Lotus says finances sorted for 2014 Formula 1 season
Lotus now has in place the financial platform it needs to avoid the struggles that blighted its 2013 Formula 1 campaign, reckons team boss Eric Boullier
The Enstone-based team endured a troubled time last year despite ending the season as Red Bull's closest challenger for victories.
Money concerns surrounded the outfit for months, and Kimi Raikkonen turned his back on the outfit because he had not been paid.
But although the team's 2014 has not got off to the best start, with the outfit due to miss the first test at Jerez, Boullier says behind the scenes things are much better.
"The target is clear: we can't have another year like 2013 and we don't want this," Boullier told AUTOSPORT.
"We want to bring stability over the long-term for this team. With the shareholders we went through a lot of discussions and decisions, and a restructuring process over the last weeks.
"I think that the team is in good shape now definitely with some guarantees over the operational finance needs.
"I think now at least for 2014 and a little bit beyond, the team now can stabilize. We can bring a little bit of quietness, so not being as intense but still performing.
"I know where we are now today with the car and we will still be fighting, hopefully for some podiums this year."
The team has undergone a management reshuffle over the winter with CEO Patrick Louis being replaced by Matthew Carter, a close ally of minority shareholder Andrew Ruhan.
Lotus' lengthy discussions with Quantum Motorsports are ongoing, while on Monday it announced a fresh sponsorship deal with financial institution Saxo Bank.
Pastor Maldonado's arrival, and with it the valuable sponsorship from PDVSA, has also boosted the coffers.
Boullier said that one of the biggest positives heading in to 2014 is that the team knows the exact budget it has to play with.
"We have an operational guaranteed budget this year, which is a big difference," he said.
"It means we will be on our own financially and we have a much stronger shareholder structure and some new sponsors. We need to make sure that we are sustainable as much as we can."
Kubica on F1: I have no regrets
Analysis: Ferrari pressure rising in 2014 Formula 1 season
De Vries cleared of wrongdoing in dispute over €250K loan
Nyck de Vries has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an Amsterdam court over a claim launched against him by real estate magnate Jeroen Schothorst relating to a €250,000 loan.
Horner admits Red Bull’s real RB19 will be ‘somewhat different’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the real RB19 that will appear in Formula 1 testing in Bahrain later this month will be ‘somewhat different'.
Horner hints at closer links between Mercedes and Williams F1 teams
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hinted that there could be a closer relationship between the Mercedes and Williams Formula 1 teams in the wake of James Vowles’s move.
Ford remains committed to WRC amid F1 return
Ford has stated that it remains committed to its programme in the World Rally Championship following confirmation of its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier from 2026.
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
The potential-laden F1 car that Ferrari neglected
The late Mauro Forghieri played a key role in Ferrari’s mid-1960s turnaround, says STUART CODLING, and his pretty, intricate 1512 was among the most evocative cars of the 1.5-litre era. But a victim of priorities as Formula 1 was deemed less lucrative than success in sportscars, its true potential was never seen in period
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.