Will Lotus F1 leave Renault for Mercedes?

Currently powered by Renault, the Lotus team, located in Enstone – a remnant of the former official team of the diamond brand between 2002 and 2011 – could, according to some sources, change suppliers to switch to Mercedes.

After two successful seasons (2 victories, 23 podiums, 4th in the constructors’ championship in 2012 and 2013), the Lotus F1 team is struggling this season. In addition to the delays and complexity in finalizing the Lotus E22, which has turned out to be a challenging and uncompetitive car, there is also a Renault V6 hybrid engine that has not provided the same level of performance and reliability as in previous years.

A situation that is not without worrying, even irritating, certain teams with the Viry-Châtillon engine, starting with Red Bull, who do not hesitate to put pressure on the firm, which itself is working to temper these statements while ensuring that the situation is being addressed with the utmost seriousness and determination internally.

Inevitably, however, the rumors are growing: one of them, denied, concerned a possible takeover by Red Bull of the Renault Sport F1 structure. More likely, increasingly urgent rumors indicate Lotus’ desire to part ways with its historic engine supplier in favor of Mercedes, whose engine is considered the most powerful on the grid.

For Joe Saward, a British journalist who has been wandering the paddock since the early 1980s, an announcement is even about to take place: « [Lotus] will soon announce that it will become the fourth team powered by Mercedes, replacing McLaren, and joining Mercedes, Williams, and Force India in using the V6 engines from the German company, » he asserts on his blog.

SkySports, at the same time, announced that a spokesperson for the English team refused to comment on this rumor, this Tuesday morning.

In such a case, Renault would find itself with three teams for next season: Red Bull, Toro Rosso, and Caterham, even if the situation of the latter remains a cause for serious concern, following an ambiguous tweet from Tony Fernandes. As for the new entrants, while Haas Formula – whose presence has been confirmed for 2016 – appears to be in advanced negotiations with Ferrari, another project could be approved, from Romania, with Forza Rossa.