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

[HighOnHendrix]

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.

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.

I get you now. I missed that in my first reading of the article. Maybe I thought it was Peter Wyndham or something. :doh: He hasn't been involved in managing a race team for a while, too, so I tend to just think of him as the pit reporter guy.

[HighOnHendrix]

This is a great article from Car & Driver:

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/motorsports/honda_f1_race_car_sport

(Excerpted below)

Honda F1 Race Car - Sport

Date with a Spanish fly: In sunny southern Spain, our man learns to brake with his left foot, clutch with his thumb, and generally drive a wicked Honda Grand Prix car with his heart in his throat.

The definition of “total impostor” is a 47-year-old magazine editor (Mark Gillies) dressed in a Nomex race suit, attempting to look completely at ease while strolling through a Formula 1 factory—in this case, Honda’s, in Brackley, England, 70 miles northwest of London. Honda had been gracious (and foolish) enough to put me in the driver’s seat of its 2007 F1 race car (the RA107), one of just six built. No one at Honda I talk to will even hint at what it cost.

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Everyone’s super secretive about the engine—even though it’s the RA807E unit used in 2007—because they don’t want to give away anything to the opposition. All we know is this: It’s a 90-degree V-8 that displaces 2.4 liters, runs up to the 19,000-rpm maximum allowed by the FIA (the sport’s governing body), and has four valves per cylinder. Horsepower is said to be “about 750.”

The weight of one of these race cars, with the driver seated inside, is mandated to a minimum of 1334 pounds. (The weight of this car is likely 100 to 200 pounds less than that, so ballast has to be added, allowing the team to vary the center of gravity to change the handling. And, no, the team won’t tell you what the ballast is made of, where exactly it goes, or exactly how much is used.) The power-to-weight ratio of 1.8 pounds per horsepower is better than anything except an NHRA Top Fuel dragster. The quickest and most powerful street car we have tested, the $1.7 million Bugatti Veyron [December 2008], pushes 4.5 pounds per horsepower.

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When I floor the throttle on a stretch between Turns One and Two, my brain goes a little fuzzy, but this is what it says: My God, this thing is unbelievably fast! The short straightaway between those corners just evaporates. A lap becomes a series of corners, like a video game with consequences. The noise from the V-8 spinning to 19,000 rpm is deafening, and I can’t hear the radio through the earplugs fitted underneath my fireproof balaclava and helmet. (Next day, my ears are still ringing.) Down the back straight at 170 mph, the air rushes ferociously, gets under my helmet, and threatens to rip my head off.

The steering is light yet wonderfully precise and accurate. The brakes are astonishing. Being able to brake the car right up to the apex is a new experience for me. There’s so much aerodynamic drag that lifting off the gas at speed causes nearly 1 g of deceleration, as much as most street cars manage under maximum braking.

All F1 cars have automated manual gearboxes with seven forward speeds and seamless shifting—essentially a near-instant torque handoff from one gear to another that creates an energy spike in the driveline controlled via the clutch-,

engine-, and transmission-management system. The resultant shifts are fabulous, utterly instantaneous, just a finger flick up or down on the steering-wheel paddles.

I come into the pits and stop. Chen asks me how it’s going. “Fine,” I lie. The combination of a new circuit and a car that rewrites one’s idea of performance is, truth told, massively disorienting.

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With laps, I start to come to terms with the brakes, which need massive initial pressure to get heat into the rotors, and then, quickly, they require the opposite: subtle and sensitive modulation as the speed decreases—and with it, downforce and grip. It’s really easy to lock the front wheels going into the slower corners, at which point the nose plows and the car pushes wide. However, if you don’t lock up, the car is tail-happy at the point where you’re still turning and braking, just before transitioning to the throttle. To give an idea of how powerful these brakes are, I was hitting 2.8 g into Turn Six, which is nearly three times the braking power of an average family sedan. F1 drivers generate 4.4 g. The only other people who undergo these g levels on a regular basis are fighter pilots.

