Fernandes was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Lotus Racing principle Tony Fernandes says that the team will be keeping their base in Norfolk, rather than relocating to Malaysia.

Lotus, who have returned to Formula 1 for the 2010 season, are funded by a Malaysian partnership.

Fernandes told BBC Sport: "Lotus is a British brand, that will never change. It's just Malaysian finance and we think that makes sense.

"I've gone to the wonderful area of Norfolk and I'm buying a house there."

Lotus endured a frustrating Malaysian Grand Prix on Sunday, under intense local pressure at their 'home' circuit of Sepang.

I have to hold my hand up and say sorry to Tony and all the Malaysian fans Mike Gascoyne

Jarno Trulli suffered handling problems after an early tangle with Virgin's Timo Glock, eventually finishing the race officially last in 17th.

Heikki Kovalainen had issues with a hydraulic sensor and a lengthy stoppage led to him being unclassified, despite finishing the race.

Chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne said he was happy to take the blame for the Finn's problems.

"We ran new spec parts this weekend and actually had two variations, both of which looked a significant improvement," said Gascoyne.

"We chose to race one of them because we had more miles on it and we chose to race the wrong one.

"That's an engineering decision and I have to hold my hand up and say sorry to Tony and all the Malaysian fans, but we are on top of it."

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