SELECCION NUEVOS EQUIPOS F1 (Para Temporada 2011), Para comentar todo el proceso de selección del equipo a entar en 2011 Opciones

[LOGANF1]

Bueno si tiene que haber un nuevo equipo en 2011, espero que sea Epsilon Euskadi...así que para apoyar la causa:

http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/...on-aims-for-f1/

Epsilon aims for F1

March 22, 2010 by joesaward

Epsilon Euskadi says that it will be bidding for the 13th available Formula 1 franchise. The team was involved in a bid last year but lost out to Campos (now HRT), USF1, Manor (now Virgin Racing) and Lotus. This was surprising given the impressive facilities that the team has built close to Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital city of the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in northern Spain.

The team is owned and run by Joan Villadelprat, who says that he was stuck in a classic chicken and egg situation last year as the FIA wanted proof of the teams financing and his sponsor wanted the guarantee of an entry before making a commitment.

From Barcelona, Joan first encountered F1 at Montjuich Park in 1971 and he immediately decided that he wanted to get involved. He worked for a while in the under-developed Spanish racing scene before joining the Equipo Nacional Espanol, a team that had been designed to promote young talent in Spain. The drivers were Fermin Velez and Jordi Caton and they raced Ralts in international Formula 3, against future stars such as Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Derek Warwick. The money eventually ran out and Villadelprat moved on to the team that had impressed him the most in Britain an operation called Project Four Racing, run by a young Ron Dennis. For the next eight years he worked for Dennis, switching to McLaren when Marlboro engineered a merger between the old F1 team and Denniss ambitious young operation. Those were great years with the McLaren-TAG combination winning three straight Drivers titles with Niki Lauda and Alain Prost. In 1987 former McLaren technical director John Barnard lured Villadelprat away to Ferrari, where he became chief mechanic. At the end of 1989 he was recruited by Tyrrell as team manager but after a promising season in 1990, the team had a disappointing year and Joan was then hired by Benetton. He quickly became Operations Director and went on to oversee two World Championship titles for Michael Schumacher in 1994 and 95. He stayed on until the start of 2000 but then went home to Spain with the aim of setting up his own F1 team in Barcelona. When sponsor Telefonica decided against the plan, Joan joined Prost Grand Prix as Managing Director. It would be a short-lived job. The team went out of business at the start of 2002 and once again Joan went back to Spain to embark on a new project. He formed an alliance with Frances Epsilon Sport to run a project in the Nissan World Series in Spain. The team was given the name Epsilon Euskadi and it was soon very competitive. In 2005 it won the series, which had been rebadged as the Renault World Series, with a young driver called Robert Kubica. Villadelprat then bought out his partners and teamed up with his old driver Caton, and Epsilon has been quietly expanding ever since.

Villadelprats policy has been not only to aim for F1 but also to lay the groundwork for future Spanish teams.

Since we started Epsilon we have taken three or four guys each year from the technical high school and trained them to be mechanics, he says. If they have the right attitude, then we keep them. Now we have a Masters degree course, which is linked to Mondragon University. This is for graduate engineers who want to be involved in motorsport. So we are training new engineers all the time. That is part of the process. From the beginning of the project we were aiming to combine high technology and innovation with racing, education and an industrial element as well. When we started out in 2003, we bought one team and we slowly grew. We had young guys and we needed funding for their ambitions. The Spanish Ministry of Innovation was interested and offered suitable business loans to aid the development process. You apply and you get very good conditions. You get 15-year loans at very reasonable interest rates. We have two of those from the Spanish government. The local Basque authority was also interested and was looking to invest European Union money to create research and have things for them to do so we started another team. Then we said that we wanted to show the world that we could be a constructor. We did not have what we needed to do that and so we started thinking of how it could be achieved. We were not thinking about F1 at all. We wanted to build a suitable facility that could do all the things that we want to do.

Villadelprat and Caton recruited top engineers Sergio Rinland and Henri Durand while also looking at ways to get government development facilities in its region.

