Campos Rescued, To Become Volkswagen Entry In 2011 ?

[CNR]

http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=127996&newlang=&topic=1&catid=1

Bernie Ecclestone and Jose Ramon Carabante have joined forces to rescue the Campos team, Spain's Diario AS newspaper reports.

The deal will reportedly see team partner and president Carabante take over from Adrian Campos and lead the outfit to its Bahrain debut next month, before the German car giant Volkswagen steps in for 2011.
http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/themes/PostNuke/images/pix-t.gifhttp://paddocktalk.com/news/html/themes/PostNuke/images/pix-t.gif

AS said the team intends to change its official name from Campos Meta 1 prior to the start of the season.

[K-Pu]

So Adrián Campos goes out of the team, they keep Dallara chassis, Cosworth engines and... According to As, Colin Kolles will be the team principal, with Bruno Senna still driving, and the other one who knows... And it will become VW in 2011.

Honestly, I thought it was much easier they simply dissapeared, but this one is quite a surprise, mostly because of Volkswagen. Are manufacturers coming back? Or they are only German manufacturers?

The best part about it is that this will supposedly guarantee two more cars on the grid at Bahrein.

[I am evil Homer]

If.,...and it'sa big "if" this is true I guess VW sees it as an easier way in. Although why if it was so interesting in F1 it didn't buy TTE based in Cologne makes me susepct this won't happen

[Dave B]

Joe Saward writes:


It sounds rather far-fetched in some respects but parts of it make sense.

His article makes interesting reading:
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/a-good-story-from-spain/

[ArrowsFA1]

Time will tell, but I do wonder if mention of VW is simply re-heating a story that went cold last year.

[N. Jones]

Joe Saward writes:



His article makes interesting reading:
http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/a-good-story-from-spain/

I was just about to post this as well.

Joe Saward is on the case. Sounds fishy to me.

[RJL25]

Does anyone really think VW would be silly enough to buy a team that has never even completed a lap and hasn't even taken delivery of its cars from a third party manufacturer yet over an established team such as Sauber, Williams, even Force India or Torro Rosso.. let alone the passing up of the opportunity to buy a ready made works F1 team with Toyota stepping out..

..this all reaks of BS to me

[V12]

VW have always said in the past (sorry, no links to hand) that their preferred method of entry to F1 would be purely an engine supplier, at most have some sort of small minority interest in a team (a bit like the current Renault/Genii setup) rather than going all out to buy a team like Mercedes have done or Renault, Honda and BMW did in the past, or start a new operation like Toyota did.

So until I see any confirmation or strong and multiple rumours.... snowballs and hell and all that.

[Pulidor]

Coming from AS, I wouldn't pay much attention to all of this.

[Donney]

Exactly AS are not reliable.

[Sonic]

VW's name has been linked to F1 for, what, ten years on and of. I'll believe it when I see it.

[Easy Drifter]

VW have officially denied any part in it.
Makes the veracity of the entire story highly questionable.

[jens]

Isn't Colin Kolles working at Stefan GP now? So something doesn't sound right there. :p : The VW rumours seem a bit unconvincing at the moment, but the scenario of Ecclestone buying the team from Campos and selling it on to Stefan GP might actually be possible. And besides all, based on rumours so far I've got the impression that VW may be interested joining F1 only if new engine rules will come to force. But IIRC they could be implemented in 2012 at earliest.

[K-Pu]

So it turns out to be another great heap of sh*t, just like the incredible and unstoppable SEAT all-Spanish F1 team, which, as we all know, has dominated for over two decades and a half...

And apart from VW involvement in this, which was quite dubious, is there any hint of being true that about Campos going out of his own team? If Carabante is willing to pay the bill and find another team principal since Kolles is bysy somewhere else... the thing is getting weirder than Stefan GP´s stuff...

[truefan72]

this was a non story to start with and I knew so when it only showd up on Autosport. what's even worse, their editors seemd to have been MIA o fact checking even the basics of this story which are wrong in a few obvious places.

[Sleeper]

If.,...and it'sa big "if" this is true I guess VW sees it as an easier way in. Although why if it was so interesting in F1 it didn't buy TTE based in Cologne makes me susepct this won't happen
As far as I know Toyota arent willing to sell the Cologne factory, it certainly seems they're offering support to StefanGP from their.

I find this rather dubious as VW-Audi have said for over a decade now that they aren interrested in F1, too expensieve.

[Mark]

As far as I know Toyota arent willing to sell the Cologne factory, it certainly seems they're offering support to StefanGP from their.

That facility was in place long before their F1 team and I'm sure will be used for other projects in the future.



I find this rather dubious as VW-Audi have said for over a decade now that they aren interrested in F1, too expensieve.

Yup. But the story just keeps coming up! If anybody is going to be in F1, I'd expect they would enter Audi, not VW.

[AndyRAC]

Mm, I'd be surprised, F1 doesn't really fit their image. Anyway each of the VW marques has it own supposed Motorsport:

Audi - Le Mans/Sportscars
Seat - Touring cars
Skoda - Rallying
VW - Rally Raids

In fact VW have rumoured to be interested in WRC/IRC - maybe Bernie has got wind of this and is trying to persuade them to do F1. Who knows..??

[Dave B]

Seat - Touring cars
Remember though that they've pulled out of the BTCC and now - apart from giving support to a few cars - the WTCC.

SEAT in F1 is a long shot, I grant you!

[Donney]

And Lamborghini? :D

[Sleeper]

That facility was in place long before their F1 team and I'm sure will be used for other projects in the future.
Yeah, I've read about rumours of a sportscar or touring car program run from their, no doubt the facility has the capacity to do both.



Yup. But the story just keeps coming up! If anybody is going to be in F1, I'd expect they would enter Audi, not VW.
I doubt it would be Audi though, in the next year or so they'll have to build brand new cars for the DTM and Le Mans, and they dont like doing two things at once.

[edv]

I thought that VW claimed that they would only be interested in F1 if there was a mandate for a 'world engine' .

[Jag_Warrior]

And Lamborghini? :D

Ah! You beat me to the punch! :D

[VkmSpouge]

I'll take this story with a pinch of salt like many other rumours surrounding Campos.


And Lamborghini? :D

They could try Bugatti too.

[52Paddy]

This doesn't sound likely (given the lack of solid information) but, even so, Texeira looks like he can add another failed buy-out to his C.V. :rolleyes: