Lopez to Sign Campos Deal in 24 Hours

Although US Grand Prix Engineering is on the verge of collapse prior to the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix next month, that doesn't mean Argentine driver Jose Maria Lopez has to be in the same boat. After finally getting his country's government to back him up for at least one season in Formula One, Lopez is on his way to joining Brazilian racer Bruno Senna at Campos Grand Prix.

The move was projected by several media through the last few weeks, as it was quite clear the Charlotte-based US F1 will not survive the financial turmoil they got themselves into. With Campos Meta being restructured last weekend, Lopez' manager admitted that talks have been in place for his client's switch to the Spanish team.

“We had six hours of meetings with the investors of the USF1 and the new owners of the Campos Meta team. We discussed the possibility of a merger, but most important is that whatever the outcome, Jose Maria is included in the project,” said Felipe McGough to radio Cadena 3 Cordoba.

Although Indian driver Karun Chandhok is also in contention for the vacant seat at Campos, it is believed that both Bernie Ecclestone and the Spanish team are looking forward to signing Lopez rather than the ex-GP2 racer. And that's because, as stated before, the Argentine government is involved in the backing process for the 26-year old driver.

According to Argentine daily newspaper La Nacion, Ecclestone will meet with the Formula One Management representatives (a company that he actually owns) and Lopez' management on Wednesday to conclude the talks. A decision is expected to emerge in the upcoming 24 hours and, as McGough told the media earlier this week, “the outlook for Lopez is clearer.”

Should Lopez finally sign a deal with Campos, it will practically mark the end of US F1 as a team. The North-American outfit will remain without a single driver for the 2010 season – hence the money from the Argentine government – and will have to close down all F1 operations.