Stefan Grand Prix
Encyclopedia
Stefan Grand Prix is a proposed Serbian Formula One
team named after its creator, Zoran Stefanović. The team was attempting to compete in the 2010 Formula One season
. Its initial application was one of those rejected in July 2009 and although the team persisted in its attempts to gain an entry, it did not appear on the final entry list published in March 2010. The team also applied unsuccessfully to compete in the 2011 season
.
.
opened applications for new teams to join the 2010 grid
. Applications from fifteen new teams were received, with three (Campos Meta (later to be renamed Hispania Racing), Manor Grand Prix (later to be renamed Virgin Racing
) and Team USF1) being selected in July 2009 to join the existing ten teams for 2010. Stefan GP was one of the unsuccessful applicants.
The Formula One community was first made aware of Stefanović's ambitions after he filed a complaint with the European Commission
, of a similar nature to that of N.Technology. claiming that the entry selection process had been biased in favour of teams who had nominated to run the Cosworth
engines that were being introduced for 2010. He claimed that the FIA had not simply shown bias against non-Cosworth teams, but also against teams which would be classified as manufacturers, citing that new teams Virgin Racing
, Campos
and USF1 were forced to outsource the design of their chassis to other firms and design studios whereas Stefan Grand Prix had the support of Serbian company AMCO, and thus could build their own cars independently. This bias, he claimed, was supported by Prodrive's
failure to make the grid; like Stefan, Prodrive would have the facilities to build their own chassis. Stefanović, however, had the support of Mike Coughlan
, the disgraced
McLaren
engineer. The team has released photographs showing Coughlan in its offices.
On September 29, Stefanović announced his plans to compete in Bahrain, despite not having an entry for the 2010 season,
Further chances to enter F1 in 2010 arose when the manufacturer teams BMW Sauber
and Toyota withdrew their entries.
In November 2009, Toyota officially backed out of the championship, following a manufacturer exodus led by Honda
and BMW
. Despite initial plans not to sell the team on, Stefanović acquired the rights to use the team's chassis, gearbox and the 2010 spec engine. It also employed several former Toyota team members, then out of work after being made redundant by Toyota. With the vacancy left by Toyota, the FIA moved to fill the thirteenth and final grid position, which was contested between Stefanović and Peter Sauber
, after BMW sold the team back to him. Sauber
was eventually accepted to the grid. Stefanović was still pursuing a 2010 grid position despite the thirteenth grid position having been awarded to Sauber.
On March 3, 2010, the FIA announced that "the USF1 Team have indicated that they will not be in a position to participate in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. Having considered the various options, the FIA confirms that it is not possible for a replacement team to be entered for the Championship at this late stage." However, the FIA mentioned that "in the coming days the FIA will announce details of a new selection process to identify candidates to fill any vacancies existing at the start of the 2011 season."
of the season.
Despite not having an entry, the team had sent its equipment to the Bahrain International Circuit
in preparation for the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
. The team also planned to test its car over three days at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
on February 25–28 with two drivers, but this was cancelled as the team could not secure a tyre supply. Formula One's sole tyre supplier, Bridgestone
, will not supply F1-specification tyres to Stefan until the team acquires an entry, but the two parties remain in negotiations on using GP2
-specification tyres.
F1's commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone
, has mentioned that he has spoken to the Prime Minister of Serbia
and that he was confident that Stefan have the funding required for F1. On 3 March 2010, the FIA announced that no team could fill the vacancy left by USF1's aborted entry, ending Stefan GP's hopes of competing in the 2010 championship. The FIA subsequently announced that it was to re-open the selection process for the 2011 season
.
, and so was forced to cancel its Portimão
test and launch. The team later announced that it was planning to launch the car sometime in early March and to test it with Avon tyres rather than Bridgestones. Stefanović also added that a merger with US F1 Team had been discussed but talks collapsed.
The team signed Kazuki Nakajima
, whose career has been supported by Toyota, as its first driver. Stefanović also hoped to sign champion Jacques Villeneuve
, and Pastor Maldonado
as their reserve driver.
