Direxiz rejected so far for 2007 F1

[Dino Scuderia]

4/27/2006 8:01:18 AM

One day before FIA officially confirms the 12 teams for the 2008 championship, the list of contenders who did not make the cut are starting to come forward.

Japanese company Direxiv say their application has been rejected but they are not about to give up their Formula One plans.

The current 11 teams are all expected to be approved leaving 11 candidates vying for one spot on the grid. The odds on favourite to land the coveted spot is former F1 boss David Richards and his Prodrive outfit.

Former F1 owner Paul Stoddart has also confirmed receiving his rejection letter.

Former Grand Prix driver Jean Alesi, who is helping Direxiv, says plans are still on track for 2007.

However, with the number of teams capped at 12 for 2008 and Direxiv not expected to be among them, the question remains why would the Japanese outfit risk posting a $48-million bond for one year of racing.

Alesi tells autosport.com, "That is something we are going to have to sort out".

The obvious solution would be to buy out one of the 12 teams approved for 2008 or convince FIA to increase the number of entries.

FIA president Max Mosley has indicated that increasing the number entries is possible but only by unanimous agreement of all teams.

[fpv_gtho]

I wonder if this puts more pressure on Midland to take F1 serious, as they seem the obvious target if someone were to buyout a team to get into 2008