2009 Formula One Season Official Thread

[LeonOfTheDead]

March Engineering is rumored to have applied for 2010 too.
A bit hilarious considering Mosley was one of the founders.

[RacingManiac]

But what would the point be for the FIA to kick out all the manufacturers? Unless Mosley also enjoys shooting himself in the foot.

He is the S&M type.....

[Wouter Melissen]

The pun was intended.

[Jack_Bauer]

The plot thickens...

Max: Go start your own series - Planet-F1 News - from planet-f1.com

Them's fightin words from Max.

Some interesting commentary on the situation as it stands...

F1 News > The worst case scenario

Also there have been a couple of new people throwing their names into the hat for 2010 over the past day or two. The list of prospective entrants for 2010 now apparently (depending on which source) looks like:

Williams
Prodrive
Lola
USF1
Campos Racing
Epsilon Euskadi
N.Technology
Brabham Grand Prix
Litespeed
Team Superfund
March

Plus the conditional entries of the other current F1 teams aside from Williams.

[LeonOfTheDead]

also an unknown Italian team is rumored to be on the 2010 list.

[Ferrer]

Brabham and March...?

[faksta]

The same Brabham that now tunes BMW?
Shortly, it's either the end of Formula 1 at all or a start of a new age. What about Ferrari's entry, by the way? I thought it was satisfied.

[LeonOfTheDead]

The same Brabham that now tunes BMW?
Shortly, it's either the end of Formula 1 at all or a start of a new age. What about Ferrari's entry, by the way? I thought it was satisfied.

it should afaik.

I don't remember if it's Brabham (yeah, that brabham...) or March, who bought the assets from Super Aguri.

[LeonOfTheDead]

from worldcarfans

Sir Jack Brabham and his family have left open the door to legal action after it emerged that a company aims to take their famous surname back to the formula one grid in 2010.

Following media reports, it was confirmed officially on Thursday that a German automotive supply company, Formtech, now controls the Brabham Grand Prix Ltd moniker and has filed an official team entry for next year.

Former triple world champion Brabham, an Australian who is now 83, founded the outfit in 1960 and it later raced under Bernie Ecclestone's stewardship.

But the Brabham family on Thursday clarified that it is "in no way involved" with Franz Hilmer's new Brabham Grand Prix Ltd outfit, and nor was it consulted about the plans.

"The family is taking legal advice and will take necessary steps to protect their name, reputation and its goodwill," read a statement.

here we are, again.

[Dino Scuderia]

KERS is passe as teams voted to kill it for 2010.

Ding dong, that bitch is dead.

[faksta]

Which teams?
And who's got the name Lotus, by the way? I've heard it was one of the worst British F3 teams who did.

[LeonOfTheDead]

KERS is passe as teams voted to kill it for 2010.

Ding dong, that bitch is dead.

What FOTA votes doesn't become a rule.
FIA wants it for next year, and it wants it even larger than this year, so this decision of the FOTA's remaining teams has a very low importance considering no one is listening.

[Dino Scuderia]

I guess we'll how it comes in under the cost cap.

[LeonOfTheDead]

Litespeed to use Lotus name for F1 bid

Litespeed has announced that it will use the historic Lotus name for its attempt to enter Formula 1 next season.

The Norfolk-based Formula 3 squad's founders Nino Judge and Steve Kenchington are both former Lotus engineers, and have received permission from Lotus name rights-holder David Hunt to use the evocative title for their F1 bid.

"Team Lotus is synonymous with great British engineering and F1 innovation, such as the Lotus 25 being the first monocoque chassis in F1 and the introduction of groundbreaking sponsorship, both of which easily demonstrate why ex-Lotus personnel would want to bring this championship-winning name back to the formula," said Judge.

"Litespeed was born from a similar British background - a factor that was at the core of Colin Chapman's beliefs and subsequent success.

"David Hunt has been the custodian of the name for so many years and we thank him for entrusting us not just with its safeguard but, more importantly, its development in the racing world of tomorrow."

The team had already revealed that former Tyrrell, Jordan, Renault, Toyota and Force India technical boss Mike Gascoyne had begun design work via his MGI organisation. Gascoyne also welcomed the news that the project would use the Lotus title.

"I am Norfolk born and bred," said Gascoyne. "For me to continue my F1 career under the banner of the Team Lotus name and help to bring it back to its deserving place in the world championship is a fantastic feeling and something that I am extremely proud to be doing."

Litespeed will base the Lotus F1 project in the RTN facility in Norfolk previously used by TOM'S and which later housed Audi and Bentley's Le Mans projects.

The team has also recruited Johnny Herbert, who raced for Lotus in F1 from 1990 to 1994, as a commercial ambassador and driver manager.

Founded by legendary designer and innovator Colin Chapman, the original Lotus team moved into F1 in 1958 after success in sportscars and Formula 2. It would go on to earn seven constructors' titles and take Jim Clark, Graham Hill, Jochen Rindt, Emerson Fittipaldi and Mario Andretti to drivers' championships.

Its last race wins came with Ayrton Senna in 1987, after which its fortunes went into sharp decline - the famous team eventually closing its doors at the end of an uncompetitive and cash-strapped 1994 season.

Lotus is the third famous name to be associated with a prospective new F1 entrant for 2010, with other start-up projects having already announced plans to use the March and Brabham titles.

Now it's really a circus.

[Dino Scuderia]

"According to the latest reports, FOTA has already begun negotiations with Dorna Sports in anticipation of Mosley's rejection of their counter-proposal. The chief executive of Dorna, the company that runs F1's two-wheeled counterpart MotoGP, has reportedly agreed to run the new series for the break-away F1 teams. A few years ago, Dorna managed to wrestle the rule-making authority away from the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme – the FIA's motorcycling equivalent – and place it in the hands of the manufacturers. That's just what FOTA is looking for, and if Mosley sticks to his guns, it could be exactly what they'll get."

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