Stoddart expects entry to be rejected

Stoddart, who sold his Formula One team to Red Bull last year, submitted an entry for the 2008 championship this week and said his intention to return to the sport was "very serious".

"I don't think it is going to get accepted because when I put my entry in there were only six confirmed entries, so it is 11 with the five manufacturer blocked-entries," Stoddart told autosport.com.

"I would expect that last spot to go to someone like David Richards, I think, and I would have no gripes about that because that is perfectly credible," said Stoddart of the former BAR team boss's plans to enter F1 with his Prodrive company.

"However if something happened between Max and the manufacturers and there was going to be a pull out then I would expect that we would be among the most credible for one of those other spaces.

"We are obviously ready to go, we have got the cars, the engines, and in fact other than anybody in this paddock, there is no-one else in our position with a car that could be made to 2006-spec in a week and put in a credible performance with a restricted V10 test hack for this year and then build your test car in 2007 to what will be fairly set in stone 2008 regulations."

The FIA has said all entries for 2008 must be submitted before today. The 11 teams currently competing have already submitted their applications and there are only 12 spots available.

Stoddart said he is expecting to know his fate as early as next week.

"The entries close 4pm today Geneva today, so I would imagine that Max (Mosley) is not going to waste time," he added. "I cannot see the point but it is up to him, I think and it is only an opinion that we will get a decision next week.

"There is no point to drag it out and I don't expect to get in for obvious reasons but more than just the politics from a pure credible point of view, if I myself was Max then I would give it to David Richards."

"If it doesn't happen then we have got a unified F1 and if we have got a unified F1 then I actually care more about that than if I get back into it, so if it doesn't happen then well done because finally, finally, finally we will have a solution to the politics and bullshit in F1."