Peter Windsor has admitted USF1 should have considered racing Toyota’s 2010 package this season rather than close its doors.

A principal of the ill-fated American outfit, British journalist Windsor has resurfaced as a new writer for the online F1 magazine GP Week.

He was asked in an interview if he regretted not pursuing the Toyota option more seriously once the Charlotte-based team’s plans for its own chassis began to founder.

“Yes, it would have been better than doing nothing at all, in retrospect,” said the former Williams and Ferrari team manager.

“One of the problems was that it wasn’t just the chassis on offer; the Toyota engine deal was an integral part of the package,” explained Windsor. “And by that stage, of course, we were contracted to Cosworth.”

The USF1 debacle has been heavily criticised, particularly for damaging F1′s chances of prospering within the US, an important but difficult market for the sport to penetrate.

And Prodrive’s David Richards this week said all of F1′s struggling new teams have “prejudiced” other hopeful outfits’ efforts to enter the sport.

Windsor responded on his Twitter page: “David Richards harmed fund-raising prospects for F1 in general when he walked away from his franchise (in 2008) with hardly a word”.

Bidding to form a team in 2011 was too great a risk for  Prodrive, the famous motor racing brand’s boss David Richards has admitted.

The Briton and Aston Martin chief had attempted to form a team in previous years, but said in April that Prodrive will instead concentrate on world rallying and sports car racing.

On Sunday, he is quoted as saying the decision was driven by his concern for his 579 staff.

“I wasn’t prepared to risk everyone’s livelihoods,” he told the Independent, adding: “It was quite interesting to watch the reaction of everybody when I told them.

“The biggest fear people at Prodrive had is that we were going to risk everything on one throw of the dice by entering F1.”

Now, Prodrive is expected to team up for a world rallying bid in 2011 with formula one refugee Toyota.

“We want to be prepared if and when we get a call from Japan to go and compete,” a spokesman for Cologne based Toyota Motorsport confirmed.

(GMM)