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Formula One
F1: FIA Opens Entry Process For 2011
There will be no replacement for the USF1 team in 2010...
Adam Cooper  | http://www.speedtv.com  |  Posted March 03, 2010   Balen (BEL)
The Formula One grid for 2010 is now set and will not include USF1 or Stefan GP. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

In the face of strong pressure from Bernie Ecclestone, Jean Todt has - just five months into his job - taken the most conservative and arguably most logical option by not allowing Stefan GP onto the 2010 grid. And that is despite his own son having a vested interest in placing Pastor Maldonado in a testing role at Stefan.

The FIA's explanation reads: "The USF1 Team have indicated that they will not be in a position to participate in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. Having considered the various options, the FIA confirms that it is not possible for a replacement team to be entered for the Championship at this late stage. In the coming days the FIA will announce details of a new selection process to identify candidates to fill any vacancies existing at the start of the 2011 season."

So what next for Stefan? The Toyota TF110 will be legal for next year and the team can in theory spend the year testing before showing up with a modified car for 2011, assuming it wins the entry of course. But it will need tires and hard cash to go testing with.

Meanwhile the news leaves Jacques Villeneuve and Kazuki Nakajima without a job for 2010 - and the Canadian didn't know until writer called and gave him the news...

Adam Cooper notched up his 25th season as a racing journalist in 2009. Born in London, England, he saw his first F1 race at age 10 in 1976. He began freelancing for Autosport magazine in 1985 and was on the fulltime staff from 1987-92. He then went freelance again, initially spending two years in Japan before following the 1994 Champcar series from a base in Indianapolis. He has not missed a Grand Prix since Suzuka ‘94, a run that has extended to Abu Dhabi ’09. Adam has written books about Eddie Irvine, Piers Courage and Michael Schumacher and hosts a race preview show on Sirius XM. He has written about F1 for SPEEDtv.com since 2005. Check out Adam's Blog or follow him on Twitter

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