The beleaguered and dwindling F1 grid looks set to receive a much needed boost in the 2010 season with the introduction of a brand new team of backmarkers from the good old US of A, with a team tentatively, and rather unimaginatively, titled "USF1".
The group that are setting up the team have recruited former Williams team manager Peter Windsor and American designer Ken Anderson, formerly of averagemarkers Ligier.
An official statement is yet to be released, and details are sketchy at best, but sources have confirmed the move to Autosport that the team's entry has been provisionally approved by the other teams on the F1 grid, somewhat unsurprisingly.
A minimalist website has been set up, and the group are now attempting to court sponsorship from American firms. How successful this will be in the face of a global recession is unclear, but at least they're trying.
Despite the folded Honda F1 effort being up for sale and Toro Rosso probably also being available for the right price, the Americans are laudably deciding to go alone with their team and begin from a clean slate. The chassis will be designed and built in North Carolina, while the new engine regulations allowing manufacturer engines to be bought for 5 million Euros a year will doubtless have helped the decision to enter.
The introduction of a bona fide American F1 team for the first time in over 20 years will also be positive news in terms of the reintroduction of Canadian and American Grands Prix to the calendar in the not-too-distant future.
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