When we decided to build a sportscar for the Le Mans 24 Hours we began to look for customers and we had some lined up. Obviously the recession came along and the orders disappeared. We had the old factory but we broke ground on the new one in February 2008. At that time the whole world was not collapsing and the idea was to look at markets apart from Formula 1. There are lots of other categories and when you look at it there are only a handful of companies who can manufacture racing cars. We would like to have a percentage of that market.

The Epsilon factory has cost around $60m to build and includes everything that a motor racing company could need, including a 60 percent scale rolling road wind tunnel.

At the back of my mind I figured that the facility could one day be used for Formula 1, Villadelprat admits. If one day the sun and the moon are in alignment and there is a chance to go to F1 then we would take it. Although the recession slowed things down, as one door closed another opened.

What we have been doing is to slowly show people what is possible, he says. I started out when a guy wanted to set up a Nissan World Series team and wanted to get money from the government and asked me to be a consultant. From there we were able to convince them to help us create an industry. It started with the school for mechanics and engineers and was followed by teams and drivers. Then we created the Le Mans car, which was a product that we could sell, and now we are building a manufacturing base. We are creating an industry. Maybe it is not the right time to do this, but we cannot stop. We need to push on. I dont know how long it will take, but one day we will be there in F1. I am convinced of that. We have the facility, the people, the know-how, the means and the tools to do that.

Finding money for motorsport in Spain has never been easy, but Joan says that it is a very different story to find money for F1 rather than for the Le Mans 24 Hours.

We have Alonso, he says. We have two Grands Prix. We have circuits and we have a lot of testing in the winter. F1 is important in Spain. It is really hard to get a penny for Le Mans, although it was a tremendous thing last year that for the first time a Spanish driver Marc Gene has won there. That got a lot of media coverage but we were there with the first Spanish-built car ever to race at Le Mans and no-one noticed. Pegaso did enter some cars back in the 1950s but they never qualified.

Although the Epsilon did not figure strongly in the race, it was the source of enormous pride for Villadelprat.

It is a question of mentality and education. I dont know if it is politically correct to say it, but people in Spain do not think that we can do the things that we are doing. They think that we must have bought the wind tunnel second-hand rather than having built it ourselves. They think that you cannot do these things in Spain. That is what they do in England and in Germany, but not in Spain. We need to change that mentality. I spent years in some high places in F1 but it was never really noticed. Now things are changing, but maybe it is a question of timing. Maybe I was born too early.

You have to open your mind and look at the opportunities out there, he continues. We have had windmills being developed in the tunnel and we did a project also to improve the efficiency of the football. We have other projects with customers in racing and with car manufacturers. Right now in Spain there are three or four roadcar projects we are helping. They are not very well known yet. We are open to any kind of business. We spent six or seven months developing the 2009 sportscar design so we will have to see what happens. We are talking to possible customers, but that largely depends on the economy.

The important thing is that we keep going forwards. We have tremendous potential. We have people like Sergio and Henri, both of whom have enormous experience. We have a lot of good people. We can design and manufacture cars from Formula Ford to Formula 1.

If you ask him about the people who have influenced him in his career, Joan is very clear.

Ron Dennis, he says immediately. I admire him. He has been tremendous. I can call him a friend and he has always helped me. We have had fights too, particularly when I was running Benetton and he was at McLaren. People do not realise what he has done, starting from where he started. Not many people in the world have done that. I admire his way of thinking and his attention to detail. I believe in the same things. I had the good luck to be with him for seven years and I learned a lot. Sure, he has his negative points too but he taught me to work in an ordered fashion. When I went to Ferrari the team was a disaster. The youngest race mechanics were 50 plus and I was a 30-year old Spaniard trying to get them to change. I was the first foreigner to be the chief mechanic. I think I did a good job there.

John Barnard really helped me to understand mechanical things. He taught me to find out the reasons for things, step by step, so that one could understand the problems. If I am a good mechanic, it is thanks to him. I moved to Tyrrell and we had some good people there, with Harvey Postlethwaite, Jean-Claude Migeot and we had a good year with very little money, so I got the experience of working with a lot of money and then working with very little. When I went to Benetton I was really running the team. I designed it, employed the people, created the team spirit. It was different to other teams. Flavio Briatore does not understand much, but if he trusts you he lets you do what you want. I learned from the mistakes I made there. After that I went to Prost and I found out how to lose. It was really lost before I got there, but they had everything that they needed apart from management. So what you see here is a result of a little bit of everything.

