CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — The U.S.-based startup US F1 may have lost its chance to enter Formula 1 competition in 2010, but the opportunity is now there for the team to apply for 2011.
Details of the new application process will be revealed later, according to a statement from the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), but the organization will seek a 13th team to fill out the grid next year.
The American team is expected to reapply, although principal figures Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor had hoped to defer the entry that was already granted until next season.
"What we want to do is regroup, finish the car for 2011, be testing late summer/early fall...and be really ready for next year," Anderson told Autosport magazine.
US F1 received an invitation to join Formula 1 in 2010. The team had earlier sought permission from the FIA to miss as many as four races before entering competition.
Inside Line says: American fans' enthusiasm will be tested by this aborted first effort, but die-hards will continue to hope for the best. — David Green, Correspondent
Add A Comment »
charlesb says:
08:35 AM, 03/09/2010
Don't worry I think US F1 is fully cooked, in fact I think they just put the fork into them.
05stangdriver says:
01:31 AM, 03/09/2010
I think it would have been better for US F1 to underpromise and overdeliver. Which is to say, they should have announced: "We're working as fast and as hard as we can, but until we KNOW we're ready to go, we shall not apply to enter Formula one." Instead, they promised the moon and fell WAY short.
Don't get me wrong, I totally support an American effort in F1, but it's another embarassing episode for the U.S. in the greatest racing series in the world. However, consider me one of the 'die-hards' that the article mentions, and I'll be looking forward to seeing an American Formula 1 team in 2011.
felonious says:
10:41 AM, 03/08/2010
I think this is a good thing for USF1. They need to take their time and do it right, not rush into this half-cocked.