Autoblog

USF1, Take Two: Cypher Group among applicants for 2011 Formula One championship

Noah Joseph — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:31:00 EST

USF1 may have come and gone with little more than a whimper, but don't count these United States as gone from the F1 grid for good. At least not just yet. Because another company - at the risk of mixing sports clichés - has picked up the ball and intends to run with it all the way.

Cypher Group is the name of the team, which has announced its formation and intentions but has yet to register a formal application with the FIA. The new outfit insists that it will only go through with it if they can secure the necessary funding to make it viable. Like USF1, Cypher intends to base its operations out of North Carolina and employ many of the staff left twisting in the wind when USF1 shut down. Notably absent, however, are Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor, the pair that spearheaded the preceding operation whose demise left us all disappointed and a slot open on the grid for next season.

Word has it that Ken Anderson, for his part, is trying for it again, rebranding the remains of USF1 as Anderson F1. Several other teams are stepping up with potential bids to join the roster for 2011, including previously rejected applicants Epsilon Euskadi, Durango and Stefan GP. Perhaps most intriguing, however, is the entry from ART Grand Prix, the GP2 team run by Nicolas Todt, son of the FIA president, who also manages Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Jules Bianchi.

[Source: ESPN]

USF1, Take Two: Cypher Group among applicants for 2011 Formula One championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 May 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: USF1 operations 'effectively shut down'

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:41:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs

The USF1 saga may have taken a turn for the worse today as Autosport reports that the hopeful team's operations have 'effectively been shut down.' Team personnel and the remainder of the operation's employees were reportedly given the news today that their services would no longer be needed, though some unknown number of them technically remain employed (albeit unpaid).

Assuming for a moment that this news is accurate - though it's yet to be confirmed, the team's recent woes certainly mean this report is stupendously unsurprising - it's not clear what USF1 investor and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley will do, though SpeedTV is reporting he may just cut his losses and get out of the Formula 1 game entirely.

Serbian outfit Stefan Grand Prix is thought to be the leading candidate to fill the vacancy left by USF1's departure from the 2010 grid. We'll likely get some sort of response from the FIA within the next few days. Stay tuned, race fans.

[Source: Autosport]

Report: USF1 operations 'effectively shut down' originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opportunity Knocks: Stefan GP and Toyota prepare for another team's failure

Noah Joseph — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Toyota, Racing

Stefan GP brokers a deal with Toyota Racing - Click above for high-res image gallery

Some people just won't take no for an answer. That sense of unbridled optimism could stand to serve an F1 team well, only Stefan GP isn't an F1 team. Yet. But they hope to be, and they're not taking no for an answer.

Late last year after Toyota departed from the series, the Serbian racing team headed by Zoran Stefanovic (pictured above at Toyota's headquarters in Cologne, Germany) brokered a deal with the Japanese automaker to pick up Toyota's aborted 2010 program and run with it as an independent. Stefan applied for a slot on the grid, but their bid was rejected. Now they're banking on one of the teams that was accepted - Campos, USF1 or (less likely) Virgin or Lotus - failing to make it to the opening round in Bahrain next month.

Sounds ambitious? Definitely, but not without merit. Bernie Ecclestone is backing Stefan GP's effort, and they're slated to unveil their own car, powered by their own engine (both rebranded from Toyota's program), and send it to the test session in Portugal later this month. Toyota is providing support, and Stefan has recruited a team of engineers - including several former McLaren operatives implicated in the Spygate and Liegate scandals - and former Midland/Spyker/Force India director Colin Kolles.

Word has it the team has also already lined up two experienced drivers backed by Toyota: Kazuki Nakajima and - get this - Ralf Schumacher. The younger Schumi expressed interest in returning to F1 alongside his more successful brother, and may just get his chance if another team misses theirs.

Gallery: Stefan GP gears up for 2010 F1 season

[Source: Stefan GP via ESPN]

Opportunity Knocks: Stefan GP and Toyota prepare for another team's failure originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Serbian team reportedly in talks to take over Toyota F1

Noah Joseph — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Toyota

Reports of Toyota F1's demise may prove to have been exaggerated as the latest rumors from the racing world suggest that the Japanese automaker is in discussions with a Serbian outfit about taking over the Cologne-based racing team.

Stefan Grand Prix is backed by Serbian engineering firm AMCO and headed by one Zoran Stefanovic, who, like N.Technology, filed an official complaint over the FIA's selection process for new teams. His suit was rejected, but Stefanovic remained determined. The departure of Toyota from the scene and the availability of its assets - including its 2010 car design and the all-important entry slot for next year's championship - may prove to be his way in. The deal could involve Toyota sticking around to supply engines for the next few years, and Kamui Kobayashi could be part of the package, operating from the current facility in Cologne, Germany, until the move to Serbia could be completed.

For its part, Toyota is likely trying to find a way to get around its commitments under the Concorde Agreement to remain in the series, the failure of which to honor could cost Toyota hundreds of millions in fines. Meanwhile if Stefan Grand Prix manages to pull it off, they'll have successfully circumnavigated the allegedly flawed selection process and secured their spot on the grid. Stefanovic denies the prospect of his outfit simply stepping in to Toyota's place, but confirmed that negotiations are under way.

Meanwhile Sauber - which just reacquired itself from BMW in the wake of the failed Qadbak deal - was hoping Toyota would default on its agreement, thereby giving them the green light. If the Stefan deal goes through, Sauber could be locked out, unless the powers-that-be opt to let them in as an unprecedented 14th entry.

[Source: F1-Live | Image: Clive Mason/Getty]

Serbian team reportedly in talks to take over Toyota F1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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