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Renault considers fielding its own F1 team again

Renault has a long history in Formula One, but while it successfully ran its own team until 2010, these days it participates only as an engine supplier – and just to the two Red Bull teams. That could be changing in the near future, though, as the latest reports indicate that the French automaker is considering fielding its own team once again. According to Autosport, the company has ruled out starting its own team again from scratch, but it is weighing the possibility of buying an existing team. The last time it competed was when it took over the championship-winning Benetton team in 2002, building it back up to win back-to-back world titles in 2005 and 2006. It subsequently dropped in form until Renault sold the team in 2011 to Genii Capital, which has run it under the Lotus banner ever since. The Lotus team continued using Renault engines with limited success until this season when it switched to Mercedes. With Caterham now gone from the grid, that leaves Renault with only one customer: Red Bull, which runs both the Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso teams under Renault power. It's a situation in which the French company apparently doesn't particularly revel, leading it to consider buying a team again and running it in-house. Considering the difficulty the Lotus team it once owned has encountered lately, reacquiring its old operation could prove the most logical step for Renault, but of course that doesn't mean that's what it will ultimately do. It could continue strengthening ties with Red Bull until it acquires a large portion of it (or Toro Rosso) – something which Audi is said to be eying as well. Or it could look to another team altogether. Mercedes, McLaren, Ferrari and Williams may not be up for sale, but we could easily see Renault taking over cash-strapped Force India or Sauber, or even pouring its resources into getting Caterham or Manor/Marussia back up to speed and whipping it into winning form. News Source: AutosportImage Credit: Franck Robichon/AP/Pool Motorsports Lotus Renault F1

Lotus reveals an even lighter version of the Elise Cup 250

For an automaker with very few resources, Lotus manages to keep things relatively fresh. The new Evora 400 is a blast to drive, even if it is just a heavily revised version of the car that debuted in 2009. The current Lotus Elise debuted back in 2010, and though it may have departed from our shores, Lotus keeps customers worldwide happy with a plethora of new variants. The latest model is the lightweight Lotus Elise Cup 250. Now, this isn't the same Elise Cup 250 that debuted last year, though the two cars are very, very similar. The main difference is weight, as is typical with a Lotus. Colin Chapman's tried and true saying, simplify and add lightness, is still true here. The new model weighs just 1,895 pounds, or 1,948 without the lightweight package. Last year's Elise Cup 250 was already quite svelte at 2,053 pounds. While you may think that shaving that much weight from an already light car must be the result of black magic or a localized black hole, the truth is far more simple. The Elise Cup 250 makes extensive use of carbon fiber, titanium, and aluminum for components like the bodywork, exhaust, and wheels. The rear window is plastic instead of glass, and the standard lead-acid battery is replaced with a lithium-ion battery. The rest of the car remains mostly unchanged. The car is propelled by a 243-horsepower supercharged 1.8-liter inline four. It can hit 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, quicker than the more powerful Evora 400. There's plenty of aero to keep the car planted, but it's not a pure track car like the Exige. The Elise Cup 250 still comes with a full interior with a stereo, though there's no mention of cupholders. As exciting as all this may be, the Elise Cup 250 won't be coming to the US. Unfortunately, airbags and crash structures all add weight. For everyone else, the Elise Cup 250 is at dealers now. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lotus Elise Cup 250 News Source: Lotus Lotus Lightweight Vehicles Performance

NHTSA investigating Lotus Elise for oil leaks

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received 17 complaints about an errant oil line in the Lotus Elise, and thus, has opened an investigation. The issue concerns the line on the front right cooler, which, having got loose, sprays oil either on the wheel or inside the engine bay.
This investigation pertains to around 4,400 of the little track-day wonders sold in the 2005 and 2006 model years. There have been no injuries, but one car did leave the road and catch on fire. A NHTSA investigation doesn't mean a full recall has been issued, just that your friends in the fed are looking into the matter.