Adam Cooper F1

Ken Anderson has responded to reports of the demise of US F1 by claiming that they are exaggerated – and says that he still thinks he has a chance of deferring entry until 2011.

Anderson made his comments to www.autosport.com after it was confirmed that his employees had been told on Tuesday to go home on what amounts to ‘unpaid leave.’

He says there was no point in them carrying on with the current car until the situation was resolved, an explanation with some logic to it, although paying them to stay at home might have been an even better solution.

As I suggested in the previous story, the guys were informed that it might be a temporary situation and thus there was still a glimmer of hope. 

However despite Anderson’s optimism sources close to the FIA indicated tonight that it was highly unlikely that the entry would be deferred. As reported earlier, instead the team would be able to re-apply in 2011, assuming there was still a vacancy and a bid process.

Meanwhile one can imagine that the employees who have remained loyal to Anderson – who did not address them about the situation in person – won’t stick around too long to enjoy their unpaid leave status.

We await developments with interest…

Ken Anderson signs the Concorde Agreement in July...

The staff of US F1 were told today to pack up and go home as reality finally hit in Charlotte. There has been no official confirmation – then very little has come out of the team in months – but the dream of Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor is finally over.

A desperate attempt by Anderson and Chad Hurley to salvage the project by asking the FIA for permission to postpone for a year, and showing faith by providing a $5m bond, has not worked.

It’s been said for some days that Windsor is out of the picture, but even Anderson was not around to give the bad news to the guys on the shop floor. One source says that they have been told that it may yet be temporary, which suggests that there may be some hope for a revival for 2011.

However the signs are that the shut down was prompted by a negative response from the FIA to the request for a year’s grace – and that if there is any tiny glimmer of a future for US F1, it’s merely that the team would be able to re-apply along with anyone else if there is still a free slot in 2011. And logic suggests that US F1 won’t get a second chance if there are other credible bidders.

We now await news from the FIA about what happens next. It seems likely that there will be two documents from the governing body within the next day or so – a definitive 2010 entry list, along with a separate statement that either explains why Stefan GP is on it, or confirms that there will be an open spot in 2011 and that an entry bid process will be launched.

It still seems likely that the latter course will be chosen. It if is then it will to some degree showcase Jean Todt flexing the FIA’s muscles in the face of strong pressure from Bernie Ecclestone to let Stefan in.

A source in Cologne told me tonight that it was now ‘almost impossible’ for the team to make it to Bahrain, so a positive decision is going to have to come very soon.

The entry list will also confirm the new name of Campos Meta – and some sources suggest that Hispania Racing might not be the final choice – and will finally show the name of the BMW Sauber team for the first time.

Meanwhile a source close to Chad Hurley says that the Silicon Valley entrepreneur sounded yesterday like he had had enough of trying to get involved in F1, and that the chances of him investing elsewhere were slim.

It really has been an extraordinary saga, but the bottom line is that Anderson and Windsor were able to beat several other serious projects to getting an F1 entry. They must have had an impressive pitch when they made their bid last May/June. But as many had long suspected, there was clearly very little real substance to it.

Just nine days before the cars are due to undertake FIA technical checks in the Bahrain pits there is still no news on a possible slot for Stefan GP.

The written request by Chad Hurley and Ken Anderson to have US F1’s entry deferred until 2011 has made the picture a little clearer in terms of where the American team stands.

The three possible scenarios remain a) a last minute merger of US F1 and Stefan, b) a 2010 entry granted to Stefan GP but only with the permission of all the existing teams, and c) an entry bid process announced for 2011 for which Stefan, US F1 and any others could apply.

The last would seem to be a logical solution for the FIA, but will obviously leave Stefan in limbo with a car that is ready to run. And whatever the answer, the governing body will have to make sure that all possible legal ramifications have been examined.

One interesting aside to all this is GP2 star Pastor Maldonado. The Venezuelan is in talks with Stefan about the third driver role, and is said to have been at the Toyota factory this week.