.
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
team named after its creator, Zoran Stefanović. The team was attempting to compete in the 2010 Formula One season
2010 Formula One season
The 2010 Formula One season was the 61st Formula One season of World Championship motor racing competition. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a one-two finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race...
. Its initial application was one of those rejected in July 2009 and although the team persisted in its attempts to gain an entry, it did not appear on the final entry list published in March 2010. The team also applied unsuccessfully to compete in the 2011 season
2011 Formula One season
The 2011 Formula One season was the 62nd FIA Formula One season. The original calendar consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli returned to the sport as tyre supplier for all teams, taking over...
.
Origins
Stefan Grand Prix, was founded by Serbian-born engineer and businessman Zoran Stefanović, with hopes of becoming Serbia's first Formula One team. Stefanović and Stefan GP had attempted to enter Formula One on two previous occasions; once in 1996 and again one year later with an attempt to purchase the remains of Lola's abortive 1997 entryLola T97/30
The Lola T97/30 was the car with which the MasterCard Lola Formula One team attempted to compete in the 1997 Formula One season. It was driven by Vincenzo Sospiri, the 1995 Formula 3000 champion, and Ricardo Rosset, who moved from Footwork. However, the team's tenure in F1 was brief. The first...
.
Disputed entry
In 2009, Formula One's governing body the FIAFédération Internationale de l'Automobile
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is a non-profit association established as the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus on 20 June 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organisations and motor car users...
opened applications for new teams to join the 2010 grid
2010 Formula One season
The 2010 Formula One season was the 61st Formula One season of World Championship motor racing competition. Red Bull Racing won its maiden Constructors' Championship with a one-two finish in Brazil, while Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race...
. Applications from fifteen new teams were received, with three (Campos Meta (later to be renamed Hispania Racing), Manor Grand Prix (later to be renamed Virgin Racing
Virgin Racing
Marussia Virgin Racing, the trading name of Virgin Racing Limited, is a Russian owned Formula One racing team based in the United Kingdom and racing on a Russian licence, which made its debut in the 2010 Formula One season. It was granted entry as Manor Grand Prix on 12 June 2009, as one of four...
) and Team USF1) being selected in July 2009 to join the existing ten teams for 2010. Stefan GP was one of the unsuccessful applicants.
The Formula One community was first made aware of Stefanović's ambitions after he filed a complaint with the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, of a similar nature to that of N.Technology. claiming that the entry selection process had been biased in favour of teams who had nominated to run the Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
engines that were being introduced for 2010. He claimed that the FIA had not simply shown bias against non-Cosworth teams, but also against teams which would be classified as manufacturers, citing that new teams Virgin Racing
Virgin Racing
Marussia Virgin Racing, the trading name of Virgin Racing Limited, is a Russian owned Formula One racing team based in the United Kingdom and racing on a Russian licence, which made its debut in the 2010 Formula One season. It was granted entry as Manor Grand Prix on 12 June 2009, as one of four...
, Campos
Campos Grand Prix
HRT F1 Team, formerly known as Campos Meta 1 and Hispania Racing, is a Spanish Formula One team founded by former driver Adrián Campos. It was sold to José Ramón Carabante before its debut in 2010, and to then to investment group Thesan Capital in July 2011...
and USF1 were forced to outsource the design of their chassis to other firms and design studios whereas Stefan Grand Prix had the support of Serbian company AMCO, and thus could build their own cars independently. This bias, he claimed, was supported by Prodrive's
Prodrive F1
Prodrive F1 Team is the name of a proposed Formula One team to be run by Prodrive. The team was selected by the FIA in 2006 to be the 12th entry into the 2008 Formula One world championship...
failure to make the grid; like Stefan, Prodrive would have the facilities to build their own chassis. Stefanović, however, had the support of Mike Coughlan
Mike Coughlan
Mike Coughlan is a race car designer. On 3 May 2011 it was announced that Coughlan will become the Chief Designer for Williams F1...
