Disappointed teams still hoping for F1 slot  Disappointed teams were hopeful on Friday that they might still get a chance to compete in Formula One next year despite being left off the entry list. The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement that five of the existing teams were only provisionally entered and gave them until June 19 to reach agreement. "Pending completion of the discussions referred to... further due diligence is currently taking place on other potential entries," it added. The five provisional teams are Brawn, McLaren, BMW-Sauber, Renault and Toyota. Lola, who competed in the championship between 1962 and 1993, said they would "continue to remain in discussion with the FIA as a potential new entry until the extended deadline." Team Lotus said in a statement that they understood they were also on a short-list to fill any slots that might come available. "We remain in close contact with the FIA and will work with them to ensure that Team Lotus is selected in the event that any spaces become available in the next seven days," they said. "Our team remains committed to motor racing and does not intend to let this initial disappointment deter our Formula One ambitions." Prodrive, run by former Benetton and BAR team principal David Richards, echoed the sentiment. "We will wait to see how things develop in the next week," said Richards. "We remain prepared and ready to implement our plans should the circumstances allow. "As we have seen before, there are quite often many twists and turns in Formula One." Prodrive were selected by the FIA to become Formula One's 12th team two years ago but pulled out due to uncertainty about the sport's future. |
