Renault reveal R30 with new 2011 Lotus livery

2011 F1 season

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Renault 2011 Lotus livery

Renault have revealed the first genuine photographs of their current R30 F1 car in the new 2011 Lotus livery.

It has a black-and-gold design similar to that which Tony Fernandes’s Lotus Racing team also intends to use in 2011, harking back to the John Player Special Lotuses of the 1970s and 1980s.

Renault announced this morning it will be sponsored by Lotus Cars in 2011, who have also invested in the team.

Lotus Racing and Lotus Cars are currently in dispute over the rights to the use the name “Lotus”.

Renault 2011 Lotus livery

Update: Another rendering of the livery:

Renault 2011 Lotus livery rendering

Lotus naming rights row

    Browse all articles on the Lotus naming rights row

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    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    131 comments on “Renault reveal R30 with new 2011 Lotus livery”

      1. INDEED!

        they just bought 2 pots of paint (one gold, one black) and went: “there you go, John Player Special”.

        But it just doesn’t look right… appart from the red endplates

      2. Agreed, this really looks wrong. The rendering ooks fine, but the real thing just looks wrong in so many ways.

        Whats worst about it is that they all act like children. Team Lotus announced a while ago that they would use that kind of livery, so what is the first thing that Lotus Renault does? Show this livery. How much lower can they go?

        And people once thought that Renault was only behaving stupid and purile when Briatore was in charge ………….

        1. How much lower can they go? Well, not as low as Fernandez!

      3. Ironically, the new yellow pirelli logo on the tyres would have perfectly suited lasts years yellow renault and last years green and yellow lotus.

      4. You got that right! Especially with those stupid red endplates to make Total happy.
        It seems that every time I start to like Renault in F1 again, they do something stupid to completely mess it up. They should go back to the gorgeous telefonica livery they had earlier in the decade, give Kubica a worthwhile team mate and stay as Renault.

        Morons, morons, morons.

        And don’t even get me started on Danny Bahar. That man is singlehandedly going to ruin Lotus.

        1. And though it may make quite a few of you angry,

          I’ve never really been a big fan of the JPS livery. I loved that the true Lotus team wore British racing green this season.

          1. You’re probably right about BRG being the true livery, but I grew up with the JPS livery, and I loved it… Not sure about this new interpretation though.

      5. Yeah, amazing how they could get something so simple so wrong.

    1. Like the old JPS days… I like it!

      1. yes but gasgoyne’s lotus team were going to use this livery. what a effing joke.

        1. They already have their livery also.
          Look

          1. The Team Lotus livery is way sexier than than the Lotus Proton Renault livery.

          2. that is far superior to the lotus renault joke one.

            1. you’re kidding, I hate everything about the proton lotus team… It was just one big sad marketing exercise… This new team looks just the same..

        2. You have to remember this team might actually have a shot at winning races, while Gasgoyns is only there to sell tshirts and mugs.

          For that reason alone, I support the Reno team.

          1. Gasgoyns is only there to sell tshirts and mugs.

            What a bizarre (and unsubstantiated) claim.

            1. No kidding! If anything, Fernandes, Gascoyne, and Co. proved this year that they’re serious about racing and are in it for the long haul.

    2. Those red endplates ruin what might otherwise be one of the best liveries I have seen in years.

      Regardless of how much I like it, I hope I never have to see this car on track

      1. ignoring the red endplates which are obviously to appease total, this is the worst execution of JPS style i have seen.

        the stripes running down the nose are tight at the cockpit, and get wide and loop under the nose, making the whole nose look like a big droopy lotus logo in a sock. not elegant or dynamic or flattering at all.

        1. Agree. The gold linework looks too heavy, the original JPS style was more of a pinstripe wasn’t it?

          It could perhaps do with varying-width lines, like the mid-90s Rothmans Williams.

          1. Exactly. From the back it looks sort of okay, but a bit unrefined and clumsy, the front/side views look bad – and the gold strips on the front wing look like ridiculous bling.

          1. I agree as well but bear in mind that this is the bodywork of the 2010 car. The 2011 car will undoubtedly have new bodywork, therefore a different shape and therefore will need different lines. Why go to all the effort of getting the lines right when they’ll just have to do it again when the new shape is out?

