American team planning to enter Formula 1 (Edit: Is it over?)

[HighOnHendrix]

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/f1/news/story?id=3909107

Patrick eyed for new American F1 team

MADRID -- An American team will be racing in Formula One next year, and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick is a candidate to fill one of the seats.

USF1, which will be unveiled Feb. 24, will have a staff of at least 100, a working budget of $64 million and an aim to put two American drivers on the starting grid. The team is looking at several candidates, including the 26-year-old Patrick.

"She's great. She gets a lot of press," USF1 technical director Ken Anderson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "[indianapolis Motor Speedway president] Tony George would probably be pretty mad with me if I took her out of the IRL but we'll see.

"I don't know if it's something she wants to do. We'd certainly love to test her and go from there."

NASCAR driver Scott Speed, who raced 28 times for F1 team Toro Rosso from 2006-07, is also a candidate.

Conor Daly -- son of former F1 driver Derek Daly -- and Josef Newgarden are also being mentioned, with both drivers presently competing in European junior categories.

The team will be based in Charlotte, N.C., and with much of the technology coming from the United States it means "there are a lot of companies we can lean on to outsource," according to Anderson.

Calls by the AP to motor racing's governing body Sunday to confirm that USF1's entry had been accepted were not returned.

The team is currently looking for a secondary base in Europe, most likely sharing with Epsilon Euskadi's team headquarters in northern Spain.

"We're talking to [F1 engineer] Sergio Rinland about basing it at Epsilon. It's a beautiful city, it's certainly on top of our list," said Anderson, who worked as a designer and engineer in F1 and IndyCar. "Spain makes a lot of sense with all the winter testing."

Epsilon Euskadi is active in Le Mans and there is a wind tunnel there that meets FIA standards.

Getting back into F1 was a no-brainer for Anderson.

"It's the biggest sport in the world and the biggest TV show in the world," he said. "NASCAR has just become a national sport, never mind an international sport."

With the global economic downturn, more independent teams are possible, especially since FIA president Max Mosley stepped in to reign in the costs with sweeping regulation changes and cost-cutting coming into effect to avoid any other teams from pulling out.

Honda's exit in December is no surprise to Anderson since the Japanese manufacturer's core business interests lay elsewhere.

"Mosley had to step in and stop F1 from killing itself with the manufacturers throwing ungodly money and people and resources at it. It's got to get back to a real business like Frank Williams owns Williams, Ron Dennis owns McLaren, Eddie Jordan owned Jordan and they all had to show a profit at the end of the year and, therefore, had to make intelligent decisions.

"One little hiccup like this and it's all sort of imploded."

The drop in costs has "leveled the playing field" although Anderson is targeting points to start.

Pete Windsor, a former team manager at Ferrari and Williams, will partner Anderson and run the competition side of the team.

Anderson remains a throwback to the late 80s and early 90s of F1 when he worked at Williams, Ligier and Onyx.

"In '92, the Williams was the coolest car ever with active suspension, [anti-lock brake system], that was kind of the peak of technology and their budget for that was less than 30 million pounds," Anderson said. "I missed the days when we could do some crazy things."

I don't think there has been an American team in F1 since the 60s, when Dan Gurney owned a team. There have been some American drivers such as Mario Andretti, Danny Sullivan, the afore-mentioned Gurney, and most recently, Scott Speed. Perhaps this new team combined with the new sweeping regulations to promote passing will draw more Americans to watch this spectacular form of racing.

[WARLORD1863]

Danica Patrick? Why on earth would she be considered? She won only a single race in 64 starts.

It's not that I'm against having a girl driver, I honestly couldn't care less. If you're going to represent the Red, White, and Blue you better be the best man/woman for the job. That means winning consistently... or winning at all (which Danica is not).

"She's great. She gets a lot of press," USF1 technical director Ken Anderson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

That quote pretty much sums up Danica Patrick's driving career.

[Mad Mike]

Danica Patrick? Why on earth would she be considered? She won only a single race in 64 starts.

Didn't you read the story?

"She's great. She gets a lot of press," USF1 technical director Ken Anderson told The Associated Press

Did anyone see the Top Gear show where Richard Hammond drove the Formula 1 car? The Engine is so tight, it has to be brought up to temp and oil pumped through on "life support" before it can be started. Until then, it's effectively frozen. The brakes are so hard that you have to drive at

ludicrous speeds before they heat up enough to work. Crazy.

[SkinsBry]

Danica Patrick? Nah.

Take Kylie "Paris" Busch please. I hear they love arrogant Americans over there.

[Elessar78]

That would be cool. I've been trying to get into F1 for awhile, one of my close friends and my step dad are really into it. Seems fun and more engaging that NASCAR, IMO. But I bet it's a cultural thing for them, since they're both European.

