F1's governing body have formally announced the three team name changes for the 2012 Formula One season, after the changes were agreed on during last week's meeting of the Formula One Commission in Geneva.
The names were all ratified in the commission meeting on Thursday, with the FIA finally confirming the decisions made ina brief statement on Sunday.The changes will see Team Lotus officially renamed 'Caterham F1 Team' for 2012, while Virgin will become 'Marussia F1 Team'.
The Lotus Renault GP squad will retain that title as their official team name, but the cars will now be referred to simply as Lotus machines.
The statement from the FIA confirmed that the changes were all made "on the basis of the support expressed by its F1 commission chaired by Bernie Ecclestone".
Speaking after the name change was confirmed, Lotus Renault GP boss Eric Boullier said that he was pleased to see the changes go through, ending the long Lotus v Lotus scrap that has run throughout 2011.
"We are very pleased that our chassis name change has been approved," he told the official Lotus Renault GP website.
"We have said all along that, in the interests of the sport, it is important that we remove any ambiguity on this matter."
He added: "It is also important that there are clearly identifiable teams on the grid, and today's announcement goes some way towards ensuring that."
He also said that the team was looking to start a new "chapter" in their history, now the changes had been confirmed.
"It is the start of another chapter for Enstone, but not a whole new beginning," he rambled.
"The team's history and experience will allow us to take up this challenge with a controlled and swift process. We're very much looking forward to 2012."
The F1 grid has featured two competing Lotus teams in 2011, after Group Lotus parted company with Tony Fernandes's team in 2010 and linked up with Renault.
Fernandes bought the rights to the Team Lotus name after the split, and despite a lengthy court battle, both teams retained their naming rights for the rest of 2011.
Earlier this year, Fernandes bought the Caterham car company, a move that was seen at the time as the start of an attempt to settle the Lotus/Lotus issue.
The new name change will see the squad change their name for the third consecutive season, having entered as 'Lotus Racing' for 2010.
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