FIA: USF1 has paid up and will be on the grid

Friday 13th November 2009

A senior member of the FIA has said that the new USF1 team will be on the Formula One grid in time for the new season.

There has been speculation that the outfit will not see through its plans, with the sport's commercial rights controller, Bernie Ecclestone, among those to raise doubts.

However, Nick Craw, the FIA's newly-elected Senate president, has dismissed lingering speculation about the team's future in an interview with Speed TV, saying the team have recently paid their entry fee.

"There are probably some people who would like to see the US team fall by the wayside so they could have their spot on the grid," said the American, part of the FIA's new leadership under president Jean Todt.

"In the old days... we used to never count an entry as being real until the cheque had arrived and had cleared. And of course entry fees were non-refundable.

"If you want any proof as to whether USF1 is going to be there or not, they sent their entry fee in 10 days ago and the number is close to $440,000 so they are going to be there and they are going to make us proud."

Craw said further proof the team is on track came in two visits he made to the team's factory in Charlotte, North Carolina, with "an army of engineers" apparently "beavering away" on the team's first car.

He also expressed the hope that F1 would return to the United States soon, with a temporary street circuit the most likely option.

The last US Grand Prix was held at Indianapolis in 2007.

"I think everybody from the commercial rights holder to the teams and the sponsors to all the drivers see the absence of a US Grand Prix as being a huge liability," Craw added.

"It's the number one market in the world and everyone wants to be there and needs to be there.

"Having said that, there is only one circuit in the United States that has a grade one licence, which is what you need for Formula One, and that's Indianapolis. And there's probably no deal forthcoming there.

"If you've seen some of the Taj Mahals that have been built for the Formula One circuit these days, I don't see any budget for that in the United States.

"So I think the likelihood is much higher that we will see a temporary street circuit in and around a major metropolitan area and there are two or three right now that are looking at that possibility.

"So I am reasonably optimistic that can be brought to bear in the fairly near future."

Nine circuits have hosted Formula One races in the United States over the years, with the likes of Long Beach, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix hosting street races and Las Vegas even staging one in the car park at the Caesar's Palace hotel.

Ecclestone recently said his ambition Stateside was to hold a race in the streets of Manhattan.

Your Comments

lazlow

"@Brent: Ah! The personal insult. Trademark of the lost argument."

Brent

"Ah! A quote from the Simpson's...from memory. How well read you must be."

funkejay

"Having the Americans back in F1 is absolutely essential if the sport is to make any headway in the States - otherwise the Yanks simply won't pay any attention to the sport. Having said that, the bravado and simplistic overconfidence the average American sports fan has in their ability to simply walk into any sport and be competitive at the highest level is rather amusing. I only hope the US sponsors aren't as fickle as the fans, and they remain committed to the goal of increasing viewership and interest on the continent despite the possibility of flagging enthusiasm if USF1 isn't an immediate success."