The Epsilon factory is mightily impressive. It has been designed with all the departments in the right places, with plenty of space and light. It is huge and includes not only all the manufacturing and race team areas but also an upstairs section which not only houses offices but also allows people to see the whole facility below, without interfering with the way it is run. If there are visitors, they need not be disruptive. And it has been cleverly thought through. All the extraneous machinery has cunningly been hidden away inside the outer shell of the structure so that there is none of the clutter that one sees at so many F1 factories that have evolved over the years. Upstairs there is also the area where the Masters degree is taught. Villadelprat aims to produce graduates from the course who will be capable of running not only his operations but also teams of their own. It is a broad and impressive vision.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Las instalaciones son impresionantes, ahora queda recopilar los apoyos que segun Villadelprat tenía asegurados para 3 años.El éxito que pueda tener en la concrección de esos apoyos `puede depender de lo que haga este años el Hispania.Si logran terminar como el 10º equipo, se animarán a invertir en mayor medida que si termina el último.
Por otra parte, algo más tendrá que aportar además de las instalaciones para que la FIA esta vez sí, escoja su proyecto.Prodrive y Lola son 2 fuertes compañías con experiencia en esto.Y los restos del equipo Toyota están ahí, así que o Lola o Prodrive seguro que los compran.La cosa no sólo va a depender de las instalaciones, así que sería aconsejable que no lo volviera a jugar todo a esta baza...

[ABCV]

Pues con lo último que ha salido de Stefan GP yo tengo pocas dudas (desgraciadamente) de hacia dónde irá la plaza...

Pues si, ojalá nos equivoquemos, pero con Stefan GP por medio creo que la plaza está otorgada de antemano. Epsilon solo puede rezar porque haya alguna baja de los actuales equipos y coger ellos la plaza.

[tenista]

Me quedo perplejo, pero la maFIA debera dar alguna explicacion si esto llega a producirse.........

[monza2001]

Yo creo que la plaza está más que adjudicada a Stefan GP... He entrado en su web http://www.stefangp.com/index.htm y he comprobado como han incorporado un reloj con una cuenta atrás hasta el primer GP del 2011, dando por hecho que estarán allí. También han desarrollado una primera remesa de merchnadising y han puesto los nombres de los 12 pilotos con los que hablaron para corren con ellos en 2010, incluido Adrián Vallés. Jacques Villeneuve y Maldonado se llegaron a hacer el asiento para el coche de 2010 en Colonia.

Esto está visto para sentencia. Veremos en julio que equipo selecciona la FIA entre la terna formada por Stefan GP, Durango y Epsilon.

También mandaron containers a Bahrein y todos pensabamos que ellos sabían algo más y luego mira. Mosley ya comentó que el dinero no existia en ese proyecto.

Saludos

[BITTER]

EPSILON EUSKADI PASAR� MA�ANA SU PRIMER EXAMEN EN LA OPOSICIONES A ESCUDER�A PARA 2011. SU EXAMINADOR: EN MISM�SIMO JEAN TODT

por Zapi ,

El túnel de viento de Epsilon es la cañaLa FIA se toma muy en serio lo de los nuevos equipos de la Fórmula1 y no quiere volver a dar el lamentable espectáculo de USF1 o los serbios de primeros de año. Antes que tener que volver a dar marcha atrás se va a asegurar muy bien de que el que reciba la franquicia para escudería en 2011 va a cumplir como un machote y esté a la altura. Jean Todt por su parte quiere dejar atrás la etapa sumamente política y repleta de pactos e intrigas palaciegas de Mosley, y se baja al campo de juego para poner las cosas en marcha poco menos que a mano; mañana mismo girará visita pastoral a las impresionantes instalaciones Epsilon Euskadi, uno de los candidatos a ingresar en el Piranha Club para 2011.

Viladelprat se pondrá mañana su mejor traje, su corbata con el logo del equipo y sacará brillo a sus zapatos al igual que el resto de técnicos, mecánicos y las cerca de ochenta personas que allí trabajan para dar la mejor impresión posible. Nadie duda de la capacidad técnica del catalán, pero otro cantar es su viabilidad económica, el verdadero quid de la cuestión. En una maratoniana jornada para el galo, también sostendrá un encuentro con Carlos Gracia, Presidente de la española y uno de los Vicepresidentes de la FIA, y por otra parte Jaime Lissavetzky, Secretario de Estado para el Deporte. Al final de esta reunión, hay prevista una rueda de prensa en la sede del Consejo Superior de deportes en la que se espera que Todt hable del tema. Sospechamos que dirá cosas buenas, pero casi seguramente no adelantará nada…

http://www.virutasdegoma.com/2010/05/epsil...simo-jean-todt/

[tenista]

EPSILON EUSKADI PASAR� MA�ANA SU PRIMER EXAMEN EN LA OPOSICIONES A ESCUDER�A PARA 2011. SU EXAMINADOR: EN MISM�SIMO JEAN TODT

por Zapi ,

El túnel de viento de Epsilon es la cañaLa FIA se toma muy en serio lo de los nuevos equipos de la Fórmula1 y no quiere volver a dar el lamentable espectáculo de USF1 o los serbios de primeros de año. Antes que tener que volver a dar marcha atrás se va a asegurar muy bien de que el que reciba la franquicia para escudería en 2011 va a cumplir como un machote y esté a la altura. Jean Todt por su parte quiere dejar atrás la etapa sumamente política y repleta de pactos e intrigas palaciegas de Mosley, y se baja al campo de juego para poner las cosas en marcha poco menos que a mano; mañana mismo girará visita pastoral a las impresionantes instalaciones Epsilon Euskadi, uno de los candidatos a ingresar en el Piranha Club para 2011.

Viladelprat se pondrá mañana su mejor traje, su corbata con el logo del equipo y sacará brillo a sus zapatos al igual que el resto de técnicos, mecánicos y las cerca de ochenta personas que allí trabajan para dar la mejor impresión posible. Nadie duda de la capacidad técnica del catalán, pero otro cantar es su viabilidad económica, el verdadero quid de la cuestión. En una maratoniana jornada para el galo, también sostendrá un encuentro con Carlos Gracia, Presidente de la española y uno de los Vicepresidentes de la FIA, y por otra parte Jaime Lissavetzky, Secretario de Estado para el Deporte. Al final de esta reunión, hay prevista una rueda de prensa en la sede del Consejo Superior de deportes en la que se espera que Todt hable del tema. Sospechamos que dirá cosas buenas, pero casi seguramente no adelantará nada

http://www.virutasdegoma.com/2010/05/epsil...simo-jean-todt/

Sin ningun problema, mañana se lleva la primera leccion aprendida..........

Escuderia+instalaciones+personal+patrocinadores+x(maFIA)=Plaza F1

[`]

POSPUESTA LA VISITA DE JEAN TODT A EPSILON




Las adversas condiciones meteorológicas impiden la esperada visita del Presidente de la FIA, junto a los Presidentes de la RFEA y el RACC, al Centro de Innovación Tecnológica
Instalaciones Epsilon Euskadi

Las fuertes rachas de viento que soplaban esta tarde en el aeropuerto de Torrejón, Madrid, han desaconsejado el despegue del avión que iba a trasladar al Presidente de la FIA, Jean Todt, junto a los Presidentes de la Federación Española de Automovilismo y del RACC, Carlos Gracia y Sebastià Salvadó, hasta el Aeropuerto de Vitoria, en donde les esperaba una comitiva para trasladarles a la sede de EPSILON EUSKADI en el Parque Tecnológico de �lava.

Tras varias horas dentro del avión esperando que les concedieran autorización para volar, desafortunadamente se ha tenido que tomar la decisión de abortar el despegue, dado que la situación meteorológica no parecía mejorar.

La visita de hoy era una ocasión extraordinaria para presentar el proyecto EPSILON en toda su dimensión al Presidente de la FIA. Desde su base formativa, industrial y su trabajo en el campo de la investigación y desarrollo, así como también su programa deportivo. Un programa que aspira a formar parte de la parrilla de Formula 1 en un futuro y que Carlos Gracia y Sebastià Salvadó ya conocían de ocasiones anteriores y tenían muchas ganas de compartir con el Jean Todt.

Aunque hoy ha tenido que ser cancelada, la voluntad y la ilusión de todos coincide en la intención de buscar una nueva fecha, cuando las agendas lo permitan, para poder celebrar el esperado encuentro.

Joan Villadelprat Presidente de EPSILON: Ante todo quiero dar las gracias tanto al Sr. Todt como al Sr. Gracia y al Sr. Salvadó por el interés y la voluntad para organizar esta visita, así como el esfuerzo hasta el último momento para que este encuentro se celebrara. Era una visita importante para presentar el proyecto EPSILON en toda su magnitud al Presidente de la FIA, tanto de cara a la posibilidad de entrar en Formula 1 como para el resto de proyectos del ámbito de la automoción en que estamos trabajando. Pero también quiero mostrar mi más sincero agradecimiento a los medios de comunicación que han atendido a la convocatoria y han tenido la paciencia de esperar más de tres horas antes de que la visita haya tenido que ser anulada. Al mal tiempo, buena cara y no tengo la menor duda de que en cuanto, su agenda se lo permita, reprogramaremos la reunión.

Carlos Gracia Presidente de la Federación Española de Automovilismo: Me he llevado un profundo disgusto al no poder realizar la visita a EPSILON como teníamos previsto. No sólo por la ilusión con la que llevábamos preparando este viaje para que Jean Todt conociera las instalaciones de EPSILON, que son un orgullo para España, sino también por el compromiso adquirido con los medios que se habían desplazado hasta allí. Hemos estado esperando cerca de cuatro horas para viajar hasta Vitoria, pero finalmente el fuerte viento ha impedido que saliera el vuelo. Jean Todt volverá a España y organizaremos un nuevo encuentro para que pueda conocer de primera mano las magníficas infraestructuras de EPSILON.

[tenista]

Lastima, el tiempo ha jugado una mala pasada. Esperemos que sea, es futura visita, pronto.

[ltbf1]

Ferrari keen to link with American team

By Jonathan Noble and Michele Lostia Tuesday, May 25th 2010, 11:07 GMT


Ferrari has expressed a keen desire to tie up with an American team in the near future if it can see through its idea to allows teams to provide a third car.

On the back of the emergence of plans by Parris Mullins, the advisor to YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, to lead an American investment push into F1 by getting involved with current teams, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has dropped his own hint about a way forward.

In a lengthy interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, di Montezemolo has reiterated his desire for Ferrari to be able to supply a third car - but he has gone further in suggesting he wants it run by an American outfit.

"I dream of a third Ferrari managed by an American team, with the stars and stripes flag," di Montezemolo told Gazzetta dello Sport.

Mullins told AUTOSPORT earlier this week that he had made contact with Ferrari earlier this year about potential arrangements for the future when he was trying to save US F1 from collapse - and reckons there was a mutual interest in working together in the future.

"When I met Stefano [Domenicali], obviously Ferrari was not a solution for US F1 for 2010," said Mullins.

"But they pledged whatever support they could give within the rules - whatever they could provide. We had a Cosworth engine contract, but they [Ferrari] know that America is their largest market and they were keen to work with us."

As well as the idea of running a third car in the future, di Montezemolo has also said he would support the idea of cutting F1 weekends down to just two days with Friday running being got rid of.

When asked if he supported the idea, he said: "Certainly. As long as we go back to testing between races. We need tests to try out the car, to experiment, especially us since we transfer a lot to road cars.

"And besides, we want to get back to using the Fiorano track, over which we have invested money: we are constructors, not people racing as a hobby."

