US F1 Already Paid $440,000 Fee for F1 Entry

The ones thinking that US Grand Prix Engineering won't make it to the grid in 2010, better think again! According to the president of the FIA Senate, American Nick Craw, the Charlotte based team has already lodged the $440,000 fee to contest in the 2010 Formula One Championship in recent days.

Although they are pretty late on developing their 2010 challenger – as compared to newly entrants Campos Grand Prix and Lotus F1 Team at least – the North American outfit has every intention to representing their nation in the upcoming season of Formula One. The sole proof of that is the fact that the fee they paid to the FIA is non-refundable.

“In the old days we never used to count an entry as being real until the cheque arrived and it cleared, and of course entry fees were not refundable,” Craw told Speed Channel programme Wind Tunnel.

US Grand Prix Engineering's co-owner Peter Windsor used to be an F1 reporter for Speed TV channel, before committing to the Us GPE project alongside partner Ken Anderson.

“If you want proof as to whether USF1 are going to be there or not, they sent their entry fee in about 10 days ago, and the number is close to $440,000, so they're going to be there and they're going to make us proud,” added the FIA official, president of the Senate under the new Jean Todt ruling.

Under the circumstances, Bernie Ecclestone's worries that some of the newly entries might not make it to the Bahrain Grand Prix next year after all are not so sustainable. Manor F1 is currently the only team that people hear nothing about these days, so the rumoring may head in that direction in the next few days.