FIA set to give American team green light for ’15

The Formula 1 grid looks set to expand to 12 teams in 2015 with the addition of an American-led outfit.

The FIA opened up a tender process to find a new team back in January and it’s believed three applicants showed an interest.

However it’s believed Gene Haas, co-owner of the Stewart-Haas NASCAR team, will be chosen as the most viable candidate with an official announcement expected on Friday.

Haas has already held meetings with FIA president Jean Todt to discuss the proposal and has an agreement in place with Italy’s Dallara to build an F1 chassis.

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It was rumoured that an American manufacturer, possibly Ford, was interested in rebranding a Cosworth V6 engine – which has been designed, but not built – to run in the back of an American team, but that now seems unlikely considering Haas has already met with Ferrari to agree a deal to use its power unit.

The Stewart-Haas team recently expanded its facilities in Charlotte, where it’s believed the team would be based. A second European base would likely be set up in Brussels where he owns a facility which has access to a full-scale windtunnel.

The FIA is due to announce its final decision on Friday, and it could possibly include a second team as the regulations allow for a maximum of 13 teams.

Update: The FIA chose to delay any announcement for a yet unknown reason, but it has emerged that a Romanian team with government backing has also submitted an application.