Millionaire in £80m search to RESURRECT racing series featuring Jos Verstappen

Formula 1

Millionaire in £80m search to RESURRECT racing series featuring Verstappen

The series has not been active since 2009 but some recognisable names have competed

Joe Ellis

Saturday 20 May 2023 19:27

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Sir Keith Mills is hoping to secure the funding to resurrect the A1 Grand Prix racing series as early as the 2024 season, according to reports.

Several significant figures in both the sporting and business districts are coming together to pitch to investors in a bid to secure the £80million they require, Sky News has reported.

A handful of very wealthy parties have already expressed an interest in investing in the rebirth of the series that collapsed in 2009 following the global financial crisis of the time.

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Insiders of the deal say that manufacturers are already being contacted about supplying a car and engines for the series which would run in the F1 off-season so as to not compete with the pinnacle of motorsport.

The project is being spearheaded by a team including Marcin Budkowski, a former team principal at the Alpine F1 team and previously a director of the FIA and the cars would be designed to run on sustainable fuel.

No one involved with A1 GP responded to Sky News when asked for comment with funding still required to make the deal happen.

Jos Verstappen raced in A1 GP during their 2005-06 season for the Netherlands

How A1 GP works

Unlike F1 where any company or manufacturer can be a team, only nations can be classed as a team which makes A1 GP an effective World Cup of Motorsports.

29 nations competed during the series' initial run across all continents such as Lebanon, South Africa and Monaco.

Only drivers from those nations can drive for the specific teams although those with second nationality can represent either.

The rebirth of the series would see cars able to travel at speeds of up to 350kph which would make them only fractionally slower than F1 cars in a straight line.

Running the A1 GP season at times when F1 are not racing could theoretically open up the whole grid to representing their country without sacrificing their spot in F1.

The FIA Motorsport Games already acts as an Olympics for motorsport with 16 different disciplines and drivers representing their nations.

But the fastest of those is the GT or Formula 4 Cup which doesn't give the stars of F1 a chance of competing.