MAY 1, 2008

The end of a dream

A1 GP chairman Tony Teixeira has told Reuters that he has given upon his plans to buy a Formula 1 team. The aim of the team was to provide cars for his series's champions to enter Formula 1, but the idea has now been shelved because F1 has given up on allowing customer cars. Teixeira was involved in negotiations to buy both Spyker and Scuderia Toro Rosso.

A1 GP chairman Tony Teixeira has told Reuters that he has given upon his plans to buy a Formula 1 team. The aim of the team was to provide cars for his series's champions to enter Formula 1, but the idea has now been shelved because F1 has given up on allowing customer cars. Teixeira was involved in negotiations to buy both Spyker and Scuderia Toro Rosso.

Teixeira said that the plan was for his operation to "the Ferrari B team", which would have tied in nicely with his engine and chassis supply deal with the Italian car maker.

"When we were close to a deal, F1 changed the rules: No customer cars," he said.

All talks with Teixeira were denied at the time by Scuderia Toro Rosso management.

Teixeira said that the rule change also led to Prodrive abandoning its F1 ambitions to become McLaren's B team.

"It was going to be Red Bull running with Renault, Williams with Toyota and Aguri with Honda. That makes sense to us because there was no way we could go and develop our own chassis and be competitive. I don't profess to have that kind of money and even if I did I wouldn't put it into F1, it would be madness. All we were looking to do was promote A1 through F1, because we still believe F1 is the biggest promoting machine available."

Teixeira says he has looked at Super Aguri F1 but sees nothing of interest to A1GP.

"If the rules change," he added, "we will be the first guys to look for a team. If the rules don't change, there's nothing in it for us."

Given the current political situation in F1, the rules are not going to change.