Last night Stefan GP posted an extraordinary message on its website in which it attacked the ‘dreamers from the USA who will have to explain their actions’ and who have dreamed about ‘fairytales of success.’
The post also said that ‘somebody should be in a trouble explaining what is happen to all of us [sic]’ – a clear reference to the FIA.
The team also posted a note from DHL which claims to show that its freight has arrived in Bahrain.
The post is the latest volley in the team’s attempt to find a way onto the Bahrain GP grid, and seems to support my story of yesterday which indicated that Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor are blocking a merger.
However it would seem unwise to rock the boat at what is clearly a critical time in terms of the FIA’s reaction to the US F1 situation.
The full post reads as follows: “StefanGP would like to inform the public that the containers we sent on the beginning of February arrived in Bahrain. In the corner of the page you will see official check from DHL and the confirmation that freight arrived. During next week we will show our Stefan Formula 1 car to the press as the final evidence that should put us on the grid in Bahrain.
“If case we don’t receive the chance to compete in Bahrain, and also when some of the teams fail to show up, somebody should be in a trouble explaining what is happen to all of us.
“And dreamers from USA will have to explain their actions, because they are deliberately weakening F1 with dreaming of perfect world and fairytales about success. And success doesn’t come by talking but with hard work and lot of guts.”
Stefan has issued a copy of its Bahrain freight documents
Adam Cooper's F1 Blog 
If Ferrari are allowed to make an unprovoked attack on the new teams simply for existing, then surely Stefan are entitled to grow frustrated at a) USF1 for not letting go, b) the FIA for creating this mess and c) teams like Ferrari who are likely to try and block them because they’re insecure.
I agree they are entitled to be frustated, but as I said in the story this is a critical time in that Charlie Whiting has reported back from US F1. Clearly something is going on in Paris with regard to what the next step is – although the FIA may be keeping is powder dry in the hopes that US F1 and Stefan will merge and the problem goes away. To issue a veiled threat right now was not very sensible.
What’s done is done. The way I’m reading it, Stefan are basically saying “Okay, USF1 is in strife; there’s no way they’re going to be able to do anything – so if they don’t make it and *we* don’t make it, then the least we deserve is an explanation as to how things got this way.”
The more information Stefan GP release to the press the more it makes them look like fools. They seriously need to hire a proper web designer and a English speaking communications / marketing assistant who can proof read they media releases. The number of errors are shocking.
First they take FIA to court when they were not granted an entry to the 2010 Championship, then they go and hire disgraced personnel, promise to test without securing tyres and make a big noise when they ship freight to Bahrain without an entry.
According to me it looks like Mr Stefanovic is the dreamer. The team would be no where if they had not purchased Toyota’s car. I highly doubt they will be be able to develop a competitive car next year if they are granted USF1’s slot.
FIA should again open up a selection process for the 13th slot if USF1 fails. Lola & Prodrive would be a lot more competitive in my opinion.
Stefan have certainly been a bit clumsy at times, and the key is of course that this is the moment. As you said they have a car and – supposedly – funding that will be triggered by the entry. Having a competitive car ready to run this time next year is a completely different question.
USF1 has got made some nice very professional videos in HD and all, professionally worded press releases, but unfortunately its not correlated to having a racing car at all. The proof of the pudding will be whoever lines up on the grid in 2 wks time, anything else is irrelevant.
I do wonder if Stefan is going to unveil their car sitting on bricks next week though…
Why do so many people want to “kick” StefanGP? Put it this way – they were not granted an entry at the last selection, neither were many others, yet they have continued with their plans and unlike any other team refused selection they actually have a car (OK only 1 were are told) in place and ready to race and now in the location of the first Grand Prix.
Whilst that may be seen as a gamble it is also an interesting strategy, especially if their strategy involves doing the same at the next few GP’s. It issues a very clear statement.
We are here, we have and we can.
Sure some people may think they are trying to gate crash, that they may have poor PR or a poor web site etc. but some of their worst PR gaffs (if you call them that) are actually a lot less worse than we have seen from really established people, their website is not “suitable” for an F1 team but then remember at the moment they are not.
At least any funding they have has been spent in the right areas – getting a car in a position to be on the grid. If they are allowed to race (and I for 1 hope they are) then I would expect them to then develop out like an F1 team, again unlike others who seem to have concentrated on the PR and communications rather than on actually getting a car on the grid.
All I can say is good luck Stefan
If the container was shipped on Feb 4th as the bill suggests then it’s obviously not equipment they need to run the car(s) …since they were planning to test on Feb 25th.
So this whole “we shipped stuff to Bahrain” could be a lot of smoke, they could have been shipping catering or hospitality gear or whatever.
As to the volleys they fire at USF1 and possibly the FIA … they don’t make sense to me. It’s absurd to hope that the FIA will issue a tender for a 2010 slot, complete due diligence and give Stefan GP the slot within like a week. Their only hope, in my opinion, of seeing the inside of an F1 paddock in 2010 is if they can cut a deal with USF1. Else …
You’re absolutely right, especially on the freight. No team sends ‘spares’ by sea – they send garage and catering equipment, ‘consumables’ and so on. These days even the smallest team have two or three sets of everything so one lot will go to Bahrain, one to Australia, one to Malaysia… and then maybe the first ends up in China for race four. That’s the sort of schedule they use.
Seems a bit of an odd move to alienate the owner of the only available entry i.e. US F1. It has been reported that Chad Hurley has put in $20m, whereas the incorporating share capital of USF1 was $7.5m; Pete and Ken can only stand back and watch Hurley do whatever deal he wishes…
Will Buxton is saying no containers in Bahrain yet, could be in customs he admits.
Did Stefan provide delivery confirmation from the track? 😉
Weird days!
Appears to me that Hurley wants back what he put into USF1 and Stefan GP is not will to pay that price. Hurley probably thinks that he has the winning hand since there is not really another realistic way for Stefan to make the 2010 grid. Windsor and Anderson are along for the ride at this point, not much else.
Stefan on the other hand , are hoping that the FIA pull the plug on USF1, which I don’t think they will. They would much rather force a sale of the slot.
Apparently talks between USF1 and Stefan fell through Thursday, according to an article published by motorsport-total here->http://bit.ly/9ZkP3K
That would explain Stefan’s outburst
It’s great that you copied the entire post to your blog because this little gem has now been deleted from SGP’s web site…