him late […]

Toro Rosso will be among the teams at the Jerez test later this month. Lotus boss Eric Boullier insisted on Thursday that the Enstone based team will not be the only F1 outfit missing in action when the all-new cars and turbo V6s burst into action in southern Spain late in January. One of the missing teams, however, will not be Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso. The Faenza based team's new recruit, rookie Daniil Kvyat, told the Russian publication Championat he is currently training ahead of […]

Team boss Eric Boullier on Thursday played down Lotus' decision to sit out the opening test of the 2014 pre-season. The Enstone based team finished last season a competitive fourth, but also grappling publicly with financial matters. So the admission this week that Lotus will not be at Jerez, where most other teams will run their all-new V6-powered 2014 cars for the first time, raised renewed alarm bells about Lotus' financial health and competitiveness going forwards. But Frenchman Boullier said other teams will also be […]

Lotus looks to have made its choice of official reserve driver for 2014. It appears unlikely the Enstone based team will keep Davide Valsecchi on board, particularly after the Italian admitted he was "angry" when bosses overlooked him as the surgery-bound Kimi Raikkonen's replacement late last season. "Perhaps I lack experience but what chance do you have to gain any?" he said at the time. According to the Italiaracing publication, Lotus looks set to turn to the similarly Eric Boullier-managed, 23-year-old Danish driver Marco Sorensen […]

Gerard Lopez, the owner of the Lotus outfit, believes the vast majority of the teams in Formula One are struggling financially. Lotus' problems have had a high profile in 2013, as the Enstone based team thrived with a competitive car but tackled rumours it was struggling to pay its drivers, employees and suppliers. But the Russian website f1news.ru quoted Lopez as insisting: "For 80 per cent of the teams, their financial situation is no better than ours. "If half of those teams say they are […]

Kimi Raikkonen has still not received all of the money he is owed by Lotus. Towards the end of the season, and just before he set off for back surgery that meant he missed the last two races of 2013, the Finn revealed he has not been paid "one euro" by the Enstone based team this year. Raikkonen said he almost called a halt to his Lotus career before the race in Abu Dhabi, saying at the time: "I came here only because hopefully we […]

Lotus team principal Eric Boullier believes that his squad can improve Pastor Maldonado's focus ahead of the Venezuelan's move to the team for 2014. Maldonado will race for the Enstone based team next year after three seasons with Williams. Boullier has previously worked with Maldonado, as the Venezuelan raced for DAMS in the 2005 World Series by Renault championship. "He's a friendly guy, he's a fast guy. He won a race in Formula 1 and it was on merit - it was not gained from […]

Romain Grosjean has admitted he is not sure if Lotus' money problems have been solved. The Enstone based team had been delaying signing its preferred option to replace the disgruntled Kimi Raikkonen - Nico Hulkenberg - until the money from the much-vaunted 'Quantum' investment came through. Ultimately, while re-signing the impressive Frenchman Grosjean, Lotus announced on Friday that his new teammate will be Pastor Maldonado. The press release made no mention of the Venezuelan's backing, but it is well known that he brings around EUR […]

Heikki Kovalainen says he is to blame for failing to score a point at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Kovalainen, who was replacing compatriot Kimi Raikkonen, finished the race in 14th place. "It has been a great opportunity to drive for Lotus F1 Team and I’m upset that I was not able to score any points for them today," he said. "I think the car is great, but I was not able to unlock the pace and make the most of it. I made some mistakes […]

Lotus insists the team's 35 per cent sale to Quantum remains on track, even though the investment group missed its latest deadline set by chief Mansoor Ijaz. Ijaz had said in Austin that the deal would be complete by the end of this week, but team boss Eric Boullier now says he is hoping to settle the issue "by early next week". "Well, there is still some discussion ongoing, especially now between bankers," the Frenchman said in Brazil. "The process is not fully completed but […]

Kimi Raikkonen is recovering after undergoing successful back surgery in Strasbourg. Raikkonen suffered from back pain following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and opted to miss the final two races of the season. 'As planned, Kimi Räikkönen underwent back surgery yesterday at The University Hospital of Strasbourg' read a Lotus statement. 'Lotus F1 Team is happy to report that the operation was totally successful, according to Professor Afshin Gangi.' 'Kimi will now rest for a few days and he will start his recovery process as […]