It may be strange that a team's third year of competition in Formula 1 marks the start of a new era for them, but, by closing the team's Lotus era and rebranding as Caterham, Tony Fernandes' squad go into the 2012 finally able to create a history that is undisputedly all of their own.
The Malaysian airline entrepreneur's Norfolk-based F1 venture originally launched on the eve of the 2010 season as Lotus Racing. Although the name was under licence from the Malaysian-owned car company, its use meant the famous marque was back in the sport for the first time since 1994 along with the original outfit's green and yellow livery. But by the end of that debut season a bitter dispute between team and car company had erupted, resulting in the termination of the licence agreement, Group Lotus entering F1 as a title sponsor with Renault and Fernandes rebranding his squad as 'Team Lotus'. Cue plenty of understandable confusion.
The increasing bitter argument went all the way to the High Court and, although granted permission to continue running as Team Lotus, Fernandes took the decision to start 2012 with a clean sheet of paper and therefore drop all links to Lotus altogether. Having already added the Caterham sportscar brand to his Tune Group's portfolio earlier in the year, his next choice of name was obvious.
Meanwhile, although the complex and confusing naming rows have provided plenty of media headlines in recent times, the team's on-track achievements haven't been completely overshadowed. Of the three new teams to join the grid in 2010 they have consistently been the strongest and most upwardly mobile with consecutive 10th place Constructors' Championship finishes.
Although points have so far proved elusive - the best race finish being 12th - the team began to trouble the midfield runners, including established names such as Williams, in race conditions on a more consistent basis towards the end of 2011 and with a move to a new facility in Leafield imminent, and an extra boost from KERS, Caterham want to begin racing on merit with the midfield.
