Gascoyne: Name row won't spoil future

As AUTOSPORT revealed yesterday, the Lotus naming situation has taken a fresh twist this weekend with the current Renault team now set to tie up with Lotus Cars for next season.

That partnership would complicate the current Lotus team's plans to be renamed Team Lotus - and could well see the outfit choose to abandon its legal bad to keep pursuing its Lotus plans.

Such a scenario was hinted at on Friday when Renault announced that its 2011 engine deal with Lotus was with the 1Malaysia Team - the title of Lotus Racing's parent company - instead.

Whatever the outcome of the Lotus naming situation, however, Gascoyne says that with a Renault engine deal and Red Bull Racing transmission contract in the bag, the situation is very positive for his outfit.

Speaking about the naming situation, Gascoyne said: "There have been discussions in Malaysia. They're confidential as far as we understand, from our side although there seem to be a lot of stories doing the rounds.

"All I can really say is that looking at the future of the team, we have a fantastic future. We've built a great team. I think with Tony, Nasa and Din, the three shareholders, we have three fantastically committed shareholders that I personally am very proud to work for.

"They are absolutely determined to be in Formula 1 for the long future. They're fully committed. The team is fully behind them as well and I think the announcement that we've made in terms of engine and gearbox supply, the windtunnel is everything you should be doing to build up a Formula 1 team that will be able to take on the established teams. That's really all I can say.

"I'm an engineer. For me, the job I do on Monday doesn't alter if the name changes. Ask Ross [Brawn], he's been through a couple in the last couple of years and dealt with it very well. But I'm absolutely convinced that come what may, with our shareholders, with the team that we've built up, that the future for our racing team is very bright indeed."