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I think the benefits of a tie-up with a manufacturer might exceed the benefits of having a better engine. The Renault brand makes the team that bit more accessible to non-racing people than Cosworth, which is a bit of a niché name. It's hard to get a definite read on whether the Renault engine is an improvement, but I'd say it is on driveability, fuel consumption and probably reliability, which are more important than outright speed for a backmarker team looking to take steady steps forward. Senna in place of Trulli for 2011 could be a good move too - Heikki has even matched him in qualifying, let alone on raceday. I'd question how big an improvement Webber would be over Kovalainen, or whether pairing those two would be a good use of resources.
I've been impressed with Lotus this year, and can see much more potential than I saw from Force India in 2008. It's unclear exactly how big an advantage the Lotus name and association is, but I don't think it expalins the whole gap back to Virgin and Hispania.
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