A1GP boss Tony Teixeira says he intends to use the Campos Meta team as A1GP’s Formula 1 arm if he successfully completes a deal to buy into the outfit.

AUTOSPORT revealed earlier this month that Teixeira was a leading candidate to either take a major share in or take over Adrian Campos’s start-up F1 team, which is seeking new investment to ensure it makes it onto the 2010 grid.

Teixeira has previously stated his ambition to have an F1 squad that the top drivers from A1GP could graduate into. Although his nation versus nation series has had to call off the first half of its fifth season due to financial problems, Teixeira hopes to restart A1GP later this year.

“There’s more than one group talking to Campos and for us it has got to be part of an A1 deal,” he told Reuters. “It’s all for A1. My ambition is to bring A1 into F1.”

He said he was open to either a partnership with Campos or a fully-fledged buy-out: “It’s whatever suits us best.”

Campos’s head of strategy Daniel Eisen told the Associated Press that the team might not test its Dallara-built car prior to the season-opener in Bahrain, but Teixeira said he had assured that the team would be ready sooner.

“I am aware of that report but that’s not what the team principal tells me,” he said. “They may make the second test but definitely the third and they will make the race. The second test is the target.”

A1GP boss Tony Teixeira says he intends to use the Campos Meta team as A1GP’s Formula 1 arm if he successfully completes a deal to buy into the outfit.

AUTOSPORT revealed earlier this month that Teixeira was a leading candidate to either take a major share in or take over Adrian Campos’s start-up F1 team, which is seeking new investment to ensure it makes it onto the 2010 grid.

Teixeira has previously stated his ambition to have an F1 squad that the top drivers from A1GP could graduate into. Although his nation versus nation series has had to call off the first half of its fifth season due to financial problems, Teixeira hopes to restart A1GP later this year.

“There’s more than one group talking to Campos and for us it has got to be part of an A1 deal,” he told Reuters. “It’s all for A1. My ambition is to bring A1 into F1.”

He said he was open to either a partnership with Campos or a fully-fledged buy-out: “It’s whatever suits us best.”

Campos’s head of strategy Daniel Eisen told the Associated Press that the team might not test its Dallara-built car prior to the season-opener in Bahrain, but Teixeira said he had assured that the team would be ready sooner.

“I am aware of that report but that’s not what the team principal tells me,” he said. “They may make the second test but definitely the third and they will make the race. The second test is the target.”

A1GP boss Tony Teixeira says he intends to use the Campos Meta team as A1GP’s Formula 1 arm if he successfully completes a deal to buy into the outfit.

AUTOSPORT revealed earlier this month that Teixeira was a leading candidate to either take a major share in or take over Adrian Campos’s start-up F1 team, which is seeking new investment to ensure it makes it onto the 2010 grid.

Teixeira has previously stated his ambition to have an F1 squad that the top drivers from A1GP could graduate into. Although his nation versus nation series has had to call off the first half of its fifth season due to financial problems, Teixeira hopes to restart A1GP later this year.

“There’s more than one group talking to Campos and for us it has got to be part of an A1 deal,” he told Reuters. “It’s all for A1. My ambition is to bring A1 into F1.”

He said he was open to either a partnership with Campos or a fully-fledged buy-out: “It’s whatever suits us best.”

Campos’s head of strategy Daniel Eisen told the Associated Press that the team might not test its Dallara-built car prior to the season-opener in Bahrain, but Teixeira said he had assured that the team would be ready sooner.

“I am aware of that report but that’s not what the team principal tells me,” he said. “They may make the second test but definitely the third and they will make the race. The second test is the target.”

A1GP boss Tony Teixeira says he intends to use the Campos Meta team as A1GP’s Formula 1 arm if he successfully completes a deal to buy into the outfit.

AUTOSPORT revealed earlier this month that Teixeira was a leading candidate to either take a major share in or take over Adrian Campos’s start-up F1 team, which is seeking new investment to ensure it makes it onto the 2010 grid.

