Lotus Racing has this morning announced that, from next season, it will be reverting to a black and gold colour scheme, following in the footsteps of the team under the stewardship of Colin Chapman.
The iconic green and yellow paint scheme used this season will be replaced by one similar to the ‘JPS livery’, first used in 1972 when then sponsors Imperial Tobacco were promoting their John Player Special brand.
Of course, there is no longer tobacco sponsorship in F1, but the move to this new livery will bring back some fond memories for the older fans who remember the successes of Team Lotus.
Fans of the modern day incarnation of the team will be asked for some input in designing the 2011 livery, as Lotus Head of Marketing Silvi Schaumloeffel today explained: “We have worked all year to make sure our fans are given unprecedented access to our team. We are all very excited about the move to a black and gold paint scheme for next season, and we want our fans to help us design the livery that will be racing around the world next year.
“We will shortly be announcing exactly how the fans can take part in our design process, so keep an eye on our website www.lotusracing.my for more details. The person who designs the livery we finally choose will be joining us at our first test next year to see the car out on track for the very first time, so for Lotus and F1â„¢ fans it is the chance of a lifetime to help us take the next step forward in our amazing story in 2011.”
Lotus Racing Chief Executive Riad Amsat added his thoughts on the announcement. “When we first unveiled our 2010 car there was unanimous praise for our decision to bring the historic green and yellow livery back to the modern F1 grid,” he said. “I know the return to the track of the legendary black and gold will be met with even more universal support as it strikes such an emotional chord with fans around the world. Giving those fans the chance to help us bring it back to the contemporary grid is true to our core belief of putting our supporters right at the heart of Lotus Racing – we can't wait to show the world what we come up with!”
