BMW Confirmed Gone

[Bleu]

Epsilon Euskadi raced in World Series by Renault and won the championship in 2005 with Robert Kubica as a driver.

[Henrique]

I dislike Epsilon Euskadi. They only have experience at Formula Renault and Le Mans and even there they are unsucessful. Their only sucess was in 2005, when they won the teams championship and drivers championship with Robert Kubica.
Prodrive is a good possibility, but David Richards already told the press that he doesn't want to use Cosworth engines and the FIA wants to force the new teams to use Cosworth.

[jackanderton]

Prodrive is in a venture with Aston Martin aren't they? The plan being to run as Prodrive 1st year then switch to Aston Martin.

Given Aston Martin's ownership, Cosworth wouldn't be the most illogical choice.

[Paul Hayes]

I can't help but feel any team entering at this late stage runs the risk of becoming a reject of Mastercard Lola proportions.

[CarlosFerreira]

I can't help but feel any team entering at this late stage runs the risk of becoming a reject of Mastercard Lola proportions.

My thoughts exactly.

[jackanderton]

It'll be hard enough FIA and FOTA having to give Campos, Manor and USF1 the necessary resources they need to even compete AT ALL on the budget FOTA have hung them and F1 out-to-dry with. Adding Epsilon Euskadi or Prodrive to that list seems about as sensible as plonking a brick on the head of a rock-climber with three of someone elses babies strapped to his back and a crocodile tugging at his leg.

[Waris]

I can't help but feel any team entering at this late stage runs the risk of becoming a reject of Mastercard Lola proportions.

My thoughts exactly.

Remember, Super Aguri were only created in November 2005, and made it to the grid four months later.
As they like to say at a certain well-known brand, "Impossible is nothing".

[CarlosFerreira]

I can't help but feel any team entering at this late stage runs the risk of becoming a reject of Mastercard Lola proportions.

My thoughts exactly.

Remember, Super Aguri were only created in November 2005, and made it to the grid four months later.
As they like to say at a certain well-known brand, "Impossible is nothing".

Right. The way forward for any team entering now is to get someone's car from previous year and fiddle with it a bit. Imagine the potential for rejectness!

[jackanderton]

They could use the BMW from this year and guarantee rejectness.

[shinji]

Or get a car from a team that went under a few years ago - might the SA08 (or 07 or 06) be rolled out again in 2010? What a joy that would be.

[Captain Hammer]

Or get a car from a team that went under a few years ago - might the SA08 (or 07 or 06) be rolled out again in 2010? What a joy that would be.

Unlikely, considering its only resemblance to the rules is the presence of four wheels and having front and rear wings.

[Irisado]

I'm not at all surprised that BMW pulled out. They were supposed to win the World Championship this year after all, according to their grand master plan.

As others stated earlier on, this is what happens when manufacturers take over a sport, they push the costs up so far that they price the independent teams out of the game, and then when the economy goes into recession and/or the results don't match the investment, they just pull out. This is the danger that having a manufacturer dominated series was also going to cause, so we need to lose some for there to be a balance between the manufacturers and independents.

I do, however, feel sorry for all the former Sauber employees at Hinwil, and I hope that a rescue package can be put together by Peter Sauber to save this element of the team. Perhaps a tie-in with another of the potential teams who were originally rejected by the FIA is an option?

I will be surprised if we don't lose another manufacturer team before the start of the 2010 season (yes, Renault and Toyota, I'm looking at you).