The Lola car manufacturer has followed Prodrive's lead in confirming that they will not be applying for the 13th and final grid slot on the 2011 Formula One grid, moaning about a lack of time to be able to set up a credible effort.
Lola applied to enter the 2010 championship but were overlooked for a grid slot in favour of other, even smaller teams, but had been expected to resubmit an application for 2011, for the vacant slot left open following USF1's collapse.
But the company has confirmed that it will not be pursuing an application for next season, with today representing the cut-off point for applications of interest in the spot.
The team said that the lack of a budget cap was a main reason for them declining to apply.
"A 2010 entry under the cost capped and performance balanced criteria was perfect for Lola," Lola owner Martin Birrane said earlier today.
"We already have F1 standard facilities at our headquarters in Huntingdon. Sadly our well-developed 2010 F1 project, which included a significant wind tunnel programme, had to be frozen in June 2009.
"The recently announced applications for 2011 has left us with insufficient time to prepare for what would be a quite different programme."
The Lola managing director Robin Brundle added, oddly, that: "Lola looks forward to strengthening its working partnerships with existing F1 Teams and the rich variety of customers throughout the Lola portfolio."
Lola last raced in F1 with their hapless 1997 Mastercard Lola effort, which lasted a single race before withdrawing.
The lack of interest from either Lola or Prodrive means that with the deadline for applications passing today, only former GP2 team Durango and Le Mans manufacturer Epsilon Euskadi have officially expressed an interest in the 13th grid spot.
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