• 2010 Season

Joint launch plans could be scrapped

ESPNF1 Staff
December 22, 2009 « Brawn settles Henkel sponsorship dispute | »
Teams may hold individual launches © Sutton Images
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Plans for a joint launch between the Formula One teams have been scrapped according to reports.

They had planned to hold a common launch in Valencia towards the end of January but reports from Autosport.com and Auto Motor und Sport suggest the event will not go ahead. There were concerns among the smaller entrants that they would not receive much press attention if they launched their cars on the same day as Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes.

The German story added that the new teams might not have a car ready in time for the proposed date. When the idea was first mentioned by Mercedes CEO Nick Fry, Lotus boss Tony Fernandes joked, "I won't have a car at that time. I could come with a Matchbox car".

It is likely that they will revert to holding individual launches in late January if a solution is not reached. The first official test of 2010 will take place in early February at the Ricardo Tormo circuit just outside Valencia.

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