The FIA has reopened the 2010 application process for the one new place which has become available on the grid following BMW’s decision to quit Formula 1 at the end of the season.
German car giant BMW’s shock announcement two weeks ago that owing to a “strategic realignment” it would end its spell as an F1 team owner after just four seasons, and its subsequent failure to secure a new owner for its Hinwil-based operation in time for it to sign the Concorde Agreement, means only 12 teams are confirmed on next year’s expanded 26-car grid.
And with a vacancy now appearing up for grabs, an FIA spokeswoman has confirmed that the governing body has written letters to the teams that had remained on a reserve list concerning the now open 2010 slot.
When it published its original 2010 entry list in June – which confirmed Campos Meta, Manor Grand Prix and Team US F1 as the three new entrants – the governing body put several other potential new teams on standby pending the outcome of its discussions with the then dissenting FOTA teams.


Prodrive and Epsilon Euskadi were two of the leading contenders to miss out first time around, however it remains unclear how many of the teams placed on the reserve list would be willing to re-start their F1 programmes two months after being originally told they had failed in their bid to secure a berth. BMW, meanwhile, insisted last week that it would continue to actively strive to secure the future of the Hinwil F1 operation despite missing the Concorde Agreement deadline and takeover talks collapsing with the team’s former outright owner Peter Sauber.
FOTA has said that it would support “any initiative” that would allow the Hinwil-based squad to sign up to F1’s commercial document at a later date, although it is not known whether the FIA would agree to that or instead give preference to one of the teams on the reserve list.
source [www.itv-f1.com]

 

I wonder if the requirement to use Cosworth motors would apply to THIS F1 team?? If NOT, the Prodrive becomes a real option.