I’m pushed hard into the belts and have to tighten my neck muscles to resist the forces, which are trying to push the bottom of my helmet into my clavicle. The braking distances are so short that you have to start downshifting from seventh gear to second almost as soon as you hit the brakes (that’s the left pedal, remember?) because otherwise you can’t flick the lever quickly enough to get the correct gear.

Even more stupendous is the aerodynamically generated cornering grip. In slow corners, the RA107 doesn’t produce much more grip than a top high-performance sports car, but in the faster ones, where all those wings and the underbody are generating downforce, the car will make more than 4 g. Even the paltry 2 g I generate through Turn Four is enough to give me the feeling that I’m being lifted out of the seat and have to tighten my stomach muscles and brace my neck and shoulders and breathe hard before the g-forces load up. At twice that level, you’d need the neck and arm muscles of a finely tuned athlete. In this corner, Honda’s Jenson Button is full on the power, not even breezing off the gas. No matter how I strain to keep my foot planted on the gas pedal, my brain refuses the order and I’m losing 1.3 seconds to Button in just this one place alone. High-speed handling? The car just sticks. The only times I discern understeer or oversteer are at relatively low speed, washing wide on turn-in or goosing the tail under power on corner exit.

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This is the second race car I’ve driven where the limits are so high that I’m utterly intimidated by the vast capabilities of the machine. The other deep-breather was a 1999 Reynard-Honda Champ Car, but the F1 car generates even more grip and is even quicker in a straight line. To put that performance into perspective, I got used to a NASCAR Toyota Camry [C/D, November 2008] in reasonably short order, but the braking and cornering ability of the Honda are on a whole different plane. Driving the RA107 is a curious mix of subtlety and brutality: The g-forces under braking and in the corners pummel the driver, as does the fierce acceleration, but a driver has to be delicate on the brakes as the speed rolls off, and he must modulate the power with finesse out of the slower corners.

Being able to get the most out of one of these cars requires phenomenal reflexes, big cojones, great hand-to-eye coordination and depth perception, plus quickly grasped intelligence to analyze and assess how the car is performing at any given instant. To put an F1 driver’s talent in perspective, the good ones are on pace almost the moment they step into an F1 car for the first time. An F1 driver is so skilled that he’s able to use the buttons on the steering wheel to alter the car’s performance while driving at its limit, worrying about pit strategy, and being distracted by other cars trying to divebomb past at 200 mph plus, and in all weather conditions. From the onboard cameras, the likes of Lewis Hamilton make driving an F1 car look easy, even in the rain. But it’s not. I go home realizing that F1 drivers are the most talented racers on the planet and that these are the most spectacular racing cars the world has seen.

[Thanos]

To be perfectly honest Bernie Eccelstone is killing the sport globetrotting looking for governments dumb enough to build tracks and pay his overinflated fees to watch three teams compete.

[Phantasm]

HoH, great article! I've made it a goal to at least once in my life drive a Schumacher-era or newer F1 car. And if I do get the chance I hope they fill it up because I'm gonna drive that thing until it's empty!

[HighOnHendrix]

To be perfectly honest Bernie Eccelstone is killing the sport globetrotting looking for governments dumb enough to build tracks and pay his overinflated fees to watch three teams compete.

I haven't made my mind up over Bernie. 'Killing the sport' might be a little harsh, but I can't say I agree with many of the decisions that have been made at the top over the last year or two. I felt there was plenty of passing the last two years (like at Spa with Kimi vs. Lewis), so the new passing-friendly regs seem like a change just to change. Plus, I liked all the crazy winglets and extra bodywork. Going back to slicks after all the time and money that were invested in developing the grooved tires? I suppose they had to compensate for the loss of aerodynamic grip from the new wings. But then take away tire-warmers? Not really a good idea to send these kind of cars onto the track for an out-lap on cold tires. KERS seems like a gimmick. What really burns me up the most is that there was no race here in the States last year and there will not be one this year either; Bernie doesn't have to get a new track built here, there are a bunch of them ready to go - Indy for example.

