Lotus to switch to black and gold livery for its IndyCar, GP2 and G3 teams

The old John Player Lotus colors are coming to IndyCar

Lotus has announced that the teams it works with outside Formula 1 will switch to black and gold livery for 2012 to bring them in line with the grand prix squad's image.

Amid the dispute over the rights to use the Lotus name in F1 this year, Tony Fernandes' Team Lotus used traditional Lotus green and gold, while the Group Lotus-backed Renault team ran in the black and gold colors made famous when the original Lotus F1 operation had John Player sponsorship. But the Group Lotus-sponsored teams in IndyCar, GP2 and GP3 all ran in green and gold.

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar now says that for 2012 black and gold will become the standard livery for Lotus motorsport. Fernandes' renamed Caterham squad is keeping green and gold colors in F1.

"All the works supported racing activities will be black and gold, and all the customer racing will be green and yellow or whatever," said Bahar when asked by AUTOSPORT about 2012 livery plans.

Lotus currently backs ART in GP2 and GP3, while in IndyCar it will switch from being a sponsor of the KV team to a factory engine supplier to Bryan Herta Autosport, Dreyer & Reinbold and HVM.

The only exception to the black and gold rebranding will be HVM, which will retain a green-based livery at the request of its nuclear industry sponsor. More at Autosport