Eric Boullier confident Lotus has security to out-last F1 rivals

Boullier told AUTOSPORT Lotus had plenty of financial security even while the search for new investment continued.

Genii terminated its title sponsorship deal with Group Lotus in April 2012 on the back of financial uncertainties for the sportscar manufacturer.

"There is no real question," Boullier said. "Genii builds its complete platform around Formula 1 and around this team.

"They have committed, they showed their commitment and they will commit in the future to financially back this team.

"It is also true that the strategy to keep developing the team and they are looking for a strong partner.

"It's an ongoing process, it obviously takes time because you need a right partner.

"It's not only about having somebody who would bring the money to the team, it's to make sure the strategy in the long term, which is five years in Formula 1, is to make the team secure and sufficiently backed-up to keep developing."

He said that the Enstone squad's set-up as a pure racing team made it more likely to stay in F1 long term than a manufacturer outfit or even champion Red Bull.

"Mercedes is selling cars. Red Bull is selling [drinks] cans.

"Ferrari, McLaren, Lotus or Williams, we're all teams, our core business is Formula 1. So we should be here for a long, long time."

The current incarnation of Lotus began life as Toleman in the 1980s, before becoming first Benetton, then Renault. It was then acquired by Genii when Renault withdraw as a manufacturer squad before the 2010 season.