Failed New Team Entrants Claim Required Cosworth Engines

F1's governing body reportedly selected only new teams with no ties to car manufacturers to make their Grand Prix debuts in 2010.

Britain's Daily Telegraph has quoted annoyed team bosses who missed out in the FIA's selection process for 2010. They’re alleging that there was a unwritten condition to commit to independent engine supplier Cosworth to ensure a spot on the grid.

US F1, Manor and Campos, who have been granted entry into next years Formula One World Championship are all to be powered by Cosworth. However more established teams including Prodrive and Lola also applied to race and were turned down. Which to be honest surprised me, I thought the FIA would like other teams, enough even for pre qualifying to boost ratings… Especially if they did the pre qualifying on Friday so there was something with some meaning to watch. Instead of what has essentially just become a test session.

It’s thought the rejected teams planned to get engines from Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, as F1's car manufacturers warred with the FIA about the future of the sport.

"We were told that if we wanted to take up the 2010 grid slot we would have to sign a three-year engine contract with Cosworth," one unsuccessful team applicant told the newspaper.

Another wrote in a letter that he "had a real possibility of obtaining a Renault, Mercedes or Ferrari engine. It was made very clear to me that it was considered a mandatory condition from the powers that be that Cosworth was the engine supplier."

Remember that at the time the FIA and FOTA were at war and the FIA wanted to ensure these teams could race in Formula 1 if the car manufacturers pulled out. The thing is however the teams logically want the best engines they can get (not a Cosworth). I’m sure if they couldn’t get an engine off Ferrari for example they would of gone to Cosworth, as the bottom line is they wanted to race.

An FIA spokesman explained independent engine supply was a ‘priority’ for the new teams, otherwise "the whole grid would be at the mercy of the car industry and no new team would be able to enter without their permission."

However one 2010 applicant says the new teams were "hand-picked for political, rather than sport criteria." And I would have to agree with them. It seems pretty obvious what the FIA were doing – covering themselves in the very real possibility of FOTA creating a split away championship. Alas I think it is to the detriment of the sport.

Cosworth stated it "in no way, shape or form requested that the FIA make demands on its behalf of potential entries to the Formula One world championship."

Whatever went on it’s sad that the sport missed out on some extra teams which is what the sport could do with. Yet again politics got in the way of sport.