Lola will decide, or not, to end her Formula 1 project as of Tuesday

The director of Lola, Martin Birrane, announced today in Le Mans that his company will decide next Tuesday whether to continue the F1 project and thus hope to secure a spot for the 2010 Formula 1 championship.

Last Friday, the FIA – International Automobile Federation – officially released a list of teams selected for next season’s Formula 1. However, with most accepted on a conditional basis, meaning uncertain, the FIA continues discussions with other rejected teams until next Friday, June 19, 2009.

Nearly twenty teams had applied to the FIA to enter the 2010 championship. Along with the current 10 teams, the FIA selected USF1, GP Manor, and Campos GP. Among the rejected were Lotus, Lola, and Epsilon Euskadi. The FIA also indicated that with the “conditional” entries of 8 of the current 10 teams, discussions were continuing with the three rejected teams, in case it became necessary to replace a team in disagreement with the federation’s new regulations.

Present in Le Mans (in Sarthe) for the 24h of Le Mans, Mr. Birrane confirmed that Lola still had a chance to enter F1 as early as 2010: « We will know more on Tuesday, we need to sit down and talk about this decision. »

« We were not selected, but since last Friday, we have not yet had the time to discuss it. We need to go over the matter from the beginning. »

Birrane added that he had an F1 project already at a very advanced stage, and that he was ready to join the 2010 championship in case a team refused to enter.

« We have already made good progress and have had our prototype in the wind tunnel since last week. Many people with experience in F1 have been working on it for seven weeks now and our project is underway. The mechanics are in motion, but if we need to stop it, we will. We don’t know yet and will therefore wait until Tuesday. »

After Lola’s meeting next Tuesday, it will be necessary to wait until Friday, June 19, the deadline for the official announcement of the teams that will compete in the 2010 Formula 1 championship.