Model hints at 2010 colour scheme for 1Malaysia / Lotus F1 car
1Malaysia F1 car model
The FIA announced today that Lotus will get the final place on the 2010 F1 grid. The Malaysian government has backed the bid and the entry was made by a company called “1Malaysia F1 Team”.
1Malaysia is an initiative of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, intended to promote unity among Malaysians. This brightly-coloured car model was on display at an official announcement in Malaysia today.
The team principal will be Tony Fernandes, who is ranked the 15th-richest man in Malaysia and set up Air Asia, the airline which sponsors Williams.
A statement from the government said: ““The cars will be made in Malaysia, by Malaysians [...] The team will announce its two drivers by October 31, 2009. Currently six local and international drivers have been selected.”
Ex-Renault, Toyota and Force India man Mike Gascoyne will return to F1 as the team’s technical director.
Interestingly, FIA president candidate Jean Todt has links to Malaysia via his partner Michelle Yeoh and his role as an ambassador for Malaysian tourism (about which questions were raised earlier this year).
The model above may prove not to be indicative of what the team’s final 2010 livery will look like – but I think it would be great to see such a radical colour scheme on the F1 grid.
But with Force India, US F1 and now 1Malaysia, is F1 slowly turning into A1 Grand Prix?
Update: Alex Yoong yesterday referred to the car as ‘project raibow’ on Twitter. Is this paint scheme serious?
Read more: 2010 F1 drivers and teams
Steph90 said on 15th September 2009, 18:31
Bit off topic but Mp4 if you look on autosport there is news about the future of mclaren and mercedes relationship.
Isn’t Lotus being based in Britain first and then being moved across to Malaysia?
mp4-19b said on 15th September 2009, 18:41
I wouldn’t be surprised if McLaren come up with their own engine by 2012. Ron Dennis has clearly stated they are in the process of building a Brand name. McLaren would look awfully incomplete without its own engine. So, the news to me was on expected lines. Ron also made it very clear that they are taking on Ferrari .
Ash said on 15th September 2009, 18:56
Re McLaren building its own engine — well, they’re building their own engine for the new road car — wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to see them aim for their own F1 powerplant in 2012 or 2013 after the Mercedes connection withers…
Bartholomew said on 15th September 2009, 22:25
I see a great future for McLaren, building their own engines and expanding their range of road cars.
I can see Ron entering a Second Youth, and creating wonderful and different things for the times ahead.
Praveen Titus said on 15th September 2009, 18:32
I hope the team will be called Lotus and not 1 Malaysia. I was looking for the return of the evocative British brand and team, but this is Lotus only in name. Really sad. And I don’t belive Malaysia has any local driver who is F1 material, except perhaps Fairuz Fauzy.
Chaz said on 15th September 2009, 18:39
I can deal (uhum!?) with the livery but is that the best they could do with the name…
sato113 said on 16th September 2009, 0:16
they’ll be called Lotus. what’s wrong with that?
cmcgato said on 15th September 2009, 18:40
over the rainbow (8)
Spud said on 15th September 2009, 18:41
Funny, thats exactly what I was thinking!
But thats an awful colour scheme, they had better be taking the p**s! :P
Kevin C. said on 15th September 2009, 18:42
I bet the driver will be Fairuz Fauzy, u know what? these are the government cronies business. Another way to siphon the tax payer monies. Sad day for Malaysian. Do we really have the money to spare on F1? Don,t get me wrong, I’m not against Malaysian F1 but the Malaysian tax payer monies.
Becken said on 15th September 2009, 18:45
The ugliest color scheme in all F1 history…
mp4-19b said on 15th September 2009, 19:18
Wholeheartedly agreed!
Salty said on 15th September 2009, 21:03
Oh I dunno – Honda’s ‘Earth Car’ paint job was completely duff at at 200mph. Actually, scratch that – was duff when parked as well.
Cut ‘em a break, no major sponsor yet, but suprised they didn’t do the Malay flag thing, but would prolly get mistaken for USF1 team then I guess.
Random Chimp said on 15th September 2009, 21:18
I quite liked that one actually :)
David A said on 16th September 2009, 1:33
The 2007 Honda was slightly worse than this. I assume Lotus have got some hippie thing going on.
Pinballles said on 15th September 2009, 23:15
I agree. That scheme is hideous. The only thing it is going to do is dilute the Lotus brand. It’s bad!
UnicornF1 said on 15th September 2009, 18:46
it reminded me the following car :-P
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/slacker-sponsors-indy-500-racer-pink-lloyd.html
http://media.photobucket.com/image/pink%20racing%20car/spyboy1/AlexpinkLloyd2009Indyherdrink.jpg
mp4-19b said on 15th September 2009, 19:48
brand ambassador of this Lotus car? probably this person?
sumedh said on 15th September 2009, 18:50
To clarify, Force India only uses the word “India” for promotional purposes. The Indian government has nothing to do with Force India. There is probably no Indian in the team apart from its owner.
The use of the word “India” gives the team a very very large fan base in India. Which it can leverage for other purposes.