[endzone_dave]

I'm just guessing but I bet that $64 million budget the American team will have is just a drop in the bucket compared to the current teams. They know they are going to get crushed so they might as well throw Danica in there.

[HOF44]

Any new team in F1 will get pown3d. So I guess the Danica thing is to attract attention and sponsors while losing. Then in a few years when they catch up technologically they'll get a qualified driver.

[HighOnHendrix]

I'm just guessing but I bet that $64 million budget the American team will have is just a drop in the bucket compared to the current teams. They know they are going to get crushed so they might as well throw Danica in there.

Their spending is a matter of debate, but the estimates I hear range from 200 to 500 million per year for the top teams in years past. However, they have been trying to cut costs for a few years now. They have a chance to get out of the very back of the field in a few years with a 64 mil budget, IMO.

Danica Patrick? Why on earth would she be considered? She won only a single race in 64 starts.

She is a little better than that suggests. She consistently finishes top-5 and top-10. I have seen at least three races she should have won, but the car let her down or she had bad luck.

It's not that I'm against having a girl driver, I honestly couldn't care less. If you're going to represent the Red, White, and Blue you better be the best man/woman for the job. That means winning consistently... or winning at all (which Danica is not).

Danica is not my choice for the job, but don't underestimate her talent. Besides, how many guys in NASCAR that have any open-wheel experience do you think are going to leave that gig? So they almost have

to look to IndyCar. Which inevitably leads to Danica, whether she's the best or not.

Any new team in F1 will get pown3d. So I guess the Danica thing is to attract attention and sponsors while losing. Then in a few years when they catch up technologically they'll get a qualified driver.

Absolutely true. It's not an easy sport to do well in. Toyota and Honda poured several billion dollars into their F1 teams and only ended up in the middle of the field. Honda has now pulled the plug, BTW. If she ends up in the seat of an F1 car, this will probably be the case. That's pretty much what Red Bull did with Scott Speed. They specifically went after an American for that seat. And he wasn't that good as it turned out.

Anyway, now is a great time to start a team, because of the sweeping rule changes coming into effect this year which include: elimination of nearly all aerodynamic devices besides the front and rear wings; said wings are now changed to decrease turbulence and enable more passing; tires are changing back to slicks from the grooves they have used for a decade or more - nobody has any relevant data on how these tires will behave; and there is the option of using a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) which allows a car to capture the energy from braking and store it, then release that energy to the driveline, giving the car an 80 hp burst for several seconds, cutting as much as a few tenths off a lap - this system can be electrical (with a battery or capacitor) or mechanical (flywheel).

[Island Boy]

If they get Danica that would be a joke!!!

I think they should also consider AJ Allmendinger

[GibbsFactor]

I think this is exactly what we should be doing in the name of knowledge. The information sharing that comes with running formula cars within the manufacturers.

The driver needs serious thought. However, I can see us getting away with Danica in the fact that we can play off her suckage with "she's marketable".

That way, a real driver wouldn't go over there with the pressure of proving to the world that he can drive with the best.

[Thanos]

A team based in Charlotte and a sub 100 million budget means disaster.

[HighOnHendrix]

A team based in Charlotte and a sub 100 million budget means disaster.

While their main headquarters will be over here, they will actually do most of their work with the car itself at a sub-base in Spain.

If they get Danica that would be a joke!!!

I think they should also consider AJ Allmendinger

Allmendinger should be on the list. He was leading the Rolex 24 at Daytona when his Ford engine let him down (happened to all but one of the Ford entries; they had a problem with a whole batch of engine sensors).

Since they will only be looking at Americans to fill these two seats, here are some more names they will likely be considering:

Scott Pruitt - He's old, but just as good as ever. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pruett

Buddy Rice - Indy 500 winner a few years back, this guy was on the winning team for the Rolex 24 and tore up the track every time he was in the car.

Colin Braun - This guy is still young and raw, but his potential is ridiculous. Very aggressive, but will need to be to avoid being a back-marker.

Alex Gurney - Won Grand Am championship in 2007. His father raced everything from Formula 1 to Trans Am; a legend in road racing. Alex is very good.

Jimmie Johnson - Won the last three NASCAR championships and an excellent road racer. No chance he leaves that kind of success and money behind.

Marco Andretti - One of the rising stars in IndyCar, he finished second at Indy in 2006, his rookie year. He also won a race that year, but has struggled somewhat since. He has tested for Honda's F1 team. His grandfather is Mario.

