Former GP2 team Durango today announced it will seek the 13th grid slot in the 2011 Formula 1 season.
Here’s the team’s release:
DURANGO CANDIDATE FOR 2011 FORMULA 1 ENTRY
04.07.10 – Durango has been officially acknowledged by the FIA as candidate for the valutation process for the selection of a new Formula 1 team for the 2011 World Championship. This entry is the result of the marketing job, done during the last months , by the real Durango “engine†Ivone Pinton who declared: “After all the wrong things happened last season we tried our best to look for new partners in our racing activity. It did not get too long to understand that the interest could be arose just about Formula 1 and nothing else. So we pushed towards this direction and I can say that, to enter F1, we can now enjoy the backing of two very big international groups. So even keeping the feet on the ground as we say in Italy, because up till now this is just a serious attempt, I like to consider that after so many years spent to push the young drivers to became future champions now the time has come to strongly push towards the motorsport pinnacle Durango as a teamâ€.
Those “wrong things” Pinton mentions is the team’s having to drop out of the GP2 series due to financial constraints.
It sounds like some of those constraints have been addressed, but — and I hate to have to add this — we all saw how USF1’s financial backing quickly disappeared. So just saying there are two backers doesn’t mean there will be two backers a year from now.
That skepticism and pessimism aside, it is great to see that new teams are interested in joining F1 and that there are signs the economy is coming around to support those teams.
Karun Chandhok, by the way, raced for the team back in 2007.
A quick look at the team’s history doesn’t show them on top of any of the series they’ve competed in, so I’m not sure I’d slot Durango in as the favorite candidate. But who knows how the FIA decides those things?
Certainly not the FIA! [~zing!~]
Any reactions?
