FIA reopens the bidding process for the last spot on the grid
With the failure of US F1 and the refusal to admit Stefan GP there is a vacant slot on the grid, to fill that for 2011 the FIA have opened up a new bidding process. If US F1 still has cash left it’ll have go through the whole process again with no guarantee that it will get an entry.
Hopefully the FIA look to cover the problems they had last time around and be a little more transparent about the requirements of any entry – like what engines they have to use, and also to set any teams granted the slot milestones that must be met. They have said that they will be appointing reserves to take up any unfilled positions which is an interesting statement as it’s possible that one or more of the teams racing this year will close it’s doors and would vacate another slot on the grid.
Candidates can now register their interest and get the full list of requirements for a 1000 euro fee, I wonder how many entries they will get – I would expect at least three with US F1, Stefan GP and Prodrive taking an interest but what of the other teams that tried last time. Lola would seem to be a reasonable bet but the other entries were from individuals and it remains to be seen whether they still have the stomach for it after seeing what’s happened this year.
With the entry process open we’ll have to wait and see who could be on the grid for 2011 but it seems that it could we be either Stefan GP or Prodrive as they seem the most likely to be able to pull it off.
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