Full Throttle

BBC Sport is reporting Renault will return to the F1 grid after the team held a so called “emergency meeting” last month that cast doubt whether the manufacturer would continue in the sport.

Early reports suggested David Richard’s Prodrive outfit headed the list of saviors for the team but BBC seems to push Luxembourg businessman Gerard Lopez to the top of the pile as does Bernie Ecclestone.

Lopez is the founder of technology investment company Mangrove Capital Partners, an early investor in Skype, and chairman of Genii capital.

Formula One’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone identified him on Monday as one of four separate parties interested in taking over the former championship-winning team.

BBC also reports Renault will maintain a minority interest in the team, something that seems plausible given they failed to pull the plug entirely last month. By hedging their bets last month they appeared to be looking, for lack of a better term, a bailout.

Lopez may have given them one.

At least for a year he has, then as many suspect the plug will be pulled and they become an engine supplier only.