I don’t know about US F1 or 1Malaysia, but Force India is NOT an A1 Grand Prix team.
Livery is mmm interesting. One positive point is that they dont use white, which far too many teams in Formula1 use excessively.
mfDB said on 15th September 2009, 21:47
The US government has nothing to do with US F1 either. 90% of them probably don’t even know what it is. They are using the name US for the same reason as India, so it’s not at all an A1 type of thing. They are just hoping that the US can gain interest by having a homegrown team.
That is a very ugly scheme and the name reminds me of one of those funny Engrish websites….1Malaysia F1….huh?
smiggs said on 15th September 2009, 22:42
I hate to point this out but most of the A1 GP teams aren’t run out of the nations they represent, either. The whole ‘World Cup of Motorsport’ is a ridiculously flimsy premise for an international series, which is in no way strengthened by making each nation field a driver from their country. Essentially it’s a marketing exercise, of the type you would be a fool to count Mr Ecclestone out of.
mp4-19b said on 16th September 2009, 3:41
If the same trend of naming teams after nations continues, that day is not far off when F1 will turn into some kind of arcade game like Track Mania Nations.
Austin said on 15th September 2009, 18:52
“They cannot be serious” with that livery. I hope that is only just a mockup. I just couldn’t take it serious like the Honda earth car. Well at least you can spot them a mile away coming down the straight unless your colour blind. :-)
mp4-19b said on 15th September 2009, 18:53
I think Pink Pearl will be very pleased with this livery ;)
TJ said on 15th September 2009, 18:57
I cant take this entry seriously. How can they design and build an F1 can in 6 months and get it racing (within 107%). I think this arrangement will flounder before before March 2010; and the FIA know it. Hence the reason why they want to have ‘Sauber’ lined up to fill the vacancy.
Kris said on 15th September 2009, 19:03
The thought the 107% rule went when we left the old fashioned 12 laps in an hour qualifying?
Kris said on 15th September 2009, 19:03
The = I !
TJ said on 15th September 2009, 19:22
I’m just thinking of Lola 1997.
James G said on 15th September 2009, 22:03
The 107% rule was dropped in 2002. The last person not allowed to race because of it was Alex Yoong at the 2002 German Grand Prix.
mp4-19b said on 15th September 2009, 18:57
I’m just wondering if this car was just brought out from the wind tunnel ? Looks like they’ve used bad colour combination for Flow-vis paint ;) Epic Aero(colour) failure.
Bartholomew said on 15th September 2009, 22:28
I would go all the way to a psychedellic design, like the Rolls Royce of John Lennon, or else I would stay with a nice classic colour theme.
Bernard said on 15th September 2009, 19:00
I think country names should be banned from team names. F1 is about competition bewtween drivers and teams not nations.
UnicornF1 said on 15th September 2009, 19:30
F1 teams used to represent a nation and that’s why F1 is a world championship and the winner is a world champion.
As Force India is for India,
so was and is Ferrari for Italy.
Mike "the bike" Schumacher said on 15th September 2009, 22:40
Team used to carry national colours the only time they truly drove for their country, sponsorship stopped that. Only team competing in national colours still is ferrari.
matt said on 15th September 2009, 23:03
I don’t think it’s a world championship because nations were intended to compete directly (otherwise why so many British teams), it’s a world championship because the racing happened/happens across the world, by drivers from all over the world.
DAnderson said on 17th September 2009, 14:50
That’s absolutely untrue – neither Formula One nor any of the predecessor championships have ever been a competition between nations. The first championship was the World Grand Prix Manufacturers Championship. The Driver’s Championship came several years later.
Robert said on 15th September 2009, 19:42
Those two teams aren’t racing as countries. Following that logic, F1 is currently a competition between four car manufacturers, two energy drinks, three men, and a country.
If you look at the two teams that have a country in their name, Force India and USF1, they come from countries that don’t really care about F1. If it takes a team with the national flag on the side to get people watching, I don’t see the problem with it.
If and when a second team arises from India or the US, I could easily see those names changing to something more standard, like the
Tom L. said on 16th September 2009, 21:07
This made me laugh, good call!
Bernard said on 15th September 2009, 21:38
F1 did not begin as a world championship and has not been exclusively so since 1984.
The painting of cars in national colours was a differentiator not a competition requirement. Teams didn’t think twice about dropping ‘national colours’ in place of sponsors once money was on the table.
I understand that the teams are not racing as countries, of course – most of the Force India team is not even Indian – that is my point, there should be FIA imposed restrictions on names just as there is in other sports and industries.
As I say, F1 is not a sport between national teams and therefore the teams should not be allowed to be named as such.
Watson said on 16th September 2009, 20:26
Have you forgotten about Équipe Nationale Belge? It’s not like it’s a new thing…
Bernard said on 16th September 2009, 21:04
Indeed, it’s not a new thing but that doesn’t mean we should allow it.
Baz said on 15th September 2009, 19:03
It looks like an F1 car shaped boiled sweet, complete in three different flavours – blueberry, custard and raspberry ripple.