[BITTER]

ART aiming for 2011 F1 entry

By Michele Lostia and Matt Beer Wednesday, May 26th 2010, 08:33 GMT

Jules Bianchi, ART, Monaco 2010ART Grand Prix co-owner Nicolas Todt has confirmed that the multiple GP2 and Formula 3 title-winning team has applied to enter Formula 1 next season, but admitted that being ready for 2011 would be a huge undertaking if its bid was accepted.

Todt told Italian magazine Autosprint that while suggestions ART was among the 2011 applicants were correct, the team had no expectation that it was likely to be selected.

"The news that we have proposed ART is real, but at the moment it's just a request, there is no certainty we'll take the start next season," he said.

"Realistically, I think it won't be easy to take part in the 2011 F1 championship, because it's not easy to set up a programme with very high costs.

"In light of this, I didn't want to make bold statements over something that still needs to be defined. If we don't make it, then it won't be a drama. We'll carry on working over this project, and if it doesn't happen next year, then we'll try again in the future."

He said ART had always eyed F1 as its long-term destination given its relentless success in the feeder categories, but he had preferred to keep its ambitions low-key and did not want to risk harming its other programmes.

"We are ambitious, and obviously after having won a lot in the various series we've taken part for years, you want to go on and do better," said Todt.

"After F3 and GP2, the logical step is F1. The big difference is that it's a gigantic step, and we are aware of the difficulty with this challenge. That's why I've never announced we'll be in F1, I don't like to get visibility when I'm not certain of the programmes, because I don't want to be regarded as a person who only talks.

"We are working with great care on a project, we don't want to damage what we've done to this day over the years. The plans include synergies, but we don't want to damage the team that works in GP2, GP3 and F3.

"We want to enter F1, but only if we manage to have a long-term programme, because even though F1 now costs 30-35 per cent less compared to a few years ago, it nevertheless remains a huge challenge for privateers."

Spanish squad Epsilon Euskadi, Serbia team Stefan GP and ex-GP2 outfit Durango are among the other teams vying for a possible 2011 F1 slot.

Todt has close links with with his father Jean's former team Ferrari, and his protege Jules Bianchi is part of the Italian squad's driver development scheme. But Todt played down the chances of an ART F1 project being a partnership with Ferrari.

"I have a great relationship with Ferrari, I highly esteem Stefano Domenicali," he said. "If we get chosen and we get a chance to work with Ferrari, then it will be great, but the truth is that there's nothing at the moment.

"We are also a Mercedes team in F3, so it's easy to also link us to Mercedes, and we have other links too. But the truth is that there's nothing yet."

He conceded that there was potential for a conflict of interest given that his father is now the president of the FIA.

"I know well that there are people who see this situation in a bad light," Todt admitted.

"First of all there is a commission evaluating the requests and making decisions, so it's not just my father's choice. I think we'll be under the eye of many people, so the truth is that, as ART, we'll have to present an even more solid programme than our competitors, because at our first faux pas we'll risk being criticised more than the norm.

"But this isn't a new situation for me. When [protege] Felipe [Massa] went to Ferrari, some people put it down to my father's presence there. There will always be people judging my work in relation to my father's presence, and I've accepted this.

"If I couldn't stand this I would have changed environment, but I don't want to leave something I'm passionate for because my father works in it and I've had a lot of success that will be difficult to repeat."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83875

[lemec]

... este ART es un cliente muy serio.

[ABCV]

Desgraciadamente, si Stefan GP anda por medio, la plaza estará dada de antemano. De no ser así, la competencia para la plaza restante va a ser muy dura. Epsilon Euskadi está sobradamente preparada para entrar y Art Grand Prix también va a ser un competidor muy serio a tener en cuenta. No se lo que ocurrirá y si el ser Nicolas Todt el dueño de ART también influirá, pero eso no desmerece para nada el mérito del equipo si logra la plaza.

[monza2001]

Desgraciadamente, si Stefan GP anda por medio, la plaza estará dada de antemano. De no ser así, la competencia para la plaza restante va a ser muy dura. Epsilon Euskadi está sobradamente preparada para entrar y Art Grand Prix también va a ser un competidor muy serio a tener en cuenta. No se lo que ocurrirá y si el ser Nicolas Todt el dueño de ART también influirá, pero eso no desmerece para nada el mérito del equipo si logra la plaza.

