Of course, there are a few questions yet to be answered. Will Toyota join the other teams in submitting an application for next year's series? One can never be sure of anything until the Japanese car maker makes its move during the course of today. As several sources from within the FOTA have revealed, Toyota are still very much against the idea of cost limiting in Formula One.
The second and just as important question is “Will David Richards lodge an F1 entry for his Aston Martin brand?” That we can say it's a pretty sure bet, as important sources from within Prodrive have confirmed the former Benetton and BAR team principal will submit paperwork to the FIA later today.
As customer cars will be permitted for one more season, in 2010, Prodrive has decided to join the series next year, as the team will later undergo a re-designation process and take the “Aston Martin” name by the 2012 season. For starters, Prodrive will team up with McLaren Mercedes for a technical partnership, with details yet to emerge on the engine package or McLaren chassis.
“The cars will be built at Banbury and have Aston Martin-badged customer engines obtained from a supplier,” confirmed Richards for Autocar.
After months of searching for a Middle East sponsor, it seems Richards finally secured a financial partnership with Kuwaiti finance, logistics and property company The Investment Dar, which was practically a major player in Aston Martin's acquisition by Richards back in 2007.
Lola is also believed to submit an F1 application later today, as the official registration period ends at 11.59 tonight. It will be quite a battle for those 2 spots remaining, as Campos Racing and USF1 are also seeking to secure an F1 entry next year.
UPDATE: Prodrive/Aston Martin officially lodged a 2010 F1 entry during the course of Friday morning. If accepted, the team will contest during the 2010 season under the name of Prodrive.
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