USF1 to Close Engine Deal with Cosworth

Team USF1 are reportedly considering to apply for FIA's standard Cosworth engines in 2010. The news came via the British magazine Autosport, who reported that part-owner Peter Windsor considers the Cosworth option more suitable to his team than closing a deal with a manufacturer already present in the series.

“The engine decision is part of the whole rebirth that F1 is going through right now. The Cosworth engine is certainly an attractive proposition. It is homologated, those guys were doing a great job with Red Bull Racing when Red Bull suddenly switched to Renault,” said Windsor in an interview for the aforementioned publication.

“A lot of people who were at Cosworth have left, but equally there are a lot of good people still there too. That is a really interesting thing for us. Apart from anything else, Cosworth is now owned by an American, Kevin Kalkhoven, and that is a nice little link for us as well. The idea of working with a small specialist company is kind of in-tune with the way we are operating as a race team as well,” added Windsor.

Earlier this year, FIA president Max Mosley revealed plans to supply a standard engine to all teams in Formula 1 willing to apply for one. He said he even held negotiations with British engine manufacturer Cosworth for a standard power train, only a minimum number of 5 teams would have to apply for it in order to close the deal.

The team is yet to finalize work on their 2010 challenger, which is expected to hit the track this autumn. However, the new single-seater will be tested only after the end of the current F1 season, as FIA's latest regulations prohibit in-season testing. Out of the existing F1 manufacturers, only BMW could power an independent team with an engine. All the other car makers already have 2 teams to supply powertrains to, which is the maximum by the FIA rules.