HoH, great article! I've made it a goal to at least once in my life drive a Schumacher-era or newer F1 car. And if I do get the chance I hope they fill it up because I'm gonna drive that thing until it's empty!

No doubt! I'd love the chance, too. I'm small enough, about the same size as the dude in the article. The left foot braking thing he groused about would mess me up, too. I'd be perfectly willing to give it a shot with the left foot. I'd go wherever, whenever, but if I had a choice I'd go with Monza. It's a relatively simple course and easily the fastest.

In fact, put me behind the wheel of any kind of race car! Stocks, sprints, drags, GT, Prototype, spec series, whatever. Anytime, anyplace. I'm there. Too bad I'm a broke MF'er. :mad:

[Thanos]

I can get with the removal of traction control and the return of slicks and a single tire manufacturer,but until costs are brought into a sane arena it will be Ferrari v McClaren with BMW chasing third.

I did enjoy the night race in Singapore and Valencia was a nice track also.

[HighOnHendrix]

I can get with the removal of traction control and the return of slicks and a single tire manufacturer,but until costs are brought into a sane arena it will be Ferrari v McClaren with BMW chasing third.

I did enjoy the night race in Singapore and Valencia was a nice track also.

I have been advocating a simple solution for years and have never heard it mentioned anywhere in the media, be it TV, print, or internet. A simple spending cap. Determine a set amount that is somewhere in between the ridiculous amount that McLaren and Ferrari spend and what the smaller teams spend. Then leave them free to exploit any technologies they wish within that budget. The only rules would be sensible things like here are the tires you will use, the car can be this size, weigh this much, the engine must be a 2.4L V8, here is the fuel you will use. Go!

[Phantasm]

I have been advocating a simple solution for years and have never heard it mentioned anywhere in the media, be it TV, print, or internet. A simple spending cap. Determine a set amount that is somewhere in between the ridiculous amount that McLaren and Ferrari spend and what the smaller teams spend. Then leave them free to exploit any technologies they wish within that budget. The only rules would be sensible things like here are the tires you will use, the car can be this size, weigh this much, the engine must be a 2.4L V8, here is the fuel you will use. Go!

Sounds reasonable, but I bet you'd still see some wild things with that kind of open interpretation. Definitely would be exciting though!

[HighOnHendrix]

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/2/8955.html

American team planning 2010 championship entry

Plans have been officially announced for a new, American Formula One team, who hope to be on the grid for the start of the 2010 season. The project, led by F1 veterans Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson, will be based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with European satellite facilities likely to be located in Spain.

The team say their mission is ‘to prove that American technology, American drivers and the American competitive spirit can compete and win on the F1 global stage’.

Though the team have yet to make any firm decisions on drivers or engine supply, they plan to take full advantage of Formula One racing’s latest cost-cutting measures, which they believe will help them to take a new and highly efficient approach to running an F1 operation.

"If you look at the way it has gone in the recent past, it has been to find an incredibly rich trillionaire and have him dominate the team - and you are lucky enough to get a job when you've put the team together," said Windsor in a press conference announcing the project. "Or you are lucky enough to be invited by a large car company to set up an F1 team for them.

“Ken and I are lucky enough to have been around long enough not to want to do either of those things - and we always wanted to do our own team our way. It perhaps sounds very arrogant, but we have some history and we have some things that we want to bring into the sport that we think we can do well."

Windsor and Anderson claim to have plans in place to raise the necessary capital, part of which has come through securing a small equity partner for the team.

"The key was not selling anything more than a very small stake in the team, so we set some unbelievably steep hills to climb in the recession," said Windsor. "We wanted to sell off a small part of the team and, as we sit here now, we have done that.

"We are two guys who can say we want to do an F1 team because we have the capital to do it, and to some extent the recession has helped us a little bit. We have always had a very different approach - and that approach will become visible as this year unfolds."