¿En qué te basas para pensar que los serbios son los favoritos?

Para mí el ranking es 1º Art 2º Epsilon. Los demás mucho ruido y pocas nueces.

Saludos

[tenista]

¿En qué te basas para pensar que los serbios son los favoritos?

Para mí el ranking es 1º Art 2º Epsilon. Los demás mucho ruido y pocas nueces.

Saludos

Por ser el hijo del presi, se va a mirar todo con lupa. Yo cambiaria ambas posiciones

[BITTER]

American F1 project making progress

By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, June 15th 2010, 09:56 GMT

Parris Mullins in MontrealA bid by a group of American investors to break into Formula 1 moved up a gear in Canada last weekend when representatives met with teams and Bernie Ecclestone to advance their talks.

AUTOSPORT first revealed the plan, which is being led by Parris Mullins, the advisor to YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley during his involvement at US F1, last month.

Mullins travelled to Montreal last weekend to continue discussions with teams about possible options for the future, which he has made clear will be with a current team rather than as a start-up operation.

Paddock speculation has already linked him with both Sauber and Scuderia Toro Rosso, because of his good personal links with Ferrari, but Mullins insists he is totally open-minded about how he gets involved.

Speaking to AUTOSPORT about how his visit to Montreal had gone, Mullins said: "Over the course of these three days progress has been huge. There was only so much I could do from the US anyway, and all the right people are here congregated in to one area.

"I made a lot more progress this weekend than what I was expecting, I hope to be making just as much progress between now and Valencia so we will see. The project is moving ahead.

"More options have come up. As I have mentioned before I had several different ideas for not just myself to enter the sport, but also for the group of people that I am representing. So more possibilities have popped up. It has been a very productive weekend."

Mullins confirmed he met Ecclestone over the weekend to discuss his future F1 plans, and said he had got some positive feedback.

"Like I have said before, if the project makes sense Bernie is willing to help," he said. "If it makes sense then he will get behind it. I am taking it one step at a time, going at his pace and following his advice."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said a few weeks ago that the dream for his team was to link up with an American outfit to run a third car.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84513

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No parece rival para Epsilon pero sí para las pocas opciones de Pedro de seguir en Sauber. Plan Marshall al rescate de los europeos (una vez más...)

[tenista]

Pero no da a entender "compra", sino "esponsorizacino"....¿verdad?

[BITTER]

Epsilon worried about late decision

By Michele Lostia and Matt Beer Wednesday, June 16th 2010, 09:33 GMT

Joan VilladelpratEpsilon Euskadi boss Joan Villadelprat is concerned that his team might not get enough time to prepare for a 2011 Formula 1 programme if it is chosen as a 13th entrant.

The FIA is currently considering applications from teams keen to join the world championship next year, with Spanish squad Epsilon among the leading contenders. But Villadelprat fears that a late announcement could leave any successful applicant short on time - or lead to unsuccessful projects wasting money as they feel compelled to get a headstart on 2011 designs in case they are chosen.

"I'm optimistic, but also a bit worried because the FIA announcement won't come before the end of August," said Villadelprat in an interview with Autosprint.

"That means that, for the teams who get the nod, the time to start proper construction of the F1 car will be tiny.

"On top of that, it's inevitable that we now find ourselves in the situation where we begin making investments without knowing whether we'll actually be in next year's championship."

Despite not yet knowing if Epsilon will be on the 2011 grid, Villadelprat says the project is making good progress and would be sustainable long term.

"We have long been in talks with big and important international companies who are interested in investing in us," he said. "Within two weeks we'll have a better understanding of what we can do.

"One thing is for sure: our programme isn't on a yearly basis. The budget I require must cover at least the first two seasons, 2011 and 2012. I repeat, that's a minimum. An F1 team can't be reasoning year by year."

He is also sceptical about Virgin Racing's ambition of keeping within the 40 million euro figure originally proposed under the now-abandoned budget cap.

