The FIA has announced the opening of a new selection process to find a replacement team for USF1 in 2011, after it withdrew its entry from the championship earlier this month. F1's governing body is now moving ahead with the tender process to select one replacement team and up to two 'reserve' entries to fill any slots left vacant at the start of 2011.

“This selection process will be open to all candidates capable of participating in the Championship for 2011 and 2012,” read an FIA statement on Friday. “The overall long-term interests of the Championship will determine which candidates are selected.”

All candidates hoping to be selected as F1's 13th team have to submit an expression of interest to the FIA's Secretariat before 5pm CET on Thursday 15 April, one day short of four weeks from now, at which time the FIA will begin sifting through the applications and executing their process of "thorough due diligence".

The selection criteria put forward by the FIA includes “the technical ability and resources of the team; the ability of the team to raise and maintain sufficient funding to allow participation; the team's experience and human resources; the FIA's assessment of the value that the candidate may bring to the Championship as a whole.”

Complete applications demonstrating their ability to compete in F1 will need to be submitted by the candidates by the end of June, while the governing body promises to confirm the identity of the 13th team (and any reserve outfits) some time in July.