Oreca: the F1 temptation

Oreca likes major challenges. A few days before the legendary test of 24 Hours of Le Mans, during which the French team will engage two “protos”, the Formula 1 already presents itself as the new challenge for Hugues de Chaunac. For the boss of Oreca, the reduction in costs introduced by the FIA ​​in 2010 opens a new era where the big manufacturers would no longer be the only masters on board. “ The economic crisis changes the situation in F1, declares de Chaunac in the columns of l?Equipe. We will see a gradual withdrawal of the major manufacturers and a new era will arrive. It therefore seemed legitimate to me that a company like Oreca, in view of this brutal evolution of F1, should work and think about a team project, which should be presentable around October 2009. »

While Oreca is already involved in endurance and tourism (Seat in WTCC), the French structure could thus return to the single-seater field. Indeed, Oreca has, in the past, collected titles in F2 et F3. But the 2010 season arriving too quickly, Hugues de Chaunac is thinking instead of 2011. And wants to build a solid and lasting project: “ It's not just about thinking about an F1 team. More broadly, it is a question of building a viable economic model, a real brand, to have a successful French F1 team over the long term. » If Huges de Chaunac and Oreca realize this project then, yes, Formula 1 will enter a new era. French motorsport will be able to rejoice.