The recent ban on in-season testing, plus the high number of Grands Prix outside Europe, also means that Windsor and Anderson are not expecting the team’s unusual location to present any major logistical problems.

"Most of the technology in F1 comes from the US to begin with, and on the logistics side, this year less than half the races take place on the (European) continent so there is less reason for being there," said Anderson. "And the cost of doing business in the US is significantly lower than in Europe - and there are lots of good people here."

British-born Windsor, a former Williams team manager and best known of late as a Formula One commentator on US television, will take on the position of sporting director, while American engineer Anderson, recently responsible for the highly-acclaimed Windshear wind tunnel facility in North Carolina, will reprise the technical director role he previously held with the Ligier Formula One team back in the 1980s.

http://www.formula1.com/news/features/2009/2/8956.html

Made in America - a brief history of US F1 teams

Tuesday’s announcement that an all-American team plans to join the Formula One grid in 2010 took both sides of the Atlantic by surprise. And given that there hasn’t been a ‘stateside’ race since 2006 and it’s been more than two decades since a US team tried its luck in the sport, it’s perhaps no wonder that more than a few people were taken aback.

Given the current economic climate, the new team will certainly have their work cut out, but the project’s leaders Peter Windsor, an ex-Williams’ team manager, and Ken Anderson, a former F1 technical director, insist there is real substance behind the buzz. Looking back, however, it’s clear that the one thing not on their side when it comes to US teams is history.

Formula One racing’s most successful American team was Penske, but even its achievements pale into insignificance when compared with its European counterparts. Famous nowadays as a renowned Indycar and NASCAR outfit, Penske entered Formula One for three seasons between 1974 and ‘76.

On its debut at the 1974 Canadian Grand Prix, Penske’s challenger, the PC1, was taken to 12th place by American driver Mark Donohue. The following year Donohue enjoyed a sprinkling of better results including fifth place at the Swedish Grand Prix. But in Austria the New Jersey driver was involved in a serious practice accident and later died from his injuries. The team pulled out of the following Italian race, before returning at their home Grand Prix at Watkins Glen with John Watson behind the wheel. The Briton finished ninth and Penske signed him up for 1976.

It proved to be a brilliant move with the Belfast-born Watson relishing the new PC4 and clinching two podiums and a pivotal victory in Austria. But despite that maiden win, Penske announced it wanted to focus on its Indycar operations and wouldn’t compete in the 1977 season. To this day, Watson’s win remains the only victory for an American team in the history of the championship outside of the Indianapolis 500 (officially a round of the F1 calendar in its early days).

At the same time as Penske, another US outfit was attempting to make an impact. Parnelli, set up by former USAC racer Parnelli Jones, launched its first full campaign in ’75. With a car designed by ex-Lotus man Maurice Philippe, American driver Mario Andretti in the ****pit and Cosworth power, the team boasted some pretty impressive credentials.

Andretti, who would later win the world championship with Lotus, secured some positive finishes, including a fourth in Sweden (ahead of Penske’s Donohue). But then tyre supplier and sponsor Firestone withdrew from the sport. Struggling into ‘76 with little spirit left, Parnelli competed at just two Grands Prix before pulling out too. Over its 16 race lifespan, the team clinched six points.

America’s most recent F1 foray came in 1985 with the Carl Haas and Teddy Mayer-backed outfit, Team Haas. Based near London, and with funds from the wealthy Beatrice Foods conglomerate, a FORCE-designed car and former world champion Alan Jones signed up to drive, all augured well for the new team.

Entered into the championship under the Lola mark, and powered by Hart engines (whilst they awaited a promised supply from Ford), Jones competed at four races, but failed to make an impact. Unable to qualify higher than 19th, and retiring from every event with technical problems, Jones and the Haas outfit could only look ahead to ’86 with hope.

But by the time the Ford-powered THL2 was race ready, sponsor Beatrice announced its withdrawal. It was a bitter blow, and as the funding dwindled over the course of the season, so too did the team’s promise. And in the end Jones finished 12th in the standings on four points, whilst team mate Patrick Tambay was 15th with two points. With Haas struggling to find alternative sponsorship for the 1987 season, the team decided to shut up in shop. Neither Jones nor Tambay would drive again in Formula One.

