Zoran Stefanovic points at a model of a car that won't be racing in Bahrain.
With the GP2 Asia action at the Bahrain International Circuit all done and dusted, I’ve been on a bit of a fact finding mission in the paddock with regard to the StefanGP team, which has been hoping to be admitted into the Formula 1 World Championship and contest the opening round of the 2010 season at this very circuit in two weeks’ time.
And the news, at least from StefanGP’s perspective, ‘aint good.
Officials at the track confirmed to me that StefanGP’s containers, which the team stated on February 2nd it had sent to Bahrain, have not arrived at the circuit. Of course the containers may still be at customs awaiting their signing out, but the firmly held belief that the team’s containers of spare parts for their ex-Toyota racers were already at the Bahrain International Circuit are false. They are not here.
But perhaps the firmest nail in the coffin of the team’s hopes that they would be permitted to race should one of the new teams fail to make it, was an admission from another official at the BIC that they have received word from the FIA informing them to take StefanGP’s team profile, which had been prepared by the BIC on the off chance of the team’s participation, out of the media kits for the season-opening Grand Prix. According to this official, the FIA’s reasoning for this was that StefanGP “will not be racing in Bahrain.”
Seems pretty clear cut, doesn’t it?
StefanGP, car or no car, spare parts or none, Bridgestone contract or bare wheel rims, will not, it seems, be racing in Bahrain.
Their only hope now appears to be convincing USF1 to sell its entry to them and for the Serbian outfit to race as USF1, although at the present time that seems unlikely.
In other, much better news, however, it seems that Campos’ F1 entry is moving ahead at full steam. Dallara is working hard to prepare everything for the team’s debut in Bahrain, and the squad is expected to test at Varano next week, as the circuit rests just minutes from Dallara’s base.
The Buxton Blog 
A couple of questions regarding Stefan GP – if they were turned down from the selection process last year, what made them believe that they could get in now?
Secondly, apparently they couldn’t afford the Toyota entry when they pulled out last year, so what would be the actual prospects for them to last a full season and design a 2011 too?
None of the Stefan GP situation seemed to make any sense to me…
Leigh, I’ll take it that those a rhetorical questions. 😉
I’ll match your wink and raise you a nod
🙂
So, could they race in the second GP ?
Hi abf1
All I know right now is what the guys in Bahrain have told me about their particular event. But if the FIA has said there are penalties for missing races, could they then effectively go back on that by granting an entry to a team for only a percentage of a season?
In Spain, they would say that it’s a “no comprendo” at all !
It make any sense. SGP is expected to launch on Thusday with Nakajima and JV, with a shakedown with A1 GP tyres according to Motorsport-Total this morning.
I believe you Will, you are in Barhein, and you could speak with the Official.
Why SGP should have been on the Press-Kit if the FIA haven’t planed to according them a place to race and then suddendly ask the marshall to retire them from the kit.
Sorry, I am French, and my english is not so good. I hope it’s not a misunderstanding from my part.
Hey Will, do you know what the date was when th FIA ordered the Bahrainis to remove Stefan from their press kits and the like? If it was before it became apparent that USF1 were in trouble, there’s nothing definitive about their statements: there’s very little to prevent the FIA from ordering them to put the info back in.
Prisoner Monkeys – the email was sent today.
Why is anyone giving Stefanovic any credit? Don’t people realize he hasn’t paid a dime for the cars…yet? Apparently his contract only stipulates payment upon making the Bahrain GP. But he can’t race without an entry. Stefan has done one thing well, and that’s hire a good PR company (presumably). Word is that only one car has been assembled, indeed the car was NOT fired the other week, he has no team, etc. Did I mention he’s a gun runner? Yeah, the FIA has pretty good reason for not wanting Stefan GP in; he’s not above board. Why do you think they didn’t get Bridgestones for testing? His current saber rattling, “somebody should be in a trouble explaining what is happen to all of us,” is just blather as he knows that if he doesn’t reach Bahrain he looses any rights to the Toyotas.
They might not race, but they will BE in Bahrain with cars, equipment and drivers. And they will continue to travel to circuits, showing the world they are a capable F1 team, until the FIA finally lets them in (when USF1 fails to materialize).
Are they capable though?
They can’t keep doing that – they’d drain whatever funding they have like a sieve.
Will have the FIA mentioned what the penalties will be for USF1 when they miss the first (or 4) races ??
http://stefangp.com/news008.html Stefan show the DHL bill proving that the container has indeed arrived, for what it’s worth.
The link no longer works… indeed all that is left on the website is a much more consiliatory release whose tone is much softer than recent communications. If it has finally arrived then that’s great news for the team.
But container or no, the fact remains the team still does not have an entry. From what my sources in the organisation at the BIC have told me, the FIA seems to be of the opinion that the team will not be taking part in the season opening race, at least not as StefanGP anyway.
Wow yeah, that looks like a backdown 🙂
I don’t think he hired any PR company, from the vague look of the website.
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