Tony Stewart - Another accomplished NASCAR racer this new F1 team won't get. He is a great road racer; he did double-duty in IRL and the Busch series before moving into the top division of stock cars. He actually finished 3rd in the IRL one year and won the championship in 1997, as well as sitting on Pole for the Indy 500 in 1996.

Graham Rahal - The son of Bobby Rahal, he won in his first race last year as a rookie. He struggled for much of the rest of the season, though. Still a relatively untested young driver with a good pedigree and a solid foundation of skills.

Sam Hornish, Jr. - Former IndyCar driver turned NASCAR driver. He won Indy in 06 from pole. A three-time IRL champion. A very good driver with open-wheel experience who could be lured to F1 from a NASCAR career that has so far not accomplished much.

Casey Mears - Son of Rick Mears, he has raced open-wheel including some IRL and currently races in the Sprint Cup. He was on the 2006 Rolex 24's winning team.

[Phantasm]

That's pretty much what Red Bull did with Scott Speed. They specifically went after an American for that seat. And he wasn't that good as it turned out.

I'm still not convinced that he was as bad as his results indicated, I think he was just on a team that wasn't very good (at the time).

As for possible drivers, I wouldn't count out Jeff Gordon. Other than the fact that he has a young child, a lot of things make sense here to me. Number one, he is no longer the top dog at Hendrick. Number two, he did a swap at Indy with JPM's F1 car at Indy a few years ago and seemed to pick it up pretty good. And, Number three, that team appears to be looking for publicity first, and Gordon would really put that team on the map.

Other possibilities that come to mind:

-Robby Gordon - Why not? He drives anything with wheels, and F1 is one of the only series he hasn't been in.

-Marco Andretti - Could be a good story if he can perform and make people forget his father's single disastrous F1 season with MacLaren

-AJ Allmendinger - Not a bad choice, but he could stay in Sprint Cup if his performance continues to improve

[Tut77]

What's the difference between Indy cars and F1?

[HighOnHendrix]

I'm still not convinced that he was as bad as his results indicated, I think he was just on a team that wasn't very good (at the time).

As for possible drivers, I wouldn't count out Jeff Gordon. Other than the fact that he has a young child, a lot of things make sense here to me. Number one, he is no longer the top dog at Hendrick. Number two, he did a swap at Indy with JPM's F1 car at Indy a few years ago and seemed to pick it up pretty good. And, Number three, that team appears to be looking for publicity first, and Gordon would really put that team on the map.

Other possibilities that come to mind:

-Robby Gordon - Why not? He drives anything with wheels, and F1 is one of the only series he hasn't been in.

-Marco Andretti - Could be a good story if he can perform and make people forget his father's single disastrous F1 season with MacLaren

-AJ Allmendinger - Not a bad choice, but he could stay in Sprint Cup if his performance continues to improve

Great post. You know your stuff. You're right on about both Gordons. I'm sure Marco's dad being in F1 would come up in nearly every interview; if I was him I'd play the Mario card.

I agree with you on Scott Speed. He wasn't given a fair chance; I'm not sure the team was ever truly behind him. My problem with it was that they probably could have gotten a better driver had they not restricted their selection to one specific country. If I was in charge of this new effort I would go with one American driver and then fill the other seat with one of the rising stars from GP2 or another feeder series without regard to nationality.

What's the difference between Indy cars and F1?

Basically, a Formula 1 car is like an Indy car taken to the extreme. For the most part they are similar in over-all design, but the F1 cars tend to use more advanced technology and more exotic materials.

More specifically: Indy uses a spec chassis built by Dallara; F1 teams are free to build their own chassis that just has to meet certain rules. Indy uses a 3.5L V8 limited to 10k rpm and producing 650 hp. This is a spec engine, provided by Honda; all teams run the same motor and chassis combination. Much like the chassis, F1 permits each team to develop its own engine with the following stipulations: 2.4L V8 limited to 18k rpm, producing about 750 to 800 hp. Also, F1 cars weigh about 200 lbs less than their Indy counterparts. They use carbon-carbon brakes.

Until this year's sweeping rule changes, an F1 car made enough downforce to theoretically drive upside-down at only 75 to 100 mph. They have compensated for this loss of aerodynamic grip to some extent by going back to slicks to increase mechanical grip. Negative Gs during braking can often exceed 4Gs, cornering Gs are typically 2-3Gs, but can go as high as 5-6. 0-60 takes only about 2 seconds, 0-120 takes about three and a half. Top speeds are limited by the configuration of the tracks, but at the fastest tracks like Monza they regularly reach 225 mph.

Another difference isn't in the cars at all. It's the style of racing. American racing tends to run mostly oval courses. NASCAR and Indy both follow this model. European series tend to run road courses. Formula 1's schedule is composed entirely of road races.

