Hitech GP in F1 entry bid

Ewan Gale
Saturday 25 February 2023 14:39 - Updated: 17:52

Hitech GP has registered an interest in joining the F1 grid.

The FIA launched the process for teams to gain entry to the existing ten-team championship last month.

Andretti Cadillac Racing has been the most vocal of the potential entrants, though F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has been keen to highlight that there have been 'less visible' prospective teams.

GPFans now understands that F2 and F3 outfit Hitech has launched an effort to gain entry to F1.

It comes after Hitech was mentioned in a report from German media as a potential suitor should AlphaTauri be put up for sale by Red Bull, but the Austrian outfit has since shut down talk of the sister team being sold, per the Mirror.

READ MORE: FIA open F1 application process for TWO new teams

Bright spark after challenging year

A successful bid would come following a turbulent year for Hitech in which both the team's main sponsorship was lost and its lead driver came under fire.

Dmitry Mazepin, father of former Haas driver Nikita, funded Hitech through the Uralkali brand but was forced to relinquish his position in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year.

Just a few months later, Juri Vips thrust the team into the spotlight when using a derogatory racial slur during a gaming live stream.

The Estonian was retained by Hitech despite being dropped from Red Bull's junior programme, drawing widespread criticism for the team.

F1 and the FIA must now determine whether any prospective new team is worthy of joining the incumbents, with any new entries set to join in 2025 at the earliest.

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