Maldonado is managed by none other than Nicolas Todt, son of FIA President Jean. Last year he drove for Todt Jr’s ART GP2 team, finishing sixth in the championship.

One might conclude that having been in contact with the team Nicolas would be able to give his father some extra insight into what’s going on in Cologne, and thus help him to make a decision on what happens next…

Meanwhile reports in Spain say Campos Meta will be renamed Hispania Racing.

Former Honda test driver James Rossiter had signed for US F1

Further evidence of the apparent mismanagement at US F1 has come with the confirmation that the team had not one but two fully sponsored drivers signed up well before the start of the season – and yet still couldn’t manage to build a car in time.

The team announced on January 25 that it had signed Jose Maria Lopez, but it never officially confirmed that in December it had also agreed a deal with former Honda test driver James Rossiter.

While there were rumours that Rossiter was in the frame – thanks to Lopez’s management telling the Argentinian media – sources confirm that the deal was in fact signed and sealed. Both drivers were committed to bringing $8m, a large chunk of which – as is standard practice – was to be paid before the first race.

However in early February Rossiter’s backers sought reassurances that everything was going to plan in Charlotte, and that sufficient additional funding was in place.

When US F1 was not able to provide those guarantees, Rossiter withdrew from the deal.

Days later US F1 had a showdown with Lopez’s management, and confirmed to the driver that the team would not make Bahrain. At that point Lopez also pulled out and went to Europe in a desperate effort to look for an alternative seat. Lopez’s management has since complained that the team must have known the situation when the deal was signed.

Certainly the fact that US F1 failed to build a car on time – despite having contracts with two drivers with F1 testing experience with a combined value of $16m – would suggest that something about the project was deeply flawed.

Rossiter has since signed up with the KVRT IndyCar team.

Kazuki Nakajima seen at a recent seat fitting for Stefan in Cologne

With luck today we should finally get some news on the USF1 and Stefan GP situation. Our picture of Kazuki Nakajima having a recent seat fitting in the Stefan chassis (the tub is covered by protective padding) indicates that things have been moving along in Cologne, despite the team still lacking an entry.

The story took a step forward overnight when SpeedTV’s Bob Varsha – who has been a big supporter of the US F1 project – reported that the  American team has formally requested that its entry be deferred until 2011.

Varsha has good contacts at US F1, and it is a logical step. But the fact remains that the entry was granted for 2010, and given that other new teams have made it in the time available – and in the case of Lotus, in rather less time – the FIA may reserve the right to not look kindly on the request. US F1 would obviously have to provide clear proof that given another 12 months it will get its house in order.

Varsha suggested that the governing body has been receptive, and of course the team does have the support of FIA Vice-President Nick Craw, who has visited Charlotte on the FIA’s behalf.

However, Varsha also stated that Campos would not make the Bahrain grid, and that conclusion may be a little premature. The Dallaras are due to be loaded onto a plane next Sunday, and until that fails to happen Colin Kolles – who confirmed to me once again yesterday that he will be there – has to be given the benefit of the doubt. Kolles also says that the Cosworth engines would be fired up before the end of the week and we would know the driver line-up in a few days.

If the US F1 request is granted and it leaves Stefan GP on the sidelines then one imagines that we will soon hear a response from the Serbian team.

Perhaps the most logical scenario would be to open a 2011 entry and invite US F1, Stefan and anyone else make a bid. US F1 may well be able to demonstrate to the FIA that – given it has some sort of head start – it is in the best position to be on the grid next year.

Bob Varsha’s SpeedTV report can be found here: http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-usf1-asks-for-delay-until-2011/

Stefan GP has taken a conciliatory approach in the latest statement on its website. After a barely disguised attack on the FIA on Friday the team has now issued a further message with a less aggressive tone.

The team name checked not just the FIA but also Bernie Ecclestone’s FOM organisation in a statement that recognised that its entry can only happen with the consent of those two bodies.

The team’s statement read as follows: “SGP would like to re-confirm its desire and, importantly, its ability to compete in the whole of the FIA 2010 Formula One World Championship.

