New Requirements for Rookie Teams Announced by the FIA

So the FIA have decided against giving us the thirteen team grid that was promised to us for the 2010 season. They disallowed Stefan GP to compete at the expense of US F1, after deeming it too late for the Serbian outfit to gain entry.

They have now therefore looked ahead to the 2011 season in an attempt to make up for the fiasco that they made of the entry system for the current season.

In taking a more controlled and concise outlook they have offered a thirteenth place on the condition of meeting four developed targets. Those who wish to take the spot will need to fulfil these comprehensively.

Immediately US F1 and Stefan GP will look to claim this spot, although there also will be a stand by team up for grabs if either fail.

Let’s have a look then at the criteria that has been set for possible entrants and what we think is meant by each. In analysing them we can then look towards whether we think that new teams will be able to accomplish the requirements.

1) The technical ability and resources of the team

Obviously to make amends for the lack of ability and resources that US F1 portrayed the FIA have asked any applicants to include a car capable of technical performance.

A gap larger than five seconds from the leaders would not be warranted, but as the new teams this season have shown, a large gap to the front runners can be closed if the technical backing of the team will allow a gradual decrease of the deficit.

Here we want an outfit that at least has the ability to work on a foundation, even if it is a very basic one.

If a team has this basis for improvement, and a car that they can mould into a scintillating machine then we will know they are able and willing to succeed from a technical point of view.

2) The ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation

Another reaction to the mishandled entry system is the inclusion of a required monetary backing for any new team.

Campos very nearly folded due to the inability to accompany their prospects with financial backing. Even if they had been able to make the grid it was visible that they would then face an uphill battle to compete in further Grand Prix.

Such an occurrence would have been pointless. If we remember what happened to Lola in their ill attempted comeback then it highlights the dissatisfaction we would feel as supporters. That occasion had more to do with a lack of performance as opposed to a lack of funds, but it left Lola bowing out after only a handful of races.

What seems to be the best option for financial stability in the sport of Formula 1 is to immediately gain the backing of a prosperous business or economy.
Manor became Virgin this season when Richard Branson fulfilled a dream of owning an F1 team. His input is looking to be rewarded after a modest start to his first campaign that could translate into points finishes as the season progresses.

What investors will look at is the opportunity to gain a substantial profit from entry into one of the most widely regarded and watched spectacles in the sporting world.

The ability to gain sufficient funding as a result is sure to be influenced by the first requirement put forward by the FIA. If someone was pondering the option of backing a new outfit then they will look towards the foundations put in front of them.

Campos seemingly did not offer enough for their initial investors, and US F1 definitely failed in their attempts.

So such failings will now make investors and possible new teams think cautiously about their involvement. A wary attitude is to be expected from this cautious thinking, but will hopefully increase the potential of any prospective new teams.

3) The teams experience and human resources

Who you are and not necessarily what you are can be a defining aspect.

This makes sense if you remember that many current teams find themselves elevated from other Formula’s. Promotions from other tiers afford the FIA a greater comfort in ability if they know that the team has been accomplished in succeeding in lower series.

This idea does detract away from brand new teams with new investors applying to be a thirteenth team. Yet if you have no or little prior knowledge it provides less of a risk for the FIA and the sport of Formula 1.

Stefan GP would surely be a hard team to turn down in retrospect, with their acquisition of Toyota chassis and team members. They will provide immediately the best outfit able to portray this element of the FIA’s standards. They will be the ones to beat early on.

4) The FIA’s assessment of the value that the candidate may bring to the championship as a whole

For every momentous Red Bull team there are multiple others who will be unable to make a massive dent into the F1 arena.

Teams in the past couple of decades such as Lola, Forte and Jaguar didn’t last purely because they were going nowhere fast. They leave the FIA to reflect upon why such teams were given entry, and why such teams would deserve a place on the grid in future seasons.

In a dream world for the FIA and for us as spectators we would want new teams to come in at a high level. We want them to succeed from the offset and to undo any predictable shortcomings that dominance by the usual teams can bring.

In reality this may take a few seasons, as a team finds its foothold. Red Bull are the best recent example as they utilised the experience of David Coulthard in their debut season, in what was then to develop into a Championship challenging car only a few seasons later.

Even if a team entered at the back of the field they can console themselves if their pace is appropriate in comparison to the other teams.

Force India for example have now gained ground and found themselves amongst the midfield after a couple of seasons at the back. Their seasons at the back however saw them never excruciatingly off the pace, so they didn’t have much to catch up.

Who Will It Be?

As long as we are not given a team who will head straight to the back with no promise of improvement then the FIA should pick a team capable of putting a spanner in the works of the other competitors’ aspirations. This is the ideal of a competition after all.

It is great to see that the FIA are at least attempting to make amends for their catastrophic entry campaign for the 2010 season. They can therefore redeem themselves somewhat if their new initiative comes into fruition.

The whole of the F1 world is now watching to witness the dramas that will unfold surrounding the campaign.

By the end of July we should know which new outfits will be entered into the next season, and we will feel vastly more confident in a successful following campaign given that the new team and their back up will then have six months to build upon their highly regarded and decent foundations.