BMW, Ford considering F1 return – reports (2nd Update)
04/11/14 (GMM) Colin Kolles is at the helm of 'Forza Rossa', a team that the FIA on Friday said could be next in line for a F1 debut.
At a World Motor Sport Council meeting in Morocco, the governing body approved the 2015 entry of Californian Gene Haas' outfit, called Haas Formula.
And the FIA said "further investigations" are ongoing for another "high standard" application filed by Forza Rossa.
It is believed Forza Rossa is the name of former HRT boss Kolles' new Romanian-backed project.
However, Friday's news was even better for Haas, despite the fact his Nascar team co-owner, Tony Stewart, is not involved in the new project.
"Now the really hard work begins," Haas said in a statement on Friday.
Last week, he had warned that the entire project was "up in the air", including the identity of the team's 2015 engine supplier.
"As things go forward it will be clearer, but you can't really do anything until we actually have been notified that we're a participant," he had said.
He seemed to contradict speculation he could bring the Ford name back to the grid, in collaboration with the former F1 supplier Cosworth.
"There's only three engine suppliers, you've got Renault, Mercedes, Ferrari," said Haas.
"Next year there will be Honda, but probably Honda is not really viable.
"We have talked to Mercedes and with Ferrari, just preliminary discussions, but we haven't nailed anything down yet. I guess that would be the next move," he revealed. [Editor's Note: According to AR1.com inside sources, if Cosworth does do an F1 engine it will not be with Ford.]
04/11/14 (GMM) BMW and Ford could each be eyeing a return to formula one, according to reports.
The BMW rumor has been triggered by comments made by former F1 team owner and boss Gian Carlo Minardi, who said the revolutionary new turbo V6 rules were devised not just by current F1 suppliers Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault.
"Rumors in Germany suggest BMW's board of directors will meet in May to evaluate a return to the top category to be an engine supplier as early as 2015," Minardi said on his official website.
He said BMW officials were present during winter testing and the early races of the new V6 rules.
The return of BMW, having withdrawn its works partnership with the Sauber team at the end of 2009, would be good news for F1's controversial new engine rules, as the Japanese marque Honda is also coming back to the sport in 2015.
However, BMW has repeatedly rejected any suggestion it is contemplating a return to F1, having successfully entered the German touring car series DTM.
"Our focus has not changed," spokesman Jorg Kottmeier told Speed Week in the wake of the latest rumors.
"Formula one is not a topic for us as we are very happy in production car racing."
Elsewhere, Racecar Engineering reports that Gene Haas' new team for 2015 could be powered by Ford-branded Cosworth engines.