“It recognises that this can only happen with the consent of the FIA and the FOM, but has faith that the Formula One ‘family’ will make the correct decision in the end.

“There will be no more press releases on this subject and we look forward to being allowed to show everyone our team in Bahrain.”

The reference to the F1 ‘family’ is a clear attempt to persuade rival teams that they should not attempt to block a late entry from Stefan. Intriguingly this statement featured rather better English than its predecessor, which might lead cynics to suggest that the team had some help in drafting it…

There has been no obvious progress on the story over the weekend, and no further news from the FIA. However, clearly things will have to move quickly next week.

Much obviously depends on how the FIA responds to Charlie Whiting’s report of his visit to US F1 last week, which will have provided some indication of the current state of play in Charlotte.

There are two elements in the 2010 FIA F1 Sporting Regulations which could have some bearing on what happens next. The first applies to potential entrants for the championship:

“With the exception of those whose cars have scored points in the Championship of the previous year, applicants must supply information about the size of their company, their financial position and their ability to meet their prescribed obligations.”

It’s not clear whether it still has relevance to teams such as US F1 that have been accepted but not actually participated yet, but it could be argued that teams in such a situation have a duty to keep the FIA truthfully informed of their situation and any changes. However, it would also clearly apply to any formal application from Stefan.

Another paragraph which could have some relevance reads as follows: “If in the opinion of the F1 Commission a competitor fails to operate his team in a manner compatible with the standards of the Championship or in any way brings the Championship into disrepute, the FIA may exclude such competitor from the Championship forthwith.”

Again this might be considered relevant if US F1 is deemed to not have reached an acceptable standard. The Sporting Regulations do of course also confirm that teams have to take part in all events, and Ken Anderson has already admitted that he’s asked if the team can miss the first four races.

Some more cars that might struggle to make the Bahrain grid

Zoran Stefanovich has told the German media that negotiations between Stefan GP and US F1 have broken down, which goes some way to explain why his website launched an amazing rant against the American team on Friday night.

As we reported yesterday, Chad Hurley wants to do a deal to safeguard his investment, but Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor have refused to play ball. One assumes that they all now risk being left with a heap of nothing if – as is entirely possible – the FIA goes ahead and cancels the team’s entry next week.

A deal would seem to have been the most obvious way for Stefan and US F1 to make the grid in Bahrain, although clearly to make it work there would have to be serious compromises on both sides.

Yesterday a source who has been in close contact with both camps in recent months confirmed that discussions had been ongoing.

“There is stuff going on between Stefan and US F1,” he told me. “Whether it happens or not… It’s quite complicated. I think you’ll find at the moment that the likes of Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor are trying to block it. That seems to be the stumbling block. If that was clear I think you’ll find that Chad Hurley would reach an agreement with Stefan almost immediately. You don’t know what Anderson and Windsor are telling Chad. They are the guys who are preventing anything from going forward.”

He confirmed that it was not impossible that the Charlotte facility could still have a future use in any Stefan/US F1 link-up. As noted yesterday, a move away from relying totally on Toyota in Cologne could have made sense for Stefan, not least because TMG is not going to design and build a 2011 car for a bargain price.

“That could well happen,” said my source. “It’s all a bit hypothetical at the moment. I think the American base would stay and be used for some things. They’ve got huge manufacturing capability. They’ve got the latest Haas CNC machines. They have got limited composite facilities – they’ve got a small autoclave, not a big one – but it could do stuff, for sure. The one thing that impressed me about US F1 is the resources they’ve got around and about where they are, and which are untapped compared to European suppliers, so to speak.”

It seems that Anderson and Windsor have prevented that from happening.

The next move is probably in the hands of the FIA. Charlie Whiting’s report from Charlotte has by now been digested in Paris. Will the US F1 entry be cancelled on the basis of that report confirming that there’s no tangible evidence of a car – and if the entry process is re-opened, will it be for 2010 or 2011?

