The Lotus garage blocked again in Brazil
For the fourth time this season, Lotus's preparations were disrupted by the presence of security personnel blocking access to the garage. The team, however, insists that it will participate in this weekend's event.
Unfortunately, this is becoming a sad habit since this summer: Lotus is facing numerous complaints and legal actions from partners who feel aggrieved. It started in Hungary when Pirelli only delivered its tires at the very last minute before the Friday morning practice sessions to protest against unpaid invoices.
An additional step was taken during the Belgian Grand Prix when Charles Pic ordered the seizure of the team’s equipment because the Silverstone team did not respect the scheduled running time during the 2014 season.
In Japan, the team’s mechanics and engineers were unable to access the team’s reception area because the team had to prioritize bill payments and hadn’t settled the catering bill. Bernie Ecclestone then showed leniency and opened the doors of the prestigious Paddock Club to them.
In Brazil, a dispute over an unspecified trade agreement led to security agents from both sides being stationed at the stand to prevent entry. As a result, the mechanics were not able to unpack all the necessary equipment and prepare adequately for this weekend’s race.
Seems @Lotus_F1Team is in trouble. Police in front of both sides of the garage, unpacked boxes #F1 #Lotus pic.twitter.com/bjCFC3Hohr
— Bianca Leppert (@janci1612) 11 Novembre 2015
A solution could only be found in the evening. This Thursday will therefore be very busy for the team staff, who must compensate for a lost day of work. They are eagerly waiting for Renault to finalize the ongoing purchase of its former team in order to work in more serene conditions.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