            Still though, it’s not very nice looking at all.

        2. A bit like the McLaren with the big Mercedes star on the front last year. That also looked quite wrong and heavy at the front.

          1. Ah, good point, that is true – and it looks wrong for the same reasons.

      2. Agree with Ned. The Red ruins the whole thing.

        That aside the R30 was one of my all time favourite liveries. Is a shame it has to go just because Renault are jumping on the Lotus bandwagon.

        1. Do you mean the R29?

          1. No – the yellow and black they used for the 2010 season. Just a one-off as it turns out, which is a shame.

            1. I agree. What a shame we have to see the great 2010 livery gone already. *cries*

            2. The yellow black was a great livery…

            3. I liked that livery as well. Best livery they had in years.
              When seeing these pictures, I can imagine Fernandez saying they helped his case with this car in this livery. It is completely obvious they are intentionally going against his entity.
              And from what i understood, the Team Lotus rights from David Hunt very clearly state that only they are allowed to run that Lotus logo with the initals and green field in F1.

        2. Eh? I think you’ll find it’s the other way around. There is no Renault anymore only the engines. Group Lotus (you know THE Lotus car manuafacturer?) acquired Renaults minority share so logically, they are the true Lotus manufacturer. Gascoynes team only licensed the use of the name.

          Both owned by Korean companies – the only thing they have in common.

      3. Regardless of how much I like it, I hope I never have to see this car on track

        Hear hear.

    3. Photographing that at the Renault World Series next year is going to be interesting… not sure I’m a fan.

    4. That’s pretty bad.

      If they’re going to go down that path at least get rid of the red Total endplates.

    5. What about Vitaly Petrov? Those that mean is out?

      1. he’s out*

        1. What’s funny is I could imagine someone doing a bad impersonation of a Russain says “does that mean is out”..!!

    6. that yellow logo ruins it ;/

    7. I think the livery looks great!

    8. The finish is too Glossy, giving it a horrible shine. The gradient on the gold just makes it look too wishy washy and the Red Endplates just ruin it.

      1. I noticed in my local newsagent that JPS are sold in a gloss black box (as well as blue and indeed red). The new Lotuses are great free publicity for the cigarette manufacturer.

        1. The new Lotuses are great free publicity for the cigarette manufacturer, and you can bet the CEO of the company is loving it – because no health experts are complaining about this subliminal advertising. You can bet JPS won’t stop either Team using the colours, because of the free advertising. However Lotus cars cannot accept the free advertising they are getting from New Team Lotus… surely bad business froma car company about to invest in a whole new fleet of automobiles.

    9. All the red ruins it and there’s too much gold. Looks more like a Wolf.

    10. I quite like it. Also, someone needs to close a bold tag.

      Did that do it?

      1. LOL, yes, a too wide brush could explain some of it.

    11. and it dosent hava Lada and HP sponsors logo on it … damn

      1. Lotus-Lada would have been funny. But then I’m more of a Lotus Racing fan!

    12. I have to say, I appreciate the design effort and am annoyed with the Lotus-row-gate-whatever already, but think that this is a pretty ham-fisted way to execute the John Player Special livery. It’s clunky, and not just because of the red.

      1. It looks like someone at Renault took a quick look at the Gallery on entries for the Team Lotus livery competition and thought – hmm, we’ll just copy that one whilst looking at one of the worst entries…

        …seriously, this is the best they could come up with???

    13. Are JPS cigarettes still available? If so, I bet they are looking forward to all this free subliminal advertising from one of the biggest sports in the world.

      Also, if they are still available, would the liveries fall foul of fag ad bans?

      1. I believe my dad smokes ’em, but there in a red pack with gold letters. But that would be pretty simple to change the red to black:P.

        1. Well this is interesting then. If the livery refers to a current cigarette brand (even if not directly, or through actual sponsorship) ok with the FIA?

          I wonder because the Marlboro logo can’t be used on current Ferraris any more, and therefore presumably if (hypothetically) McLaren wanted to use it’s old red and white Marlboro inspired livery it wouldn’t be allowed to.

