Ecclestone: Picking F1 Entries Will Be Drastic

Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone agreed the teams who are hoping to enter the Great Circle in 2010 will have to go through a very careful selection process in order to convince him they are F1 material. The 78-year old Englishman said he wants to avoid the past situations when a team would enter the series, race a few times and then quit due to financial difficulties.

“It won't be on a first-come, first-served basis. We are not going back to the days when anyone could just arrive, run a few races and then disappear when they ran out of money. We only need three teams to come in. Some of the big players are not happy – but no one has said they are leaving,” argued Ecclestone for British newspaper Express, also referring to the possibility of F1 quits during the course of this season.

Until now, only BMW and Ferrari have hinted at leaving the sport as a result of the new budget caps introduced for 2010, but neither have officially confirmed it.

With 3 places remaining for the 2010 F1 roster, there are already 3 potential outfits to submit their applications for the entries. Apart from the already-established US Grand Prix Engineering (or US F1, as it was officially launched earlier this year), Lola and David Richards are also considering a potential F1 programme.

If the British racing car manufacturer has already confirmed plans to set an F1 outfit, Richards is still in search of financial backing for his team. As reported by several media in the UK this week, the Prodrive boss revealed he is looking for a Middle Eastern branding for his team, but insisted his past experience in F1 – he was team principal for Benetton and BAR – should stand as a strong argument for Ecclestone.

“The FIA would make a judgment on the most appropriate entries to accept. I hope that our credentials stand us in good stead. We have been there before and done it before in most forms of motor sport,” argued Richards.