27/04/2009
NEWS STORY
iSport International boss Paul Jackson has revealed that he is considering making the move up to F1 next year, should the FIA go ahead and introduce its £30m budget cap formula.
Despite finishing a lowly eighth in the 2008/2009 GP2 Asia series, iSport finished runner-up in the 2008 main GP2 championship, with drivers Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok finishing runner-up and tenth in the Drivers' Championship.
Speaking to German website motorsport-magazin.com, Jackson was in feisty mood, clearly relishing the thought of taking on the F1 'establishment'.
"I aim to give a few people in Formula One a kick up the backside and to show them that they are chucking money out of the window for nothing," he said. "The existing teams aren't structured to operate within a £30 million budget, so it would probably be better to start with a blank sheet."
The FIA will announce details of the proposed budget-cap formula on Wednesday, having discussed various cost cutting measures with the existing teams. Under the current plans, teams will have a choice of either continuing as is, but facing far greater technical limitation, or accepting the budget-cap but being allowed greater technical freedom.
Only three new teams will be allowed to enter the sport next year, with USGPE already having set out its stall and Lola and David Richards Prodrive both admitting interest.
In addition to Jackson's admission that iSport is looking to enter F1 next season, Pitpass has already reported that it has learned of serious interest being expressed by Dallara (possibly in partnership with Nicolas Todt's ART Grand Prix), Nick Wirth, Racing Engineering and Colin Kolles, in partnership with Franz Hilmer of Formtech GmbH, the company that bought Super Aguri.
iSport, based in Carleton Rode near Norwich, was founded in 2004 with the aim of contesting the GP2 Series, replacement for the old F3000 championship. In the four seasons it has contested the series, it has won the team and drivers' championship once, with Timo Glock in 2007.