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Formula 1 stakeholders have approved name changes for the Renault, Team Lotus and Virgin Racing teams during an F1 commission meeting in Geneva.
While none of the teams affected would comment on the matter, which has still to be ratified by the governing FIA's World Motor Sport Council in December, 2011, several Formula 1 sources told Reuters that the three requests had been accepted.
The decision will end the confusing situation of having two Malaysian-backed, Renault-powered Lotus teams on the grid and of a Renault team no longer owned by the French automaker.
THIRD NAME CHANGE
Renault will become Lotus, the team's current title sponsor, next season and Team Lotus is changing its name to Caterham, the niche British sports-car maker it recently bought.
The latter change will be the team's third name in as many years since entering F1 in 2010 as Lotus Racing and then becoming Team Lotus for this season.
Virgin Racing had asked to be called Marussia, after the Russian sports-car maker that is their major shareholder and title sponsor.
The requests had to be approved by 18 of the 26 members of the F1 commission, of which International Automobile Federation president Jean Todt is one.
While none of the teams affected would comment on the matter, which has still to be ratified by the governing FIA's World Motor Sport Council in December, 2011, several Formula 1 sources told Reuters that the three requests had been accepted.
The decision will end the confusing situation of having two Malaysian-backed, Renault-powered Lotus teams on the grid and of a Renault team no longer owned by the French automaker.
THIRD NAME CHANGE
Renault will become Lotus, the team's current title sponsor, next season and Team Lotus is changing its name to Caterham, the niche British sports-car maker it recently bought.
The latter change will be the team's third name in as many years since entering F1 in 2010 as Lotus Racing and then becoming Team Lotus for this season.
Virgin Racing had asked to be called Marussia, after the Russian sports-car maker that is their major shareholder and title sponsor.
The requests had to be approved by 18 of the 26 members of the F1 commission, of which International Automobile Federation president Jean Todt is one.