          1. … meant to say “is that ok with the FIA?” of course…:)

          2. It’s a different matter if the company in question is pumping millions of dollars into the team, which in John Player Special’s case, they aren’t.

            1. Sure. I would wonder though if the wording of the FIA ban is for sponsorship from cigarette brands specifically, or simply advertising/promotion. Someone wishing to cause a bit of hassle could possibly make an argument that the livery does the latter, subliminally at least ;)

              Not that I would be that someone :)

            2. They could always claim they have a UPS sponsorship lined up!

            3. Keith, there is a Mclaren MP4-26 pic on Facebook, showing Jenson Button getting his seat fitted, obviously it’s given no aero details away, but you can see the carbon fibre is unpainted but for a section of white behind Button’s head – perhaps this suggests Mclaren will go white/red Marlboro-esque livery in 2011. ;)

              http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=10150101428956413&set=a.134005641412.142891.12254981412&pid=7963983&id=12254981412

              We all know it will be surely be chrome, but one can wish!!

        2. They’re still sold in black and gold packets in the United Kingdom, at least until the Government gets its way and removes all branding and packaging from tobacco products and replaces them with a single white/black colour packet…

    14. Also the gold stripes are too thick to work as a JPS homage, they should be pinstripe thin.

        1. That’s exactly right. The original striping and design was precise and almost delicate. This looks like just another wrap. Maybe the other Lotus will do a better job?

    15. It´s all ugly, & indeed it looks more like a Wolf, so get rid of the all too big lotus badge!

    16. Chris Pattison
      8th December 2010, 12:25

      To be fair the quality of the photo possibly makes it look a little duller then it should but it’s still the poorest example of a JPS theme ever.

      If it’s really had the weeks of thought gone into it that they claim then they should be quite embarrassed.

    17. Why has a Malaysian backed Luxembourg-owned French sponsored car driven by a Pole got a Union Jack flag on it?

      1. It must be a lame attempt to a joke!

      2. Maybe they’re going to announce a British driver??

        (Also it’s either the Union Jack or the Union Flag, not the Union Jack Flag)

    18. Pants, 1970’s Airfix kit with a 10 year olds humbrol paint job. Not refined at all.

    19. I actualyl quite like it. I’m not a big fan of the red end plates though. I’d still rather have a yellow car to liven up the grid.

    20. That black looks suspiciously chocolate-brown to my eyes.

      1. Maybe they overpainted a normal one, and didn’t use a thick enough layer of black that the yellow won’t shine through under lights?

    21. Although I wish this livery was on the 2010 Lotus team, I think, all prejudice aside, and forgetting that it has anything to do with JPS, it is in fact quite an attractive livery, it looks very smart as well as racy!

    22. So they were perfectly recognizeable throughout the 2010 season with their classy, flashy yellow-black livery, and now they’re back to boring, dull and dirty shades of black with slight gold stripes and ugly red parts to please the sponsors.

      I wish my 70 years old grandpa telling these apart from Virgin cars in 2011 -_-

    23. Should be

      I wish my 70 years old grandpa best of luck telling these apart from Virgin cars in 2011 -_-

    24. I don’t see the Lada logo. If it were there, there would have been 3 cars logo on the race car (Lotus, Renault, Lada).
      But anyway, I don’t like this livery
      I hope Team Lotus will keep the green and yellow livery :(

      1. They could also slap a Proton logo on, make it a Lotus-Proton-Renault-Lada.

    25. Quite like it, except for the red plates. Still not THE JPS.

    26. Please lets demonstrate to get them to use the black/yellow livery. This is just ugly, and honestly I think it is just an provocation of the other Lotus team, they didnt even use a real gold color, but some half ass sand-thing.

    27. did someone just chunder on an f1 car? thanks renault for only 1 season of awesome retro livery. now you’re just confusing the flip out of everyone and making me feel sick!

    28. I don’t know if it is the way the black and gold is used, the red parts on the livery for Total or because I don’t like this whole Lotus name dispute but from the pictures I have seen I don’t really like the look of the 2011 livery, yet I did like the Lotus black and gold JPS livery from the 1970s/80s.

