Rub
24-04-2009, 10:18 AM
Aston Martin chairman considers Formula One entry
9 hours ago
GAYDON, England — Aston Martin could make its debut in Formula One next year if company chairman David Richards, the former team principal of Benetton and BAR, decides to put a team into the championship.
With the sport's governing body forcing big reductions on F1 budgets, there is continuing speculation that more teams may be able to finance entries in 2010. Lola announced Wednesday it was considering a return.
Richards, who almost returned with his Prodrive organization last season, said Thursday that he would consider a return to the sport if it was viable and there was the potential for his team to be competitive against the traditional, big-spending powerhouses of Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Williams.
"We are very serious about entering Formula One in 2010," Richards said. "On the commercial side we would want a situation where the budget you would need to be competitive would be sensible, especially given the challenging economic conditions we face today.
"We would also want the rules to be such they provide the potential for us to be fully competitive. We would not want to be in Formula One just to make up the numbers."
Richards said there had been no decision whether Aston Martin, which has no previous F1 experience, would be the team name.
"It is too early to say at this stage as there are a number of different routes we could go," Richards said. "There are many discussions to be had in the coming weeks once the regulations have been published. We will then make a decision."
9 hours ago
GAYDON, England — Aston Martin could make its debut in Formula One next year if company chairman David Richards, the former team principal of Benetton and BAR, decides to put a team into the championship.
With the sport's governing body forcing big reductions on F1 budgets, there is continuing speculation that more teams may be able to finance entries in 2010. Lola announced Wednesday it was considering a return.
Richards, who almost returned with his Prodrive organization last season, said Thursday that he would consider a return to the sport if it was viable and there was the potential for his team to be competitive against the traditional, big-spending powerhouses of Ferrari, McLaren, Renault and Williams.
"We are very serious about entering Formula One in 2010," Richards said. "On the commercial side we would want a situation where the budget you would need to be competitive would be sensible, especially given the challenging economic conditions we face today.
"We would also want the rules to be such they provide the potential for us to be fully competitive. We would not want to be in Formula One just to make up the numbers."
Richards said there had been no decision whether Aston Martin, which has no previous F1 experience, would be the team name.
"It is too early to say at this stage as there are a number of different routes we could go," Richards said. "There are many discussions to be had in the coming weeks once the regulations have been published. We will then make a decision."