Caterham managing director Anser Ali says his company’s deal with Lotus is a “dream come true”.
Speaking to F1 Fanatic during the announcement of the deal yesterday Ali said: “It’s unbelievably special, to the point where I keep using the word ‘surreal’.
“It’s a dream come true for me, as someone who’s got a huge responsibility for over a hundred people at Caterham, and millions of enthusiasts and customers who follow everything that we do. I’d like to think – and I’m fairly certain – they are fully supportive of what we’re doing.
“It’s a natural progression, it’s an obvious one in my mind. But what was important for me is having met Tony and, now, having spent a lot of time with him, his passion is not too dissimilar to mine. He understands what the brand is about, he understands the philosophy and, more importantly, he wants to build on that and not compromise it in any way.”
Asked how long getting into F1 had been a goal of his he said: “I have to confess it hadn’t been!
“That’s why this is quite a dream. To say it’s an added bonus, again, would be an understatement.
“I was looking more at the man of Tony Fernandes, as a passionate enthusiast of any business that he gets behind, rather than Formula 1. That might come across as somewhat short-sighted, but the fact that Formula 1 comes in tow is quite surreal.”
He added they plan to incorporate the Caterham branding on the Lotus F1 cars: “I think going forward that is certainly on the cards.
“Clearly there are some sensitivities around that but there’s no doubt being able to leverage the Caterham brand off the Formula 1 platform, and the global audience it has, is something I’m very much looking forward to.”
2011 F1 season
- Kubica reveals he almost withdrew from fateful 2011 rally – and had 2012 Ferrari F1 deal
- How well do you remember the 2011 F1 season? Take the F1 Fanatic quiz
- The 2011 F1 season: The complete F1 Fanatic review
- Your 2011 F1 predictions revisited
- Barrichello tipped to stay at Williams
- 2011 F1 statistics part 3: Stats and facts highlights
- 2011 F1 statistics part two: Vettel’s domination
- 2011 F1 statistics part one: car performance
- New 2011 rules produced best racing of last four years
- What F1 Fanatics really thought of the 2011 season
Browse all 2011 F1 season articles
Image © F1 Fanatic. If you wish to use this image please contact F1 Fanatic to request permission
dau
28th April 2011, 17:26
Shouldn’t that read “Team Lotus” instead of “Lotus”? :D
RIISE (@riise)
28th April 2011, 17:27
Who’s Team Lotus?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
28th April 2011, 20:49
No, and here’s the usual link explaining why.
dau
30th April 2011, 10:08
That link explains your reasoning for using “Lotus” when talking about the F1 manufacturer and i agree with that.
But this is about a company called “Team Lotus Enterprise” buying the car manufacturer Caterham and therefore it’s a bit confusing if u stick to that naming convention. Outside of F1, “Lotus” refers to Lotus Cars (or the bakery, i’ll give you that) and i find it hard to believe Anser Ali really used that name when talking to you.
Then again, i could as well be totally wrong about that. :D
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
30th April 2011, 11:03
In case you hadn’t noticed, the name of this site is F1 Fanatic…
dau
30th April 2011, 14:24
So? Will you refer to Bahar’s new cars as Renault’s, then?
It’s your site, you can do whatever you like – i just wanted to say that _i_ think this adds to the confusion around Lotus. My bad.
Scribe (@scribe)
28th April 2011, 17:37
Yeah but he would say that wouldn’t he?
;)
BasCB (@bascb)
29th April 2011, 10:39
But then again why shouldn’t he!
Fernandes is a good deal maker and knows how to get the most out of a team. And he has finance at his disposal and knows the asian markets. Combine that with a passion for motorsport and plans for ground roots initiatives in India it looks very good for Caterham.
The link with Team Lotus feels good as well for a company doing a refined good old Lotus 7. I think Caterham can grow on this deal a lot and expand their product worldwide. In time they might get an Elise out to conquer further part of the market Lotus Cars is leaving behind.
And getting Caterham on the F1 track would not be too bad as well. Nothing like a bit of F1 VIP treatment to get bigwigs interested in a nice deal, I would think!
Oliver
28th April 2011, 18:20
I don’t understand, is he trying to say he has been dreaming of Tony?
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
28th April 2011, 18:37
Who doesn’t.
Fixy (@)
28th April 2011, 20:15
Me.
The Last Pope
28th April 2011, 23:23
Don’t lie.
AndrewTanner (@andrewtanner)
28th April 2011, 18:38
It’s some major exposure for a relatively small company. I bet Caterham’s staff will have their heads in the clouds when they see at least a logo on the side of an F1 car!
Douglas62500
28th April 2011, 19:33
This must be a win-win situation for both sides, with Lotus now having more and more proper sponsorship on their cars, AND, for our tiny friends at Caterham, they get massive exposureo through the top form of motorsport !! How much better can it get !?
Fixy (@)
28th April 2011, 20:16
I can’t think of anything different so I agree with you.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th April 2011, 10:40
They might be planning a Silverstone GP party already!
Siv
28th April 2011, 20:41
Now that Virgin has the Marussia tie, who are HRT going to pair up with? SEAT?
RIISE (@riise)
28th April 2011, 20:48
Rover =P
Scottie
29th April 2011, 1:41
LOL, ahh, my morning laugh! thx Mr Alonso! :)
BasCB (@bascb)
29th April 2011, 10:43
In a way its Jaguar, with TATA being the owners of that, isn’t it.
BasCB (@bascb)
29th April 2011, 10:42
That would be a very big catch, don’t forget SEAT is a VW Group car.
I rather figure that HRT will be bought by someone during the next year to build up the team for the future.
Tracy
28th April 2011, 21:09
Now Lotus just needs to come in 4th in the constructor’s championship so they can have the #7 car.
The Last Pope
28th April 2011, 23:29
Or they could just resurrect the Caterham 21 ;)
BasCB (@bascb)
29th April 2011, 10:43
A bit more likely.
IceBlue (@iceblue)
30th April 2011, 19:25
Wow, is it just me or does Anser Ali come across as some rube with a piece of straw in his mouth? Actually, he sounds like someone that was ecstatic about another fool buying his joke car company (why?) and bailing him out. Or is the world just about who has the most toys?