      Just like with Team Lotus I find it odd that they are using the black and gold livery when classic Lotus only used it because of JPS sponsorship and neither are sponsors by JPS and even subliminal tobacco liveries such as with Ferrari and Marlboro are not allowed anymore.

      I notice that the car has the British flag on it, does this mean they will officially become a British team. Although the Reanult’s F1 factory is in UK Ranault F1 are French and Proton are Malaysian. Or is it a case that they are trying to associate themselves with classic Lotus so they included the British flag on the car.

    29. They just painted an entire car with a tobacco companies
      colour scheme. I wonder if the ‘subliminal advertising police’ are going to be all over this the way they were with Marlboro? It sure looks more like a pack of JPS than the barcode ever looked like a pack of Marlies.

      The retarded thing is they’re giving free advertising away to a tobacco company!!!

      I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything something similar to this in my life.

    30. I’ve submitted 2 designs to Team Lotus (Tony Fernandes). Both a modern takes on the classic JPS. In my opinion, if you are going to use the Black&Gold livery, it needs to pay respect to its heritage. That’s what I’ve tried to achieve.

      Please have a look and let me know what you think. If you like, why not show your support to Team Lotus and tweet to the guys? @themightybeard : @tonyfernandes @H_Kovalainen @MikeGascoyne

      T128 “EF”: http://www.electroduo.com/LotusT128EF/
      T128 “AS”: http://www.electroduo.com/LotusT128AS/

      1. Both are epic!

        I prefer the Senna influenced livery. I’m guessing there is a third livery in waiting looking at what you have put in the descriptions?

        1. there is but sadly I missed the competition deadline. I will try to finish it off but very busy at the moment.

          The 3rd one is the T128 “CC”.

      2. Chris Pattison
        8th December 2010, 15:14

        Both of your designs look superb.

        1. Thank you Chris. I hope Team Lotus think the same.

      3. I think, ladies and gentlemen, this is the only appropriate response ….

        http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii14/defjam99b/somuch.gif

        … as for that clunky, ugly and petty, Renault effort, the less said the better.
        Maybe if we all ignore it, it’ll go away.

      4. Now I’m glad I didn’t waste time entering. Both of those are stunning. I prefer the second one though.

      5. Love the Senna influenced one!!

        Makes me realise I’m not going to win that competition…I mean my entry was better than what Renault have come up with, but nothing compared to some of the other entries I’ve seen.

      6. Well I guess a prefer the EF one, but who cares?? Both brilliant!

      7. Nailed it :)

        Now that’s a JPS Lotus livery. Good job!

      8. Like many others, the Senna inspired one is my favourite of the two, and I would love to see you win it with that. It looks refined, elegant, and fits the lines of the car beautifully. Well done.

        1. Raphael Campos
          8th December 2010, 20:46

          Thanks a lot for the compliments everyone! If you have the time, could you maybe tweet your compliments to Lotus Racing and its head people? That would be amazing!
          @themightybeard @tonyfernandes @H_Kovalainen @MikeGascoyne

          Thanks again! Fingers crossed!

          1. I saw your link for the Fittipaldi livery elsewhere on the site before I’d seen it here, and already decided on my own to tweet it at Fernandes, Gascoyne, and @mylotusracing. Both of them are great though, I’d be excited if either of your designs won.

        2. Raphael Campos
          8th December 2010, 20:46

          Thanks a lot for the compliments everyone! If you have the time, could you maybe tweet your compliments to Lotus Racing and its head people? That would be amazing!
          @themightybeard @sschaumloeffel @tonyfernandes @H_Kovalainen @MikeGascoyne

          Thanks again! Fingers crossed!

          1. Raphael Campos
            8th December 2010, 20:47

            Sorry about the double post!

            1. That’s okay – I think I have now let Lotus Racing know that I love your designs – that new Chapman version is great work – I guess it would even work if the gold had to become yellow, the lines just are so well drawn on the body of the car.

      9. These are fantastic.

        Looks great, and also makes the sponsors logos really stand out. I think you’ve nailed it.

