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As Formula 1 opened its doors to prospective new entries for the 2010 season, the promised £40m cost cap presented a considerably more affordable option for junior-category racing teams looking to make the step up to the top table of international motorsport.
It also opened F1 up to teams operating outside of "Motorsport Valley", an approximately 30-mile radius around the Silverstone circuit in which most UK-based teams have their headquarters, giving 'alternative' racing teams a chance to lay claim to a coveted entry ticket to the 2010 grid.
Two entry applications came from Spain, with two junior-series veteran outfits aiming to become F1's first-ever Spanish constructor. Sure, there had been Spanish-licensed teams on the entry list, largely courtesy of Emilio de Villota's privateer exploits in the late 1970s and early '80s, but these had run customer chassis and hence didn't count as a full-fat, bona fide constructor.
