The International Motorsport Federation (FIA) has accepted the proposal of a new Formula One entry by Nascar team owner Gene Haas, adding that it is also considering another bid from the Forza Rossa organisation.
The FIA, motorsport’s global governing body, in December launched a tender process seeking expressions of interest from would-be new teams for a potential slot on the Formula One grid from the 2015 or 2016 season. Haas, co-owner of Nascar team Stewart-Haas, said in January that he had entered an application to launch a new American F1 team through his Haas Racing Developments outfit.
The FIA said that it had received applications of a “high standard” for new teams, adding that it had accepted the candidature of Haas Formula LLC and is in the process of conducting further investigations for Forza Rossa. No further details were given but an FIA spokesman told the Reuters news agency that Colin Kolles, a former key figure with F1 teams such as Jordan, Midland, Spyker, Force India and HRT, was behind Forza Rossa with Romanian partners.
The potential addition of new teams would be the first change to the F1 line-up since the HRT outfit exited the sport in 2012. HRT, then in the guise of Spanish-based Hispania, was one of three new teams added in 2010, expanding the grid to 12 teams. Fellow newcomers Virgin Racing and Lotus Racing are now competing under the banners of Marussia and Caterham respectively.
Haas founded his Nascar team in 2002 and also operates the Windshear, one of the world's most sophisticated wind tunnels for the testing of car aerodynamics, which would assist any new F1 entry. He said Haas Automation, one of the largest machine tool builders in the world, currently generates $1bn (€724.6m) in annual sales, and he believes entering Formula One could help him double that number.
“It's not that we're trying to individually sell machines, we're trying to make people aware of Haas Automation as a company,” Haas said, according to the Associated Press news agency. “We're just trying to bring our awareness up and Formula One is even more important because half our sales are outside the country. So we think Formula One would be a really great way of bringing us awareness and increasing our sales.”
In other news, the FIA said that president Jean Todt and F1’s commercial rights-holder Bernie Ecclestone will organise a meeting with all teams on May 1 to clarify the means to achieve a “substantial” team cost reduction. Speaking at the recent Bahrain Grand Prix, Todt stated plans to introduce a cost cap system into Formula One next season had been abandoned.
Todt had been behind a drive from motorsport’s global governing body to introduce a cost cap system into Formula One next year, despite opposition from team owners who believe the concept is unworkable. However, the Frenchman said the proposal had failed to gain the backing of teams, adding that there was little point in the F1 Strategy Group proceeding with the plan without the necessary support.
source: sportbusiness