Teixeira has previously stated his ambition to have an F1 squad that the top drivers from A1GP could graduate into. Although his nation versus nation series has had to call off the first half of its fifth season due to financial problems, Teixeira hopes to restart A1GP later this year.

“There’s more than one group talking to Campos and for us it has got to be part of an A1 deal,” he told Reuters. “It’s all for A1. My ambition is to bring A1 into F1.”

He said he was open to either a partnership with Campos or a fully-fledged buy-out: “It’s whatever suits us best.”

Campos’s head of strategy Daniel Eisen told the Associated Press that the team might not test its Dallara-built car prior to the season-opener in Bahrain, but Teixeira said he had assured that the team would be ready sooner.

“I am aware of that report but that’s not what the team principal tells me,” he said. “They may make the second test but definitely the third and they will make the race. The second test is the target.”

Anthony Davidson could make a racing comeback in the DTM this season after testing for Audi in Spain earlier this week.

Audi has at least one vacancy in its line-up following the retirement of Tom Kristensen, and Davidson says the series appeals to him.

“I would definitely be interested in racing in the DTM; it’s something I’ve got my eye on,” he told this week’s AUTOSPORT magazine. “If I was given a chance to do it I would.

“They invited me to come and do the test and you can’t turn down a company like Audi.”

The former Super Aguri Formula 1 driver, who was contracted to the Brawn squad until the end of last year, admitted that he is starting to evaluate his options outside of F1 after spending 18 months on the sidelines since the withdrawal of Honda’s second team in 2008.

“I’ve tried very hard to get back into F1, and I’m still trying,” said Davidson, “but with the chances of finding something diminishing there I’ve decided to look at opportunities elsewhere.

“I’ve always wanted to drive a DTM car, so this has been a good experience.”

Davidson was joined at the Audi test by Formula 3 drivers Mika Maki and Jean-Karl Vernay, Porsche racers Rene Rast and Jan Seyffarth, former A1GP driver Filipe Albuquerque, and Formula Renault 3.5 regular Miguel Molina.

Reigning A1GP champion team and current GP3 start-up outfit Status Grand Prix is targeting a move into Formula 1 in the coming seasons, according to senior team figures.

Status ran the title-winning A1 Team Ireland in the most recent A1GP championship, and is a week away from taking delivery of its first GP3 chassis ahead of the inaugural season for the new GP2 feeder series. But speaking on the stage at AUTOSPORT International, team principal Simon Cayzer said that Formula 1 also figured in the team’s plans.

“One of our shareholders is Teddy Yip Jr, the son of Teddy Yip who had Theodore Racing, the F1 team in the 1970s and 1980s, so I am not going to say no [to F1],” Cayzer said.

“I think our team is ambitious, we want to expand very quickly. I wouldn’t say that we wouldn’t look at it.”

His ambition was echoed by Status technical director Gary Anderson, who previously designed F1 cars for teams including Jordan, Stewart and Jaguar.

“The team is very ambitious, and the thing is, why not?” Anderson said. “If you look at the new teams that are coming into Formula 1 now, they’re going to get a rude awakening, because this is the time when you have to sign a lot of cheques and if you have a lot of money behind you then that’s OK, you can compete in Formula 1.

“But I think in the next few years, you’re going to see it being tidied up. I wouldn’t say it is going to be cheaper, but I think it is going to be tidied up so that there is not so much waste. So there is an opportunity for a team, and building it up through GP3, why not?”

Reigning A1GP champion team and current GP3 start-up outfit Status Grand Prix is targeting a move into Formula 1 in the coming seasons, according to senior team figures.

Status ran the title-winning A1 Team Ireland in the most recent A1GP championship, and is a week away from taking delivery of its first GP3 chassis ahead of the inaugural season for the new GP2 feeder series. But speaking on the stage at AUTOSPORT International, team principal Simon Cayzer said that Formula 1 also figured in the team’s plans.

“One of our shareholders is Teddy Yip Jr, the son of Teddy Yip who had Theodore Racing, the F1 team in the 1970s and 1980s, so I am not going to say no [to F1],” Cayzer said.

