Direxiv pushing ahead with F1 plans

Motor racing's governing body is expected to announce tomorrow that the 12 successful entrants for 2008 are the current 11 teams plus new entry Prodrive. The unsuccessful entrants were notified last week about their failed applications.

That decision appeared to have scuppered plans for Direxiv's move to F1 - following months of negotiations with McLaren-Mercedes to arrange assistance on the chassis and engine side, and the refurbishment of McLaren's old Woking factory to run the new team.

However, former Grand Prix driver Jean Alesi, who plans to help run the team, has made it clear that Direxiv are still looking at entering F1 in 2007.

"The plan is still for 2007," he told autosport.com. "We are working hard to reach an agreement. We have a factory and we still want to use it next year. We are determined to make it work."

Alesi made it clear that provision for the $48 million entry bond, which the team would need to lodge if they wanted to race next year, had been included in Direxiv's plans to make the move to F1.

The major complication for Direxiv, however, is the uncertainty about what would happen to their team after next year - because of the lack of entry for 2008.

Alesi said about the problems posed by the 2008 entry list: "That is something we are going to have to sort out."   

McLaren boss Ron Dennis, who has been offering assistance to the Direxiv plans, said he was unsure about how the situation would pan out.

"I don't know," he said when asked about the situation for 2008 if a team entered next season. "We have asked that ourselves because of the assistance we have been trying to give to Direxiv.

"We are obviously aware of everything that has happened over the last few days (in deciding the entry list) and I'm surprised there has not been more subjectivity over analyzing the top three contenders and giving them a more rigorous process to comply to. Why? Because it is commonly known that a position on the grid adds value.

"If you spoke to the teams in F1 - there is always value irrespective of the fiscal condition of the team - there is always valued placed on having a position in F1. It has a value and a necessity for a far more subjective test."

A report in this week's Autosport suggests, however, that there is the possibility of the 2008 grid being opened up to more than 12 teams.

The magazine reveals that FIA sources believe the limit of 12 teams is far from fixed, even though FIA president Max Mosley has said such a scenario would require unanimous support of the teams.

"Thirteen teams would be possible," Mosley told Autosport. "But there are no plans to do that. It would require the agreement of all the teams."