Overall then, it’s been a rocky road for American Formula One teams. But already USF1 is setting itself up as a very different entity to its predecessors, with clear aims to use the very best US technology and drivers. From a headquarters located not in Europe, but in North Carolina, the team know they must set their ambitions high if they are to buck the historical trend.

Also see: http://www.formula1.com/gallery/other/2009/379.html

[HighOnHendrix]

This is from an article I just came across about the new US team that is in the works:

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090206093058.shtml

Mosley is confident that sweeping cost cuts for next year, despite the likely objections to the intended annual budget of just 50m Euros, could lead to a fully-subscribed pitlane of 12 teams in 2010.

Should his €50m plan not work out, and more teams pull out that cannot be replaced by new entrants, the FIA has other means to guarantee full grids at Grand Prix, Mosley warned.

"In the absolute worst case, we have in our contract with Bernie that if there are insufficient Formula One cars we will fill it up with cars from other categories," he said.

"For that to happen would be very unfortunate because at the moment we are in a position to arrange the rules so that we could get independent teams in."

Say what?? What is he talking about, GP2 cars or something? What's the point? They'll just be driving around causing problems. That's like putting a truly stock passenger car on the grid for the Daytona 500 with NASCAR's "stock cars". It'd get eaten alive.

FYI - a euro is about a dollar and a half.

[Phantasm]

we will fill it up with cars from other categories

Could be very interesting, but like you said, anything else would be a moving chicane. Kind of like Milka Duno was at Richmond two years ago.

[HighOnHendrix]

I have been advocating a simple solution for years and have never heard it mentioned anywhere in the media, be it TV, print, or internet. A simple spending cap.

Well, it seems great minds think alike:

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/3/9025.html

Teams to get technical freedom in exchange for $30m cost cap

The FIA has announced that from 2010, teams will be allowed more technical freedom if they agree to a cost cap of $30million, to cover ‘expenditure of any kind’. Teams will also be free to instead continue running under the existing rules, which are to remain stable until 2012.

The teams that accept the cost cap will be granted technical freedoms in three main areas: a more aerodynamically efficient (but standard) under body; movable wings; and an engine which is not subject to a rev limit or a development freeze.

To ensure that the cost-capped cars have neither an advantage nor a disadvantage when compared to cars running to the existing rules, the FIA will retain the right to adjust elements of these freedoms.

The FIA says the move provides, in essence, a choice between (i) the current freedom to spend and continued adherence to the existing technical constraints and (ii) a new degree of freedom to innovate technically but with a severely restricted budget.

According to the FIA, the aim is to make it easier for new teams to enter and also allow existing teams to participate on much reduced budgets should they so choose.

Also see: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2009/3/9026.html (Q & A with Max Mosley, President of the FIA)

Personally, I think $100 million is more realistic, but this seems a step in the right direction.

[HighOnHendrix]

Update bump. Article about USF1's progress: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/5/9353.html

And there will not be one American team in F1 next year, there will be two!

Lola returns to Formula 1: http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/5/9356.html

[Enzo]

"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?

NASCAR isn't no where near as big as F1.

The Super Bowl isn't the biggest show in the world if you go by number of viewers. The World Cup final has alot more viewers & in most cases a single Formula 1 race has more viewers than the Super Bowl.

Also I would say that motor racing is the most popular sport in the world because it extremely popular in nearly every country in the world in one form or another. Soccer is actually a joke in the U.S.

As far as why did Montoya & Speed switch to NASCAR. For Montoya it was just to try something different. Speed was a Joke in F1 & was let go. So it was either retire, at a very young age, or race in NASCAR or Indy Car & Indy Car probably didn't want him because of somethings he said about it. One of his quote was "How much skill does it take to drive around in circles" referring to Indy Car.

