MARCH 21, 2002

Asiatech confirms F1 dream

IT is no secret that Asiatech wants to run its own Formula 1 team as soon as possible depending on the opportunities available and the money that will be needed. John Gano, the managing-director of the team, confirmed the plans this week in Autosport magazine, saying that Asiatech might enter F1 next year or in 2004.

The company is ideally placed to take over the Prost facilities in Paris by the team principals Gano and engineer Enrique Scalabroni are of the opinion that the team should be based in Britain, even if the engine department remains in France. The organization does have a British base, in the old Williams factory in Didcot.

If the team wishes to enter F1 next year it will have to put together a dossier and pay a $48m deposit to the FIA in November. Asiatech's backers, a mysterious consortium of Asian businessmen, has not really made it clear what it intends to do with an F1 team.