“I think our team is ambitious, we want to expand very quickly. I wouldn’t say that we wouldn’t look at it.”

His ambition was echoed by Status technical director Gary Anderson, who previously designed F1 cars for teams including Jordan, Stewart and Jaguar.

“The team is very ambitious, and the thing is, why not?” Anderson said. “If you look at the new teams that are coming into Formula 1 now, they’re going to get a rude awakening, because this is the time when you have to sign a lot of cheques and if you have a lot of money behind you then that’s OK, you can compete in Formula 1.

“But I think in the next few years, you’re going to see it being tidied up. I wouldn’t say it is going to be cheaper, but I think it is going to be tidied up so that there is not so much waste. So there is an opportunity for a team, and building it up through GP3, why not?”

Trident Racing has become the latest GP2 team to sign up for the new Auto GP series.

The Italian squad joins GP2 rivals DAMS and Super Nova, both of which confirmed their involvement last month.

Trident plans to run its Auto GP programme alongside its GP2 campaign to “highlight the team’s intention to maintain a relevant position along with the other top level teams in the field of international motorsport.”

The Coloni Motorsport-run Auto GP, which uses the an updated version of the first-generation A1GP cars, promises substantial prize money despite requiring a relatively small budget from its drivers, and Trident team principal Maurizio Salvadori said that he hoped to use the series to help prepare drivers for GP2.

“I think Coloni is bringing forward a very appealing project,” he said. “Our goal is to fight for victory, but also to line up deserving drivers in the Auto GP Series that can eventually grow with us in the GP2 Series.”

A new team will join the British Formula 3 grid this season with help from outgoing category stalwart Manor Motorsport.

After gaining an entry to Formula 1 for 2010, Manor has quit the F3 Euro Series to switch to GP3 under the Virgin Racing banner.

The squad has sold two of its Dallara-Mercedes to ex-German F3 Cup mechanic Chris Churchill, whose team will run the cars with technical support provided by John Booth’s squad.

Sino Vision has signed ex-German F3 Cup racer and Chinese A1GP rookie test driver Adderly Fong to lead its line-up and is currently on the lookout for a second driver.

Churchill, who ran bikes for Honda and Suzuki in World Motocross before switching to cars, said: “The initial aim of Sino Vision Racing is to find its feet in Formula 3 and be as competitive as possible.

“Obviously everybody wants to win, but our primary goal for the first few races is to be competitive and work on a good set-up for our cars. We will be working with the support of Manor Motorsport to help us achieve this.

“We also want to provide our driver Adderly Fong with a secure, friendly environment in which he can progress and grow. I am confidant Adderly will do well in his first season in British F3. He is training hard and is very focused on the year ahead.

“Long term, we hope to be winning races. We are keen to sign a second driver and are talking to a couple of people at the moment.”

A new team will join the British Formula 3 grid this season with help from outgoing category stalwart Manor Motorsport.

After gaining an entry to Formula 1 for 2010, Manor has quit the F3 Euro Series to switch to GP3 under the Virgin Racing banner.

The squad has sold two of its Dallara-Mercedes to ex-German F3 Cup mechanic Chris Churchill, whose team will run the cars with technical support provided by John Booth’s squad.

Sino Vision has signed ex-German F3 Cup racer and Chinese A1GP rookie test driver Adderly Fong to lead its line-up and is currently on the lookout for a second driver.

Churchill, who ran bikes for Honda and Suzuki in World Motocross before switching to cars, said: “The initial aim of Sino Vision Racing is to find its feet in Formula 3 and be as competitive as possible.

“Obviously everybody wants to win, but our primary goal for the first few races is to be competitive and work on a good set-up for our cars. We will be working with the support of Manor Motorsport to help us achieve this.

“We also want to provide our driver Adderly Fong with a secure, friendly environment in which he can progress and grow. I am confidant Adderly will do well in his first season in British F3. He is training hard and is very focused on the year ahead.

“Long term, we hope to be winning races. We are keen to sign a second driver and are talking to a couple of people at the moment.”