Of course if Ferrari leave F1 then that series will be a joke.

[isle-hawg]

So if it is an American team does that mean the engine will be either a Chevy, Ford or Dodge?

Are any of the F1 races run here in the US? I cannot recall seeing any of of their races on TV in years.

[Bubble Screen]

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).

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

Wait for it...

:yawnee:

[Bubble Screen]

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

Dude, there's ZERO chance of Gordon doing this full time. NONE. While he isn't winning titles or even the top Hendrick driver now, he's still very competitive and competing for the championship. I don't doubt he could leave Nascar in the very near future. But it won't be to do F1. It would be to retire. And he's already stated that he wants to remain at HMS in some capacity.

Robby Gordon? I could see that. He's a single car owner in Nascar. And guys like that can't compete with the bigger teams. Plus he hasn't had much success of late in the sport.

Allmendinger? Another possibility. Guy can drive anything. Red Bull made a HUGE mistake letting this guy walk, in favor of the overrated Scott Speed. And if Richard Petty Motorsports doesn't step up and lock him up, he could be looking elsewhere.

[HighOnHendrix]

Of course if Ferrari leave F1 then that series will be a joke.

Yeah, and that's a very real possibility.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/5/9348.html

"The Board considers that if this is the regulatory framework for Formula One in the future, then the reasons underlying Ferrari’s uninterrupted participation in the World Championship over the last 60 years - the only constructor to have taken part ever since its inception in 1950 - would come to a close."

"If these indispensable principles are not respected and if the regulations adopted for 2010 will not change, then Ferrari does not intend to enter its cars in the next Formula One World Championship."

Renault has issued a similar statement.

So if it is an American team does that mean the engine will be either a Chevy, Ford or Dodge?

Are any of the F1 races run here in the US? I cannot recall seeing any of of their races on TV in years.

It has not been released in the press what brand of engine will be used as far as I know. I'm guessing it will not come from Detroit at this point simply because they have little-to-no experience with small-displacement V8s (only 2.4L) that rev to 18,000 rpm. Considering their state of disarray right now, I'm guessing developing such an engine would not be a priority for them.

Unfortunately, F1 has not had a race here since 2007. They staged the U.S. Grand Prix at Indy 2000-2007. They raced at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal for 30 years up to 08, but that one is off the schedule this year also, leaving no races at all in North America. Bernie Ecclestone (F1's head honcho) is being lobbied to bring back both races, but it doesn't look good as most racing fans in the U.S. now swear allegiance to NASCAR. All but four of this year's 17 races will be televised on SPEED, the other four on FOX. They tend to be on at weird times for us here, ranging from midnight to eight in the morning, depending on where they're racing.

[HighOnHendrix]

Danica Patrick says she has "no interest" in F1. She's playing coy about a possible move to NASCAR, though. Details:

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-team-usf1-unlikely-move-for-patrick/

F1: Team USF1 Unlikely Move For Patrick

Danica Patrick has all but ruled out switching to Formula One next year.

The 27-year-old American female racer, who currently drives in the United States' premier IndyCar open wheel category, has been linked with the new USF1 team.

But speculation also hints at a NASCAR move for the diminutive Patrick, and when questioned about her plans for 2010 is quoted as saying by the LA Times: "I'd say it's probably not F1".

She said she has little interest in the USF1 outfit, whose principals Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor are targeting American drivers and have named Patrick specifically.

"Not really, and the fact is that to my knowledge they've never called," she revealed.

n 2005, Patrick turned down the offer of a demonstration run in a Formula One car at Indianapolis, and last year Honda chief executive Nick Fry's invitation of a proper test drive reportedly went unanswered.

"I've had opportunities to take it a step further with Formula One, and I don't want to lead anyone down a path. It's not in my heart to go there," Patrick said.

She moved to England in the late 1990s to advance her formative career in open wheelers, but for several years has settled on the American scene.

"I've explored Europe before," Patrick said in Los Angeles. "I particularly like to be here and I like my family and I like my friends and I like my creature comforts of my home country."

