New teams for 2010

Following weeks of speculation, leaks and predictions, the FIA revealed on Friday which new teams will be joining an expanded 26-car grid in 2010.

While Team US F1 and Campos had been considered two of the front runners to seal spots, the inclusion of Manor Grand Prix came as a surprise given the F3 team had not been mentioned among the 10 known hopefuls.

So with three new faces currently set to join the fray from next March, we bring you our need-to-know guide to each outfit’s motorsport pedigree and their plans for F1.


Campos Grand Prix

Adrian Campos' own Formula 1 career was little to get excited about - in his Minardi stint in the late 1980s, he only saw the chequered flag twice in 21 appearances.

But he would have a major effect on F1 just over a decade later as the original manager of future double world champion Fernando Alonso, who he ran in his formative years in Spanish national racing.

By then Campos was firmly established as a team owner, ultimately moving into GP2 after success on the domestic scene. Following a quiet start, Campos Grand Prix progressed to the point that it became the 2008 teams' champion, and has started 2009 as the squad to beat too.

Campos is no longer involved in the outfit he founded, though, having sold it to businessman Alejandro Agag and stepped down to concentrate on a 'new project' - which turned out to be his F1 bid.

With the team to operate out of Campos Racing’s existing technical base in Valencia, it has hired former F1 constructor Dallara to design its first car, and Xtrac to supply gearboxes. It enters alongside Madrid-based sports agency firm Meta Image.




Team US F1

The first of the new entrants to make its intentions known, US F1's bold aim is to reinvigorate American interest in F1 by running a team with American drivers and expertise, operating out of a facility in North Carolina.

Founders Ken Anderson (a former Ligier designer) and Peter Windsor (an ex-Williams team manager turned journalist and broadcaster) believe that running a team from a different continent is no longer a problem given modern facilities and transport links, but also intend to set up a Spanish out-base for the squad.

Although they only went public with their F1 intentions in spring this year, US F1 has been in the planning for several years and Windsor has said that the project has Bernie Ecclestone's seal of approval.

The founders have said they are keen to hire at least one American driver, while Windsor revealed recently that its first car could run before the end of the year.


Manor Grand Prix

The surprise inclusion on the 2010 entry list, the current Formula 3 Euroseries team has enjoyed huge success in the junior formulae since former single-seater champion John Booth founded Manor Motorsport 19 years ago.

Before the selling the Formula Renault side of its operation in 2007, star graduates of Booth’s team included future world champions Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen – the pair contributing to Manor’s glittering overall record of 171 race wins and 19 championships.

Manor will make the step up to F1 in partnership with former Simtek owner and Benetton chief designer Nick Wirth, the Briton to be the team’s technical director and his Wirth Research company to build the outfit’s 2010 car.

The team has two sites across the UK, one in Sheffield and the other in Bicester, and like its fellow new entrants will use Cosworth engines for its big F1 adventure.