Lola plans a return to F1 in 2010

The race car manufacturer Lola is considering a return to Formula 1 next year, after confirming it has started a full evaluation of the technical, operational, and financial aspects of the project.

The company based in Huntingdon has a long history in F1, and its last appearance on the starting grids dates back to its short and unsuccessful attempt at the beginning of the 1997 season.

With the FIA’s announcement last month about the possibility for a team to race in F1 with a budget capped at 33 million euros, Lola’s director, Martin Birrane, now believes that the time has come to consider a return.

« The announcement that the teams could opt for a prudent, responsible, and ‘capped’ financial regime for 2010 convinced us to conduct a comprehensive evaluation for the development of a car intended to compete in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, » he emphasized.

« Offering world-class engineering excellence, providing high-quality solutions controlled by a serious financial regime has been part of Lola’s DNA over the past decade. The recent need in F1 to adopt a responsible approach in these times of economic uncertainty has created the ideal conditions for us. »

« Lola possesses the technical resources, capabilities, and expertise to develop cars capable of competing at the highest levels of global motorsport, including F1, » states Martin Birrane in an interview given to Autosport.

It seems that Lola is simultaneously negotiating with Cosworth for the supply of a V8 next year, and this will obviously be in competition with other teams interested in the English engine for 2010, including the USF1 team.

Lola has already appointed engineers for its F1 program evaluation, already has a wind tunnel up to F1 standards, CFD capabilities for simulation, and 7 dynamic platforms for chassis testing in its factory.

For a reminder of the history, Lola first entered F1 in 1962, finishing in a brilliant 4th position in the championship. Unfortunately, the adventure afterward was made up of endless comings and goings without much success. Since 1997, Lola has built single-seaters for ChampCar, F3000, GP2, and more recently for the A1GP championship.