      10. Both of those look great. I like the AS design especially with its delicate use of the gold pinstripes.

        A shame I am not on Twitter, but I will get onto the Team Lotus site to put some weight behind them.

    31. Bartosz Grabski
      8th December 2010, 14:33

      For me it looks really good. Can’t wait to see it on TV.

    32. I don’t care what all the complainers are saying, I. Love. This. If they use this, this will easily become my favorite livery on the grid. Yeah, maybe they should ditch the red endplates, but I frankly think it still works GREAT as a whole. Seriously floored at how beautiful it looks. Not only that, but the black + gold makes it something most modern F1 schemes don’t do anymore: look bada**

    33. If they enter in the name of Lotus Renault then does it mean that Renault will only be part of the team as a engine supplier like Mercedes in Mclaren-Mercedes? & if this is the team own by Tony Fernandes what will happen to the real Lotus Racing. I think it will again will like be having two Red Bull on the grid.

    34. Not a good look. I really don’t think it’s refined enough. The line work is too big and not very sexy at all. The over large Lotus logo on the nose, just looks stupid.

      I am seriously not impressed with Lotus Cars jumping on Team Lotus’s idea of bringing back the black and gold livery. When has a team ever revealed their livery for the forthcoming season this early?? They are clearly thinking that if they distribute these images first then it will be Team Lotus copying them…. pathetic.

      It pains me to see such a bad design getting onto an F1 car because I design race liveries for a living (amongst other things). I’m not the only one with the same opinion, from reading other peoples comments, that this is not the great livery that it should have been. Here’s hoping Team Lotus do a better job.

    35. Looks a stunner, three things spoil it however, first the Red endplates, second the giant Lotus badge, there is the fact that Real Lotus Racing said they were going Gold/Black first.

      To be honest I don’t think one of the Team Lotii (plural of Lotus :P) will have black/gold come the start of the new season.

    36. Well, in case of win for this team….what anthem we will hear?

      French? British? Luxemburg? or mayby Malaysian?

    37. The Pirelli tyres would have looked great on this seasons Renault.

    38. They clearly rushed the livery out so they can claim that Team Lotus is copying them.

      I loved the yellow Renault livery. Disappointed that it will be gone…

    39. I think it looks great. Gold endplates rather than red would obviously be better, but that shot from the rear wing looks really good.

      Let’s hope Renault stray from using the same block-ish, chubby design they’ve had going the last few years and the livery will probably work better.

    40. to my taste a gold has too dark shade and overall it’s a bit heavy, but nonetheless is looking really great.

    41. What a joke of a company Group Lotus/Proton are making themselves look. Like some spoiled kids, they’ve seen how warmly Lotus Racing has been received and instead of being grateful to bask in the reflected glory of the Lotus name, they’re scrabbling around for the credit by launching a flawed legal bid, and now as a naive ploy (which is an insult to F1 fan’s intelligence) of copy-and-pasting Team Lotus’ livery as if somehow that’ll work. I doubt anyone will be confused next year. I hope Lotus Renault never finish a race and the company go bankrupt. Good PR Group Lotus; you’ve made a lot of people dislike you.

    42. I know this isn’t constructive, but I can’t resist:

      Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Dany Bahar and your lame company you’ve destroyed! Booooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    43. A, poor car, look what they did to it!
      If they are capable of doing this to a poor and helpless car, what can they do to a human then?

      But, it’s not about the livery, it’s about the results!

    44. Mike "the bike" Schumacher
      8th December 2010, 22:27

      Remember earlier this year when Ferrari were forced to get rid of that bar code for fag advertising, well surely this JPS livery is 10 times more blatant.

    45. and how confusing is that going to be for casual fans to see 2 prominant car manufacturer logos on the nosecone!

    46. I think it looks good…. Really good. Alot better than those ugly generic indie car designs like Virgin had.

    47. the best part is the Pirelli tyres.. they actually look kinda cool

    48. no russian sponsors.. hmmm

    49. We all know who the real Team Lotus is. Its a joke in my opinion. My support will be behind Team Lotus not Proton wisjing to get in on the act.