, the disgraced
2007 Formula One espionage controversy
The 2007 Formula One espionage controversy, also known as "Spygate," or "Stepneygate" involves allegations that the McLaren Formula One team was passed confidential technical information from the Ferrari team, and that the Renault F1 team was passed confidential technical information from the...
McLaren
McLaren
McLaren Racing Limited, trading as Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, is a British Formula One team based in Woking, Surrey, United Kingdom. McLaren is best known as a Formula One constructor but has also competed and won in the Indianapolis 500 and Canadian-American Challenge Cup...
engineer. The team has released photographs showing Coughlan in its offices.
On September 29, Stefanović announced his plans to compete in Bahrain, despite not having an entry for the 2010 season,
Further chances to enter F1 in 2010 arose when the manufacturer teams BMW Sauber
BMW Sauber
BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s , before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s...
and Toyota withdrew their entries.
In November 2009, Toyota officially backed out of the championship, following a manufacturer exodus led by Honda
Honda F1
Honda Racing F1 Team was a Formula One team run by Japanese car manufacturer Honda, from 1964 to 1968 and from 2006 to 2008. Honda's involvement in F1 began with the 1964 season; their withdrawal in 1968 was precipitated by the death of Honda driver Jo Schlesser during the 1968 French Grand Prix. ...
and BMW
BMW Sauber
BMW has been involved in Formula One in a number of capacities since the inauguration of the World Drivers' Championship in . The company entered occasional races in the 1950s and 1960s , before building the BMW M12/13 inline-four turbocharged engine in the 1980s...
. Despite initial plans not to sell the team on, Stefanović acquired the rights to use the team's chassis, gearbox and the 2010 spec engine. It also employed several former Toyota team members, then out of work after being made redundant by Toyota. With the vacancy left by Toyota, the FIA moved to fill the thirteenth and final grid position, which was contested between Stefanović and Peter Sauber
Peter Sauber
Peter Sauber is the team principal and owner of various motorsports teams, most visibly the eponymous Sauber Formula One team.- Motorsport career :...
, after BMW sold the team back to him. Sauber
Sauber
Sauber F1 Team is a Swiss Formula One team. It was founded in the 1970s by Peter Sauber, who progressed through hillclimbing and the World Sportscar Championship to reach Formula One in 1993....
was eventually accepted to the grid. Stefanović was still pursuing a 2010 grid position despite the thirteenth grid position having been awarded to Sauber.
On March 3, 2010, the FIA announced that "the USF1 Team have indicated that they will not be in a position to participate in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. Having considered the various options, the FIA confirms that it is not possible for a replacement team to be entered for the Championship at this late stage." However, the FIA mentioned that "in the coming days the FIA will announce details of a new selection process to identify candidates to fill any vacancies existing at the start of the 2011 season."
Failed entry for 2010 Formula One season
The team plans to include a young driver program that would allow rookie drivers testing time on behalf of the teams they sign for as Stefan would be immune to the ban on in-season testing as they have not been accepted to the 2010 grid. On January 29, the team confirmed that that would be receiving technical support from Toyota, and that they were still pushing in their efforts to join the grid for 2010 just six weeks before the first race2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 March 2010, at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the seventh Bahrain Grand Prix and the opening race of the 2010 Formula One season. It was the first time since 2006 that Bahrain had hosted the opening...
of the season.
Despite not having an entry, the team had sent its equipment to the Bahrain International Circuit
Bahrain International Circuit
The Bahrain International Circuit is a motorsport venue opened in 2004 and used for drag racing, GP2 and the annual Bahrain Grand Prix. The 2004 Grand Prix was the first held in the Middle East. Since 2006, Australian V8 Supercar has been raced at the BIC and the V8 races are named as the Desert 400...
in preparation for the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
2010 Bahrain Grand Prix
The 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held on 14 March 2010, at the Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. It was the seventh Bahrain Grand Prix and the opening race of the 2010 Formula One season. It was the first time since 2006 that Bahrain had hosted the opening...
