F1: US F1 Gets Entry On Provisional List

Formula 1

F1: US F1 Gets Entry On Provisional List

Team US F1 has joined all the current teams on the much-awaited 2010 entry list...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted June 12, 2009 Paris (FRA)

Ken Anderson (Left) and former Williams team manager Peter Windsor (Right) founded US F1 and had hoped to make the 2010 Formula One Grid. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Team US F1 has joined all the current teams on the much-awaited 2010 entry list – but five of the FOTA entries are subject to the conditions they attached to their entries being discussed further and a definitive deal being agreed by next Friday at Silverstone.

Campos Grand Prix and Manor Grand Prix are the other new teams that have been selected to join the list of 13 names.

Manor GP is the surprise package the team had not put out a press release confirming that it had entered, and indeed FIA sources had denied that the team had applied.

Manor is best known as a works Mercedes-backed contender in the F3 Euroseries. Its past drivers have included Lewis Hamilton. The project is being put together in conjunction with Nick Wirth, who ran the Simtek team in 1994-1995. FIA President Max Mosley was previously a business partner of Wirth.

Campos GP is run by former Minardi driver Adrian Campos, who sold his GP2 this winter but still has a Spanish F3 outfit. He is said to have strong regional government backing.

As expected Williams, Force India and Ferrari appears as firm entries, but they have been joined by Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso. It is now clear that both the Red Bull backed teams have an agreement with Bernie Ecclestone that commits both of them to firm entries, even if they want to side with FOTA.

The same is true for Ferrari, although the Italian team’s contractual obligation is slightly different. The likelihood is that Ferrari will contest its status as a firm entrant so that it stays loyal to the FOTA group, and legal action could follow very shortly.

The McLaren, BMW, Toyota, Renault and Brawn teams appear on the list with an asterisk denoting their provisional status.

After a meeting involving several team bosses and Max Mosley in London yesterday the FIA has allowed an extra week for negotiations to be completed, and the fact that it involves the build-up to the British GP does at least mean that everyone will be in the same place.

In addition to the three new teams the FIA has indicated that it is continuing due diligence on the remaining prospective entries, in case any are still needed to fill gaps should any of the FOTA teams not make the definitive list next week.

Page 1 of 2