Wednesday June 3, 2009
Former F1 driver Wurz now wants to become team boss
LONDON: Former racer Alex Wurz is hoping to become a Formula One team boss after submitting an entry for 2010 with the support of wealthy Austrian businessman Christian Baha.
The 35-year-old Austrian, who competed in 69 Grands Prix and last raced for former champions Williams in 2007, told the
autosport.com website that the Team Superfund project was serious.
“I was always interested in going into team management, even when I was racing in F1,” he said.
“Christian and I have talked about doing this for many years. When we saw that through budget caps and natural market conditions, the cost of running a team was going to come down, we saw it as an opportunity,” he added.
Wurz said that Baha, founder of investment company Superfund that has sponsored teams and drivers in the past, was backing the team personally and they planned to use an engine provided by Cosworth.
He added that plans remained fluid while the 2010 rules remained up in the air, with the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) demanding the governing FIA scrap plans for a £40mil (US$64.14mil) budget cap next year.
“Nothing can be fully decided until it become clear what we are allowed and not allowed to do for 2010 and years to follow,“ said the Austrian.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has said there would be space for three new teams if all the existing ones remain.
The nine FOTA teams, including champions Ferrari, submitted only conditional entries by the May 29 deadline with the definitive 2010 rules still to be confirmed.
The final list is due to be published on June 12.
Other known would-be newcomers include Prodrive, run by former Benetton and BAR boss David Richards, Lola, Litespeed, a Spanish Campos Meta team run by former racer Adrian Campos, and an American-based US F1 entry.
Of the existing teams, only Williams have entered unconditionally. — Reuters
Sports Poll
- Lotus vow to make it through entire season
- Chinese pair banking on flour power
- India’s richest man denies interest in Liverpool stake
- Manager calls for full support from fans
- Red Devils back at full power, says Edwin
- Blood clot in arm floors Cahill
- Steurs steers to Stage Two victory
- MNCF worked up over new ruling for team sprint at 2012 Olympics
- Lakers down Spurs for second win without Bryant
- More scandals, please
- Lakers down Spurs for second win without Bryant
- More scandals, please
- India get a thrashing
- Stoke’s Fuller held over club assault
- Two men jailed over Dalglish grenade case
- India’s richest man denies interest in Liverpool stake
- Reds regain mean streak
- Chinese pair banking on flour power
- Bid to find the ultimate EPL viewing experience
- Soderling fights back to score first win of the year
RSS