. The team also planned to test its car over three days at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
Autódromo Internacional do Algarve
The Autódromo Internacional do Algarve commonly referred to as Portimao Circuit is a race circuit located in Portimão, Portugal. With a total cost of €195 million , the project includes a karting track, technology park, five-star hotel, sports complex and apartments.Construction was finished in...
on February 25–28 with two drivers, but this was cancelled as the team could not secure a tyre supply. Formula One's sole tyre supplier, Bridgestone
Bridgestone
The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
, will not supply F1-specification tyres to Stefan until the team acquires an entry, but the two parties remain in negotiations on using GP2
GP2 Series
The GP2 Series, GP2 for short, is a form of open wheel motor racing introduced in 2005 following the discontinuation of the long-term Formula One feeder series, Formula 3000. The format was conceived by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, while Ecclestone also has the rights to the name GP1...
-specification tyres.
F1's commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone
Bernie Ecclestone
Bernard Charles "Bernie" Ecclestone is an English business magnate, as president and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Administration and through his part-ownership of Alpha Prema, the parent company of the Formula One Group of companies. As such, he is generally considered the primary...
, has mentioned that he has spoken to the Prime Minister of Serbia
Mirko Cvetkovic
Mirko Cvetković is a Serbian economist and the Prime Minister of Serbia as well as the Minister of Finance.-Biography:...
and that he was confident that Stefan have the funding required for F1. On 3 March 2010, the FIA announced that no team could fill the vacancy left by USF1's aborted entry, ending Stefan GP's hopes of competing in the 2010 championship. The FIA subsequently announced that it was to re-open the selection process for the 2011 season
2011 Formula One season
The 2011 Formula One season was the 62nd FIA Formula One season. The original calendar consisted of twenty rounds, including the inaugural running of the Indian Grand Prix before the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Pirelli returned to the sport as tyre supplier for all teams, taking over...
.
Car and drivers
The team's Toyota-designed and built car was to have been designated the Stefan S-01 and its engine the Stefan RG-01, both of which would have been serviced by Toyota. On 2 February, the team announced its intention to launch and test the car later that month, with Kazuki Nakajima as a driver. The S-01, liveried in national Serbian red, was fired up for the first time on February 19. The team had intended to launch and test its car on 25 February regardless of whether or not its application to the grid was successful, and had been pushing for entry as a fourteenth team. However, the team was unable to acquire tyres from official supplier BridgestoneBridgestone
The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....
, and so was forced to cancel its Portimão
Portimão
Portimão is a Portuguese town located in the District of Faro in the Region of Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão . In 1924, it was incorporated as a cidade and became known merely as Portimão. The town has 41,000 inhabitants and the Portimão...
test and launch. The team later announced that it was planning to launch the car sometime in early March and to test it with Avon tyres rather than Bridgestones. Stefanović also added that a merger with US F1 Team had been discussed but talks collapsed.
The team signed Kazuki Nakajima
Kazuki Nakajima
is a Formula One driver from Japan who drove for the Williams-Toyota team from to . Prior to that he had been their test driver, as well as a competitor in the GP2 Series for the DAMS team....
, whose career has been supported by Toyota, as its first driver. Stefanović also hoped to sign champion Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...
, and Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Maldonado
Pastor Rafael Maldonado Motta is a Venezuelan Formula One driver. Before making his Formula One debut in 2011, he won the 2010 GP2 championship.-Formula Renault:...
as their reserve driver.
Attempt to enter 2011 season
On March 22, 2010, Stefan GP announced that the partnership with Toyota Motorsport had ended because it was not feasible to continue for an entry for 2010. However, Stefan GP did not rule out the partnership being re-established for 2011. In April, Stefan announced that it had applied to enter the season, and that it also planned to build the "Stefan Technology Park" (including a Formula One-standard circuit) in Stara PazovaStara Pazova
Stara Pazova is a town and municipality in Srem District of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 18,645, while Stara Pazova municipality has 67,576 inhabitants.-Name:...
.