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| Stefan Grand Prix | |
|---|---|
| Motor racing team | |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Country | Serbia |
| Team Principal(s) | Zoran Stefanović |
| Current series | none |
| Drivers' titles | 0 |
| Teams' titles | 0 |
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.
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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;[1] once in 1996[2][3] and again one year later with an attempt to purchase the remains of Lola's abortive 1997 entry.
In 2009, Formula One's governing body the FIA 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.[4][5] 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.[1] Stefanović, however, had the support of Mike Coughlan, the disgraced McLaren engineer. The team has released photographs showing Coughlan in its offices.[6]
On September 29, Stefanović announced his plans to compete in Bahrain, despite not having an entry for the 2010 season,[7]
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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] Stefanović was still pursuing a 2010 grid position despite the thirteenth grid position having been awarded to Sauber.[11]
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."[12]
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.[13] 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 race of the season.[14]
Despite not having an entry, the team had sent its equipment to the Bahrain International Circuit in preparation for the 2010 Bahrain Grand Prix.[15] 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.[6][16] 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.[17]
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.[18] 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.[19] The FIA subsequently announced that it was to re-open the selection process for the 2011 season.[20]
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.[17][21] 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,[22] and had been pushing for entry as a fourteenth team.[23] However, the team was unable to acquire tyres from official supplier Bridgestone, 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.[24]
The team signed Kazuki Nakajima, whose career has been supported by Toyota, as its first driver. Stefanović also hoped to sign 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve, and Pastor Maldonado as their reserve driver.[21]
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.[25] In April, Stefan announced that it had applied to enter the 2011 season, and that it also planned to build the "Stefan Technology Park" (including a Formula One-standard circuit) in Stara Pazova.[26][27]
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