F1: Villeneuve Misses Out As FIA Nixes 13th Team Slot

Formula 1

F1: Villeneuve Misses Out As FIA Nixes 13th Team Slot

The 13th spot on the 2011 Formula One grid won't be filled...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted September 08, 2010 Balen (BEL)

Jacques Villeneuve won the F1 World Championship in 1997. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

The FIA has – as widely expected – confirmed that there will be no 13th team in 2011, after decreeing that none of the potential candidates met the requirements.

The decision was not unexpected, given the extraordinary delay in coming to a conclusion on the subject. Last year the three original new slots were awarded in June.

The two final candidates this time were Villeneuve/Durango, headed up by former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, and Spain’s Epsilon Euskadi.

An FIA statement read as follows: "Following the press release of 19 March 2010 calling for expressions of interest to participate in the 2011 and 2012 seasons of the FIA Formula One World Championship, a number of interested parties expressed their interest. It was considered that none of the candidates met the requirements to be granted an entry into the Championship.

"Consequently, the allocation of the 13th team will not be granted."

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 SPEED.com since 2005. Check out Adam's Blog or follow him on Twitter

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Adam Cooper

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