In last night’s website rant Stefan said: “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.”

Allowing for some dodgy grammar, that was a clear dig at the FIA. We now know why Stefanovich had a go at US F1. So has he already heard from the FIA that there won’t be an open spot for 2010, even if US F1 fails?

If he hasn’t been told that, he may well have shot himself in the foot, and that rant won’t have helped his cause.

Meanwhile when I spoke to him yesterday Jacques Villeneuve seemed to be as eager as the rest of us to find out what was going on. He’s continuing his training regime in Austria this weekend with long time physio Erwin Gollner, so he’s ready to rock if the thing goes ahead.

 Roll on Monday…

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

US F1 shareholder Chad Hurley and Stefan GP boss Zoran Stefanovich are trying to put together a deal that will see their teams join forces and make it to the first race in Bahrain, sources have confirmed.

Hurley has given up on a possible deal with Colin Kolles and Campos to pursue the Stefan talks, and thus the logical scenario of a team with no car linking up with a team with no entry finally appears likely to unfold.

The FIA will in theory have no problem in allowing Stefan onto the Bahrain grid if such a deal takes place before the start of the season. It would also support a name change, although other F1 stakeholders would also have to agree.

Life will be much easier for the FIA and its new president Jean Todt if a merger does go ahead. The alternative scenario – the cancelling of the US F1 entry and a new bid process – would be far more complicated legally.

Meanwhile Jacques Villeneuve is on standby and will be willing to sign up as team mate to Kazuki Nakajima, should the team get an entry.

However we understand that US F1 founders Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor are not amenable to such a deal, and still wish to pursue their dream of fielding an American car. However, since Hurley owns a significant stake in the team – and has more funds to put in – he is presumably in the driving seat, and that may ultimately enable him to push the merger through.

In addition the visit of Charlie Whiting to Charlotte on Wednesday has given the FIA a clearer picture of what is going on there, and the governing body may now be in a position to force the issue and perhaps give Anderson and Windsor no alternative but to do a deal.

There could be more for Stefan GP to gain than just an entry. Stefan already has a base in Belgrade, Serbia and also has a foothold at the Toyota factory in Cologne. However the US F1 facility in Charlotte could still be of use as a manufacturing base. It may prove more economical to have parts made in the USA than by Toyota.

Ultimately there’s also a question of the 2011 car, which won’t necessarily be a Toyota product. US F1 also has access to the Windshear wind tunnel facility. If the Charlotte facilities are of use to Stefan then clearly jobs could be secure there.

Sources say that one Toyota/Stefan chassis is ready in Cologne, but the second is not yet complete, and a total lack of spares back-up will make the early races difficult, to say the least. Not surprisingly Stefan has not been in a hurry to encourage Toyota to build a lot of spares until the entry is confirmed.

The engine will not be badged as a Toyota, although the company will send a handful of fulltime staff members to races to support it. They are likely to be the only current Toyota employees to travel to the races with Stefan.

As the clock ticks down towards Bahrain we are still awaiting firm news on what’s going to happen to US F1 and Stefan GP.

Basically there now seem to be two main scenarios. Based on Charlie Whiting’s findings after yesterday’s visit, the US F1 entry could be revoked by the FIA, or more specifically the World Motor Sport Council. 

A 13th entry bid process could then be re-opened, to which Stefan GP can apply. But will that be rushed through for 2010 – when Stefan will obviously be the only candidate – or given the time constraints will it be delayed until 2011, allowing time for others to bid? 

The alternative is that Stefan acquires the US F1 entry in the coming days, and thus legitimately gains access to the Bahrain grid. Can investor Chad Hurley make that process happen, assuming that he’s not already committed to Campos? Or is Ken Anderson still fully in control and digging his heels in?

Whatever happens, we can expect new FIA President Jean Todt to play things by the book, with the minimum of exposure to criticism – or possible legal ramifications – for the governing body. For some more thoughts on the possible scenarios check out:

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/cooper-will-fia-revoke-usf1-entry/