"I feel that, in order to begin thinking of improving a team, you need no less than 100 million as a starting point," Villadelprat said.

"Of course, you can race with 40 million too, but without making any important development and at the risk of always being just an extra. And having to start over from zero every year."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/84521

[BITTER]

ART withdraws 2011 F1 entry bid

By Matt Beer Wednesday, July 7th 2010, 15:11 GMT

ART Grand Prix has announced that it has called off its bid to enter Formula 1 in 2011.

The multiple GP2 and Formula 3 champion team had been tipped as one of the leading contenders for the '13th slot' in the field for next year's world championship, but has concluded that in the present economic circumstances it cannot go ahead with the project.

It emphasised that it still intended to reach F1 eventually, and that the team would continue in the junior categories. It currently races in GP2, GP3 and F3.

"ART Grand Prix has decided to withdraw their application to the International Federation of Automobiles (FIA) to take part in the 2011 Formula One World Championship," said a statement from ART.

"The team has been working for several months on this ambitious project that they had undertaken with determination and lucidity.

"ART Grand Prix had forged strong bonds with several technical and financial partners but with unfavourable economic conditions they could not gather the necessary guarantees to ensure the stability of the project in the long term.

"Therefore, the company will have to postpone its project until a later date, however it remains completely focused and dedicated to the other single-seater championships in which they are successfully involved in."

ART co-owner Nicolas Todt had previously said that while the team was working on an F1 bid, it would only commit to the top level if it was absolutely certain that the project was viable.

"Realistically, I think it won't be easy to take part in the 2011 F1 championship, because it's not easy to set up a programme with very high costs," Todt told Italian magazine Autosprint in May.

"In light of this, I didn't want to make bold statements over something that still needs to be defined. If we don't make it, then it won't be a drama.

"We'll carry on working over this project, and if it doesn't happen next year, then we'll try again in the future."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85047

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Pues me da a mí en la nariz que nadie se va a hacer con la nueva plaza vacante. Si el hijo del presidente de la FIA no consigue la confianza de inversores y patrocinadores, me parece a mí que nadie más podrá hacerlo. Aún así, esperaremos a ver que pasa con Epsilon, aunque ya dijo Villadelprat que un anuncio tardío les eliminaría de la puja.

[lemec]

"amos" a ver que pasa ...

para mi ART era el cliente mas serio pero como dices ... La financiacion es la clave. ePsilon dice que la tienen asegurada para varios años pero no entiendo que si es asi no la hubieran puesto encima de la mesa el año pasado para quedarse con el Toyota.

[BITTER]

Esta noticia ha dejado descolocado a más de uno. Joe Saward responde a una pregunta en su blog:

Correct me if I am wrong Joe, but wasnt this the team you were tipping to get the place? Clearly your information does not just come out of thin air so since they are gone, who now do you think has the place?

Joe Saward: Yes, I am surprised that ART did not get the cash. It was expected. As to who gets it instead I have no idea. The most likely are probably Epsilon Euskadi and the US operation known as Cipher, but I really dont know who is best placed.

[Pdr_cadiz]

ART retira su candidatura para 2011


Uno de los equipos más fuertes de los que habían presentado candidatura a ocupar la última plaza de la parrilla de Fórmula Uno en 2011, ART GP ha cancelado su candidatura debido a problemas económicos.

El equipo, que participa con mucho éxito en GP2, GP3 y F3, ha señalado que ha trabajado muy duro en los últimos meses en el proyecto, pero "no ha podido reunir las garantías necesarias para asegurar la estabilidad del proyecto a largo plazo".

En el comunicado hecho público, ART señala su intención de volver a intentarlo en el futuro. Recordamos los rumores que relacionaron al equipo francés con Sauber, así que no se podría descartar su entrada en una alianza con el equipo helvético.

Esta decisión, que honra a los dirigentes de ART en comparación con los de otros equipos que continuaron con su proyecto sin tener financiación para llegar a la primera carrera del campeonato, aclara el panorama para el proyecto Epsilon Euskadi, ya que ART era considerado su rival más fuerte.


http://www.f1aldia.com/9089/art-retira-su-...-para-2011.html