[HighOnHendrix]

http://en.espnf1.com/teamus/motorsport/story/6248.html

US F1 to complete first tests in USA

The first US F1 car will make its debut on an American circuit.

Team boss Peter Windsor told the official F1 website that the FIA had granted special dispensation to allow winter testing for US F1 away from the normal European group sessions.

"Because we are a new team and start everything from zero, the first time we will run the car will be in the United States at the Barber Motorsport Park in Alabama, the circuit that was nominated by the FIA for us," he said.

Windsor added that the maiden test will take place "at the beginning of February", but was not more specific. He said the FIA dispensation allows for three tests in the US, before the car is shipped to Spain "to do some testing there before we fly out to Bahrain".

It has been reported recently that Argentine driver Jose Maria Lopez is close to finalising his sponsorship package for a US F1 race seat, while the Briton James Rossiter is rumoured to be in contention for the other.

"We are very close to announcing our drivers" Windsor said. "We've been talking to some great people over the last couple of months - and it is very difficult choosing from the good drivers that are around. We have not signed our deals yet in terms of the contracts, but we are pretty near to announcing."

But he would not be pinned on how much experience he expects his drivers to have.

"If you are a new team with no data the logical thing is to have an incredibly experienced F1 driver in the car," he said. "Equally you could say it's an opportunity to give two young guys with a lot of talent a chance to come on board with fresh, clean minds, grow with the team and operate within the system the team is going to work within."

He also refused to rule out the possibility of employing pay drivers.

"All we can do is look at what is available," Windsor said. "We are a start-up team so we have to look at every opportunity. If there are companies out there that have associations with a driver because they have been supporting him for quite a while, or representing a country, or whatever, obviously we have to look at that. Providing the driver can do the job as well."

It had been hinted at in the past that both drivers were to be Americans. Now it seems that neither will be. Whether that is the result of a lack of interest from American drivers or just that Windsor is trying to put the best available drivers in the cars is a question yet to be answered. Personally, I'd like to see one American and the other the best available driver. For those not familiar with Barber, it's a challenging track that plays host to Grand-Am sportscars and AMA Superbikes.

[HighOnHendrix]

So if it is an American team does that mean the engine will be either a Chevy, Ford or Dodge?

It was announced some time back that USF1 will be using Cosworth engines. This will be based on a design that is several years old and potentially underpowered and out-dated.

[DeanCollins]

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.

"catch up"? this will be like Harley's attempt at AMA superbike road racing

[HighOnHendrix]

"catch up"? this will be like Harley's attempt at AMA superbike road racing

LOL that's funny!

In all seriousness, the two men in charge of this effort - Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor - have been involved off and on in running F1 teams their entire adult lives. They are not coming in with NASCAR-like or even INDY-like preconceptions about what it will take to compete at this level. Even though rumors were rampant in European newspapers throughout the off-season that USF1 would not make the grid in Bahrain for the first race, Windsor has contended at every opportunity that they would indeed be ready. It appears that he wasn't just blowing smoke, as they have passed crash-test certification and various accounts have the car as completed and ready for testing. USF1 is one of four new teams for 2010; all of the other three are based in Europe. Ironically, at least one and perhaps two of those teams are the ones that are having difficulty making the grid.

[Bubble Screen]

Scott Speed should maybe look at doing this full time. Or go back to Indy cars. He's horrible in Nascar. He'll qualify great every now and then. But I don't think he's cut out for Nascar. And Danic definitely isn't. She's gonna be a huge failure.

[HighOnHendrix]

Scott Speed should maybe look at doing this full time. Or go back to Indy cars. He's horrible in Nascar. He'll qualify great every now and then. But I don't think he's cut out for Nascar. And Danic definitely isn't. She's gonna be a huge failure.

There is a reason he lost his seat at Toro Rosso: he wasn't that good in F1, either. Funny, a guy at work was telling me the other day how good Ms. Patrick was supposedly doing in testing so far. :whoknows: