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- 2011 Season
FIA re-opens team selection process
ESPNF1 Staff
March 11, 2010
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The FIA wants a 13th team to join the grid in 2011 © Getty Images
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The FIA has re-opened the selection process to allow a 13th team to join the grid in 2011.
US F1's bid to join the Formula One circus failed to materialise this year, leaving an empty space in the paddock that will be filled next year if a suitable candidate can be found. The American team wanted to delay its entry by a year but could end up facing a sanction instead.
An FIA statement read: "With regard to the US F1 team's non-participation in the 2010 championship, the world council mandated the FIA president, in full compliance with the new code of practice for disciplinary matters, to take forward the most appropriate action."
Meanwhile Bernie Ecclestone pointed the finger at US F1 for denying F1 hopefuls Stefan GP a place in this season's championship.
"It was difficult because the other people [US F1] had an entry and kept saying that they were going to be here, that there is no problem and everything is fine," he told the official F1 website. "As they had an entry we could not say sorry we don't believe you. I said that, and got a lot of criticism. I said that, and it turned out to be the truth. Unfortunately it was not possible to get Stefan GP in at the last minute. You need to do such things a bit more sensibly."
The 2011 position is now open to all the teams that failed to gain an entry last year, including Lola, Epsilon Euskadi, Prodrive and N.Technology.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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