[Phantasm]

Great post. You know your stuff.

Thank you. Thanks to the DVR, watching F1 became a whole lot easier, it is so much easier to watch a race Sunday afternoon than at 1:00 or so in the morning.

But one thing that kind of bums me out about this whole deal is that (I assume) Peter Windsor won't be doing his customary walk through the grid before the start of each race. He may be a bit pushy in getting race day interviews, but he is such a good ambassador for the sport.

[Teller]

"It's the biggest sport in the world and the biggest TV show in the world," he said. "NASCAR has just become a national sport, never mind an international sport."

Biggest sport in the world? Um, no. That'd be soccer. (Somehow.)

Biggest TV show in the world? Um, no. That'd be the Super Bowl.

And um, if NASCAR is such a mamby-pamby organization, why did Montoya and Speed choose to take such a drastic step down?

[Thanos]

"It's the biggest sport in the world and the biggest TV show in the world," he said. "NASCAR has just become a national sport, never mind an international sport."

Biggest sport in the world? Um, no. That'd be soccer. (Somehow.)

Biggest TV show in the world? Um, no. That'd be the Super Bowl.

And um, if NASCAR is such a mamby-pamby organization, why did Montoya and Speed choose to take such a drastic step down?

Biggest show in the world is the Olympics,World Cup, followed by the Cricket and Rugby World Cups.

I think Ryan Hunter Reay would be a better fit.

[Tut77]

Thanks for the breakdown H o H. I can see why F1 is more exciting, and probably more competitive for the teams and drivers too.

[GibbsFactor]

Also, Jeffy once took some laps in JPMs car a few years back. He didn't embarrass himself.

[HighOnHendrix]

Thank you. Thanks to the DVR, watching F1 became a whole lot easier, it is so much easier to watch a race Sunday afternoon than at 1:00 or so in the morning.

But one thing that kind of bums me out about this whole deal is that (I assume) Peter Windsor won't be doing his customary walk through the grid before the start of each race. He may be a bit pushy in getting race day interviews, but he is such a good ambassador for the sport.

??? Why not? I like him.

And yeah, the DVR is how I watch, too. I work nights, so it's hard for me to catch anything live.

[HighOnHendrix]

And um, if NASCAR is such a mamby-pamby organization, why did Montoya and Speed choose to take such a drastic step down?

The author of that article was not trying to talk down on NASCAR. They would likely make the same comparison between soccer and football. They were merely pointing out that NASCAR is confined to America, while F1 has a global audience. You seem to have a bit of a complex about this, considering the "location" in your profile. I don't care for stock cars, but I respect the ability of some of their drivers. My own preference for F1 over NASCAR stems mostly from the amount of ovals on their schedule; they go around in a big circle for three hours. Boring. Indy has the same problem.

And to answer your question: Speed lost his seat and had to come back home to NASCAR. Montoya? Money and a change of scenery, a different challenge.

Biggest show in the world is the Olympics,World Cup, followed by the Cricket and Rugby World Cups.

I think Ryan Hunter Reay would be a better fit.

The Olympics and World Cup are only held once every four years, whereas racing seasons happen every year. F1 is way more popular than cricket or rugby, even the World Cups, from what I understand; and they are also held only a couple times per decade. I'd say globally that it's soccer first, F1 second in terms of popularity.

I'd forgotten about Hunter-Reay. You're right, they will surely look at him for one of the two seats.

[GibbsFactor]

Let's not get into a NASCAR vs F1 argument. It's like comparing rugby to football, or baseball to cricket.

Everyone knows F1 cars are superior to stock cars and that stock cars are harder to drive then F1 or open wheel. Let's leave it at that.

[HighOnHendrix]

Let's not get into a NASCAR vs F1 argument. It's like comparing rugby to football, or baseball to cricket.

Everyone knows F1 cars are superior to stock cars and that stock cars are harder to drive then F1 or open wheel. Let's leave it at that.

Exactly. That's not why I started this thread; I'm hoping we can avoid that, it's more pointless than the BCS.

[Phantasm]

??? Why not? I like him.

And yeah, the DVR is how I watch, too. I work nights, so it's hard for me to catch anything live.

I assume that because he has a major role in the new American F1 team (even though I believe he's Australian) he won't be working for the F1 broadcast team/Speed TV.

And I must agree that NASCAR and F1 are two different animals, and I like them both for what they are. NASCAR is more about surviving the pack and selling the sponsors and drivers, F1 is more about the extreme technical edge the cars dance on. Also, as much as I like NASCAR, given a choice I'd most certainly choose to drive an F1 car over a Cup car any day. The agility and amount of grip those cars have is astounding, even vs. Indy cars.