Lotus

Lotus Racing was a new team that entered Formula 1 in 2010, one of three newcomers admitted as the sport sought to expand the grid. Licensed to use the famous Lotus name and backed by Malaysian interests led by Tony Fernandes, it raced in the evocative green and yellow of the historic marque.

As a brand-new operation working with limited resources against established teams, Lotus Racing competed at the back of the field but distinguished itself as comfortably the strongest of the 2010 newcomers, beating its fellow new teams consistently.

A dispute over the rights to the Lotus name led the team to be renamed Team Lotus for 2011 and then Caterham for 2012, as the various claimants to the Lotus heritage went their separate ways.

Lotus Racing was an ambitious attempt to bring a legendary name back to the grid and made a creditable start as the leading newcomer of its intake. Though the Lotus name dispute soon sent it down a different path, it laid the groundwork for the Caterham team that followed.