09/05/2009
NEWS STORY
Hot on the heels of USGPE (nee USF1), Bernie Ecclestone claims that a second American team is looking to enter F1 next season.
"There's two American teams," Ecclestone told reporters at Barcelona, adding, "It will be good to see some new faces. Something like that is always good."
Of course, even USGPE's entry will hinge on the ongoing row over the proposed £40m budget cap, a row which could see some of the existing teams walk away from the sport.
Furthermore, even if a solution is found, the FIA has made it clear that only three new teams will be allowed into the sport, and there are already as many as eight interested parties including USGPE, Prodrive, Lola and iSport.
Referring to the ongoing row, Ecclestone said: "All we're simply doing is trying to reduce the necessity to spend to be competitive. They (the teams) can pay the drivers what they want, have bigger motorhomes, but we don't need them to spend money on racing unnecessarily."
Word in the F1 paddock is that the second American team - assuming it really exists and Bernie isn't telling porkies in an attempt to turn the screw on the big boys - involves either Penske or Andretti Green.