F1′s class of 2012 will take some more shape at the F1 Commission meeting this week in Geneva.
It was already known that Team Lotus, set to be Caterham next season, and Enstone based Renault – to be renamed Lotus – will likely have their applications rubber-stamped on Thursday.

The Sunday Times also reports that Virgin could be set for an official name change.

The team is currently known as Marussia Virgin Racing, in deference to its Russian supercar partner, but the chassis continues to be called simply ‘Virgin’.

“The team are to ask the F1 Commission for permission to erase the Virgin title and replace it with Marussia”, said the British report.

Another touted change was the rebranding of Red Bull’s Renault engine deal to reflect its partnership with the luxury Nissan marque Infiniti.

Renault president Carlos Ghosn ruled that out.

“I don’t think you can have a name artificially,” he is quoted by the SID news agency. “If Renault supplies the technology you can’t say that for marketing reasons we call it Infiniti.”

He also ruled out the possibility Renault will return to the grid as a works chassis manufacturer any time soon.

“We adapt according to the circumstances but we will not change our programme in the next three to five years,” Ghosn is quoted by France’s autohebdo.fr.

“I am more comfortable with our current strategy, where next year we are the partner of four teams,” he added.

A contract formalising the sale of French carmaker Renault SA’s minority shareholding in the Enstone based formula one team will be signed on Wednesday.

That is the claim of the Paris daily Le Figaro, revealing that the buyer of the 25 per cent share is Proton, the Malaysian carmaker.

Without naming its sources close to the transaction, the newspaper said Proton’s Group Lotus brand will then become the title sponsor, in a EUR 30 million per season deal over five years.

Renault SA president and CEO Carlos Ghosn would not comment on the report except to say: “We’ll be there next year and in future seasons.”

But Le Figaro said the carmaker will actually only be an engine supplier to the renamed Lotus-Renault, Red Bull and the Malaysian team currently known as Lotus Racing in 2011.

Carlos Ghosn has admitted there are moves afoot to change the nature of French carmaker Renault’s association with the F1 team that currently bears its name.

The marque’s president attended Sunday’s Brazilian grand prix amid rumours Renault is set to further distance itself from F1 as Group Lotus looks to get involved with the Enstone based team.

But Ghosn said Renault has actually expanded its involvement as an engine supplier by agreeing a deal with 1Malaysia for 2011, and said the carmaker will continue to be involved with both the engine and chassis at Renault F1.

“Beyond this, there may be financial agreements, marketing agreements, to suit our interests,” he is quoted by Auto Hebdo.

“There may be some developments, but for the moment there is nothing,” added Ghosn.

“What I can tell you is that, increasingly, we will be technology suppliers to many teams that are involved in formula one,” he said.

Amid rumours Renault F1 could become Lotus-Renault in 2011, Ghosn also left the door open for a change of team name.

“Name changes are everywhere,” he said.  “The key is to preserve the Renault name.  Apart from Renault F1, yes, there may be other associated names.

“We don’t want to give the impression that we are an exclusive team.  We are now developing our technology with multiple teams,” added Ghosn.

As for whether Renault SA might sell more of its minority stake in Renault F1, he answered: “I am not going to give a running commentary about discussions that have or have not occurred.

“But everything concerning our financial participation in this team or another, is tactical.  We are not in F1 to have a particular team but to promote the name and the technology of Renault.

“We will do whatever is necessary to do so at a lower cost and less investment.  We will not put in more resources that is necessary for that purpose.

“What is important is the expansion of our role as an engine and technology supplier.”

A report in the O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper estimated Group Lotus’ likely naming sponsorship of the Renault F1 team at EUR $60 million over three years.

Renault team boss Eric Boullier has confirmed talks with the Proton owned sports car maker Group Lotus.

Speculation at Interlagos this weekend has suggested Group Lotus, having terminated its naming license deal with the F1 team currently known as Lotus Racing, is keen to buy into Enstone based Renault.

It is understood that rumour may be wide of the mark, with Lotus keener instead to simply tie up with Renault as a title sponsor.

But rumours persist that Renault SA could step further away from F1 and remain on the grid only as an engine supplier to the Enstone based team as well as Red Bull and Lotus Racing.

When asked about the Group Lotus rumours, Boullier told Auto Hebdo in Brazil: “Today, there are discussions, but we also have these with other sponsors and other companies.”

Renault SA chief Carlos Ghosn is expected at Interlagos on Sunday but no formal announcements are scheduled.

Boullier commented further about the apparently complicated situation.

“At the moment there are a lot of distorted rumours, but it is true there have been discussions about a possible collaboration,” said the Frenchman.

Tony Fernandes has denied his Malaysian formula one team Lotus is set to change its name ahead of the 2011 season.

When the team and Renault confirmed their engine supply collaboration in Brazil on Friday, neither party referred to Fernandes’ outfit as ‘Lotus’.

The situation comes amid the naming dispute with Proton-owned Group Lotus, and new speculation the carmaker is set to enter F1 in an alliance with Enstone based Renault F1.

The latest rumour is that Fernandes will apply for a new name for his team at the F1 Commission meeting in December, at the same time that Renault F1 asks to be called Lotus-Renault in 2011.

But Fernandes wrote on Twitter: “Next season we are still Lotus.”

The team’s technical boss Mike Gascoyne, however, seemed to acknowledge on Friday the possibility of a name change.

“For me, the job I do on Monday doesn’t alter if the name changes,” he said at Interlagos.

Gascoyne referred to F1′s Brackley based team, which since 2004 has been called BAR, Honda, Brawn and now Mercedes, and said the outfit has “dealt with it very well”.

Arguably the bigger story is the apparent further scaling back of French carmaker Renault’s involvement with the team that bears its name, and the emergence of Group Lotus.

Renault SA chief executive Carlos Ghosn will be at Interlagos on Sunday “and maybe he will announce the deal”, French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet wrote on his Auto Plus blog.

French carmaker Renault is still interested in the formula one team that bears its name, team boss Eric Boullier said on Monday.

After the majority Genii Capital takeover, Boullier said Renault SA president and chief executive Carlos Ghosn meets regularly to keep up with the progress of the Enstone based team.

“There are regular meetings where he is informed about everything concerning the team — and that is a very positive sign,” he said in an interview with F1′s official website.

But he dismissed rumours that, with Renault a comfortable and credible fifth in the constructors’ world championship, the carmaker might now be interested in buying back its former majority stake.

Last month, a team insider said Renault had “no plans to change” the current arrangements.

And when also asked about the rumours, Boullier commented: “There is nothing to it.”

He was also coy on the identity of Robert Kubica’s teammate for 2011, after openly admitting Russian rookie Vitaly Petrov’s performance is under review.

Boullier said he is not convinced Kimi Raikkonen is motivated enough to return to F1, and indicated that talks with other candidates including Nick Heidfeld and Adrian Sutil are not yet taking place.

“Let’s put it this way,” said the Frenchman, “we don’t have a direct contact right now and the door is not open yet, but we have signalled that it could open under certain circumstances.”