F1 Close to Adding Two New Teams for 2015

Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has revealed two new teams could soon be joining the grid.

Ecclestone on Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix held talks with both FIA President Jean Todt and Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo to invite prospective teams to submit F1 entries have resulted in two being accepted.

One is backed by American NASCAR owner Gene Haas, with speculation suggesting the other is a prospective Romanian outfit run by former Jordan/Midland/Spyker Team Principal Colin Kolles.

“They will be accepted,” Ecclestone said of the Haas team. “We’ve also accepted another team as well. Whether they make it or not is another story. We’re happy to have another couple of teams.

“I’ve spoken to Jean Todt about it. We agreed yesterday, if two teams want to come in, we’ll let them in.”

The FIA announced in December that it was inviting prospective teams to register an interest in entering the sport either in 2015 or 2016, with entries judged on criteria such as technical ability, resources, experience and “the value that the candidate may bring to the championship as a whole”.

Although the governing body did not state how many entries it would grant, Ecclestone’s assertion that two more teams could enter would stretch the grid to its 26-car limit.

Budget Cap Abandoned

Formula 1 has also abandoned plans to impose a budget cap in 2015 and will seek to reduce costs instead through regulation changes, Todt said on Sunday.

FIA announced last year that, with some teams struggling financially, it planned to introduce a cost cap for next season with an agreement scheduled for June 2014.

However Todt, speaking to reporters at the Bahrain Grand Prix, said leading teams had made clear they did not believe the initiative was viable.

“I understand that all the (six) teams that are part of the strategy group are against the cost cap now,” he said.

“So clearly, if the commercial rights holder (Bernie Ecclestone), and if six teams…are against, I cannot impose. It’s mathematics. In this case, no more cost cap.”

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