    50. So the Lotus livery is going to be exactly the same except for every lotus sticker is replaced with renault and every renault with lotus?

    51. All this renault/lotus news is pretty damn silly, such a shame that the renault is losing its cool ‘renault’ colours. The 2010 renault looked mint. This new livery looks rushed and unspectacular. Hopefuly the design will be tweaked before the start of the new season. I hate the new pirelli tyres too, should be white writing!

      1. The Last Pope
        9th December 2010, 17:58

        Its not the colour of the Pirelli lettering that makes it look wrong. Its the fact that it isn’t writen in the Pirelli font with the long streched Capital P over the other letters. Goodyear,Bridgestone and Michelin have always used their logo font to write their name on the tyres so we are used to it. Its is strange that Pirreli have chosen not to because it would look way better imho. I would have liked them to do like what Michelin did and have a yellow box (curved with the tyre of coarse) with red pirreli font inside it. I think that would have looked awesome when spinning at 180mph too.

        1. I think the problem with using the logo is that the stretched P might look weird on the curve of the tyre. None the less I’d style like to see it though.

    52. Surely the black gold/ gold jps livery has only ever been used by Team Lotus – and never by Group Lotus? What gives Group Lotus the right to trade on another companies brand and heritage?

      1. Isn’t that the main problem, Group Lotus / Proton think they own the rights to everything Lotus (including Team Lotus), whereas Fernandez’s group believes that Proton only own the rights to the road car brand, with the Team Lotus brand being a completely separate company, which was owned by David Hunt, until Fernandez’s group bought it from Hunt this year. It’ll end up in court where the lawyers will work out who can be Team Lotus.

    53. Upon comparison of this livery and the (proposed) livery for Team Lotus at http://www.electroduo.com/LotusT128AS/, I’d have to say the Team Lotus have got it right absolutly right, and is by far the best looking of the two. However judging by Gascoynes tweets, unfortunatly it may never see the light of day=[

    54. May I have your attention please?
      Will the real LOTUS-RENAULT please stand up?
      I repeat, will the real LOTUS-RENAULT please stand up?
      We’re gonna have a problem here….

      MASSIVE counter punch to Tony F for trying to get smart and take the team lotus name !!!! *POW*

      Stole your Team name *POW*
      Stole you 2011 Livery *POW POW*
      Quickly legitimized with some media shots *POW POW POW*

      Awesome play LOTUS-RENAULT!!!! at least you build lotus cars and come from a top pedigree of engineering, technology and manufacturing

      This project looks smart on paper and more legit than:

      Team LoutsNAZA1MalaysiaTuneFernandezGascoyneGroup F1

      I feel sorry for that Team (Just cant bring myself to call them lotus) I hope they re brand,realign with PRODRIVE (ASTON MARTIN) or LOLA and just let the F1 world balance it self out.

      I like the 2010 team lotus for being professional and a team with serious ambition for racing not for the LOTUS name thats what i will support!

      Cause I’m LOTUS-RENAULT, yes I’m the real LOTUS-RENAULT
      All you other LOTUS-RENAULT’S are just imitating
      So won’t the real LOTUS-RENAULT please stand up,
      please stand up, please stand up?

    55. It is an ugly design which would NOT improve safety as black car does not improve visibility!

      Lotus should do better, specially having the best ever driver of Formula one Robert Kubica.

      Schumacher proved that that was some major error in awarding him not seven, but a single world title which he never deserved!

      How it was possible that that scum master was able to cheat 7 years to steal the title?

      Vitaly Petrov seams to be the next star of Formula one, with drivers like Lewis Hamilton.

      From now on I am the fan of Robert Kubica ONLY!

      His driving is like a virtuoso i n a concert hall!

    56. Well I remember going to a VERY secretive Lotus in Norfolk to draw the new-season machine when the colours were to be in Gold Leaf cigarette red and white.

      I had to look at the two halves of the car separately, while the other end was sheeted over, and draw much of the final illustration from memory as no photos were allowed.

      Looked OK in the following Sunday’s Observer magazine supplement though!

      1. Cool! Is there a link to your drawing online anywhere?

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