Lola pressing ahead with F1 plans

Autosport revealed last week that two of the teams that lodged applications to join the world championship in 2008 had asked Lola whether they could build them an F1 chassis. The identity of the two teams involved is being kept secret.

Although neither of the two teams are understood to have been successful in getting a slot on the 2008 grid, Lola has insisted that it is still pushing ahead with the plans that would see it build its first F1 chassis since its aborted 1997 attempt.

"We have had close consultations with several F1 teams that are ongoing," a Lola spokesman told autosport.com on Tuesday. "The release of the entry list didn't change anything and we are still pressing ahead with our plans.

"We've got the facilities for a serious F1 operation, and our wind tunnel is still used by F1 teams when theirs is out of commission for any reason.

"However we are unable to announce anything more at this stage."

Lola's owner Martin Birrane told Autosport last week that he believed the interested parties were serious in their efforts to move into F1 and that his company was confident it would be more successful than its last foray into the sport.

"We're entirely serious about this," he explained. "There's no way we want to embarrass ourselves.

"We're one of the few companies who can do the whole lot in terms of building a car for a new team and we'd be absolutely delighted to go ahead and do it. It's natural for a company of Lola's reputation to be in F1."

Birrane refused to reveal any details about the two parties but did say they were entirely new F1 outfits that had no links with current teams.

"One of the projects already has an engine deal agreed and although the other one hasn't yet, they are both serious."