Next Financial Crisis victim - A1GP?

Following rumours of staff working for free and petitions to the courts by unpaid suppliers, A1 Grand Prix Operations Limited, which looks after the series' vehicles, has been forced to shut up shop. And no vehicle, no championship...

Though the calendar for 2010 is already set, and the teams will enter their second year of a six-year contract with the new 2004 F1 Ferrari-engine, the long-term future of the F1 feeder series looks clouded.

The PR machine was in full swing last week, denying hat the loss of its vehicle operations arm was a threat to the series' survival.

"A1 Grand Prix Operations Limited provided operational services to the series and was one of the companies in the A1GP Group," said an A1GP spokesperson.

"None of the other companies in the group are currently affected," the spokesperson said.

The A1GP is the replacement series for the infamous Gold Coast Indy (for the next five years under contract), which lost its namesake IRL support at the end of last year...