Lotus Team Principal Gerard Lopez insists there is nothing more his team can do in order to secure the deal with Renault ahead of the 2016 season.
Renault executive Jerome Stroll was in Abu Dhabi this weekend to finalise a financial agreement with Formula 1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone, with Lopez revealing that Renault boss Carlos Ghosn has still to give the green light on the deal.
“We’ve done everything that we could,” said Lopez to Motorsport.com. “As far as Lotus and Renault go, we have an agreement. I can tell you the contracts are finished. Then the rest, let’s wait and see.”
Lopez also revealed that should the Renault deal not be forthcoming, the team still have the option to continue with Mercedes power in 2016, insisting that a contract still stands between the two parties.
“There is Lotus F1 Team with a Mercedes engine,” added Lopez. “We would probably cut down to what I always said.
“If we cannot compete at this level, we don’t want to be funding it the way we did in the past, then we’ll run it at say 300 people. But that’s not the objective.
“The idea is to do Renault, but legally speaking, I can still run a Mercedes car next year. If I need it, we have a contract with Mercedes. We do, trust me.”
