Prodrive All But Give Up On Formula One

Dave Richards has admitted that he has all but given up on entering Formula One due to the customer car saga. When Prodrive won the twelfth team slot, Dave was open about his intentions to collaborate with another team, but with the continued resistance from other teams, it is looking less likely that the FIA will go back on their decision and allow customer chassis to compete. Prodrive had hoped that the planned relaxation in the regulations would allow his team to work closely with McLaren, but at the Autosport International Show today the dream had faded.

The new Concorde Agreement ultimately determines that each team has to be a constructor, and the barriers to entry are horrendous. The barrier to entry and being competitive make it virtually impossible, so I do have to question under those terms whether we will consider doing it. Dave Richards.

Williams were the most vocal team about the Prodrive entry and the proposed changes to the rules, and even threatened legal action against Prodrive. And with the new Concorde Agreement is likely to remain with the insistence that teams build their own cars. Richards believes this is bad for the sport as it means that improving competitiveness is incredibly difficult. With more cars running closer together the spectacle should, in theory, be better. But it would mean that the innovation between the teams would stagnate.

I was very clear from the outset, and I have made no bones about it right from day one, about how we were going to go about it. Now, if the rules are different again we will have to reassess the situation.

I believe firmly that the ideas and concept that the FIA had two years ago, of introducing the idea of a customer based vehicle, was exactly the right way to go. Dave Richards.

Richards has stated that he my reconsider the position of his company if the rules are changed, but until that happens, Prodrive are remaining in the paddock.