Lotus, one of the most successful and glorious names from Formula One's past, will return next year with a Malaysian-owned team replacing BMW-Sauber as the 13th entry on the starting grid. The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement Tuesday that, after due diligence and an intensive selection process, it had chosen Lotus. The new outfit will be called Lotus F1 Team and is a partnership between the Malaysian government and a consortium of Malaysian entrepreneurs. “The cars will be made in Malaysia, by Malaysians,” the Malaysian government said in a separate statement. The vacancy arose after BMW announced that it was withdrawing at the end of the season, following a path already trodden by Japan's Honda. The FIA said BMW-Sauber had been given a reserve slot to fill any vacancy that might occur between now and the start of the 2010 championship. “In addition, the FIA believes that a good case can be made for expanding the grid to 14 teams,” added the FIA. “The FIA will be consulting urgently with the existing teams regarding the introduction of an appropriate rule change to expand the grid to 28 cars in time for the first Grand Prix in 2010.” Leading Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes will be Lotus team principal. The 45-year-old set up Asian budget airline Air Asia, currently sponsoring the Williams team, and is Malaysia's 15th richest man with a net worth of $220 million according to Forbes Malaysia 2009 rich list. Technical director Mike Gascoyne was previously with Force India, its predecessors Jordan, Toyota and Renault. As part of its application to compete in the 2010 championship, the Lotus team agreed an engine supply deal with Cosworth. Lotus will initially be based in Norfolk, some 10 miles from the original Lotus Cars factory in Eastern England, but the future design, manufacturing and technical center will be purpose built at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit. FIA offers Renault official ‘immunity' in race-fix row Formula One's governing body has offered Renault's second-in-command immunity from punishment in exchange for full disclosure about “crashgate,” a report said Tuesday. Pat Symonds, director of engineering at Renault, has been told that if he comes clean over how and why Nelson Piquet junior drove his car into the barriers in Singapore in 2008, he will escape sanctions. The sanctions could include a life ban from the sport, according to the report in London-based The Times newspaper, which cites unnamed sources. Former driver Piquet and his father, three-time world champion Nelson Piquet senior, have claimed that the Renault team conspired to fix the outcome of the Singapore Grand Prix, in a blow to the sport's reputation.
