Petrobras ready to return to F1 with Lotus

The Brazilian press reported the news of an agreement between Lotus and the country's oil company Petrobras for the supply of fuel and lubricants. Some sources say that the contract has already been signed, but the UOL Esporte portal quoted a company official who clarified that the agreement is still "under consideration."

An official confirmation is expected by the end of the month.

The newspaper O Globo states that the Petrobras brand, which had signed a sponsorship contract with Honda before the sale of the team to Ross Brawn, will be added to the Lotus cars starting from the Spanish Grand Prix which will take place in May.

According to the article, the company also spoke with other teams before deciding to sign with the Malaysian team, the agreement is around 9 million dollars.

Other sources however state that the value does not exceed 5 million dollars.

Petrobras technical manager Rogerio Gonçalves told UOl Esporte that even if the deal goes through the company would not have enough time to supply fuel to the team in 2010.

Petrobras was involved in F1 between 1998 and 2008 with Williams.

Andre' Cotta