New Zealand-based Rodin Cars said on Thursday its bid to enter Formula One as an 11th team and with a female driver had been rejected and it expected Andretti Global to be the only successful applicant.
Rodin’s Australian founder David Dicker said in a statement the company had proposed building the cars in New Zealand, a move that would have made it the only manufacturer in the Southern Hemisphere.
It had also committed to reserving one seat for a female driver.
Britain’s Jamie Chadwick, the three times winner of the now-folded all-female W Series, has tested for Rodin and would have been in line for the role if available.
Formula One has not had a female racer since 1976 and Chadwick, who has been racing in the U.S.-based IndyCar feeder series Indy NXT, lacks a super-licence.
Aston Martin’s Jess Hawkins became the first woman in nearly five years to drive a contemporary Formula One car at an event in Budapest last week.
“Rodin Cars participated in the recent FIA process aimed at gaining entry into the prestigious Formula One World Championship,” said Dicker.
“Unfortunately, our bid was not successful.
“Recent information suggests, as…
