Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFormula 1

FIA opens up selection process for new F1 team in 2016 or 2017

The FIA has opened up a selection process for a new team to join the grid next season or in 2017.

With the Haas F1 Team already set to join in 2016, the FIA has reopened a tender calling for an expression of interest by June 30, with the precise selection process to then be communicated to candidates after that date.

The prospective teams will then need to submit a full application by the start of September, with the FIA saying it will name the successful candidate on 30 September of this year.

With the FIA saying "all applicants will be expected to undergo thorough due diligence" it also outlines some of the selection criteria, which will include:

a) the technical ability and resources of the team

b) the ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation in the Championship at a competitive level

c) the team’s experience and human resources

d) the FIA’s assessment of the value that the candidate may bring to the Championship as a whole.

With the FIA warning "the overall long-term interests of the Championship will determine which candidate is selected", it also says no team will be selected if no candidate is considered suitable by both the FIA and the commercial rights holder.

The invitation comes with just 10 teams participating in this year's championship, with Caterham having gone in to administration and dropped off the grid at the end of the 2014 season.

Click here for a look at the FIA's clampdown on front wing flexibility

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.