An American F1 team?

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This is not exactly filling me with optimism if you cant get a timer to count down to zero and stop :lol:

I also think this is the final countdown, we arent in daylight saving time so it could be an extra hour.
 
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well looking at the main F1 site it dosnt look like they released any information that we didnt already know. just a formal announcement.
 
and after all that excitement and wait, no one cares :sly:
 
Heh, I think maybe some of us were expecting a bit more than "hi, we're officially entering our team now".

All they've told us so far is:
-They are definitely going to be based in the US, though they did mention finding a European base (presumably for testing purposes).
-They want to field an all-American line-up in terms of drivers and staff, even though most of them might not be experienced.
-They might consider picking up an experienced driver though its not their objective to.
-They have to use an engine from a current F1 manufacturer (which is a rule we should all know already).
-They haven't approached anyone yet over drivers, engines, sponsors etc.
-They have extensive facilities at their disposal, easily matching the big boys.

I'm a little pessimistic about this teams chances from the sounds of things, I will watch their progress with interest but I have to wonder how well this team will do with the lack of experience they are potentially going to field. It sounds great that they're finding a different way to manage a team and keep it small and lost cost, but I can't but help thinking that this team could flop very easily, as many teams have done in the past.

I think I'll decide whether this team has a good chances when I first see them in qualifying in Australia 2010, many teams have come and gone before who have talked the talk.
 
Ardius
I'm a little pessimistic about this teams chances from the sounds of things, I will watch their progress with interest but I have to wonder how well this team will do with the lack of experience they are potentially going to field. It sounds great that they're finding a different way to manage a team and keep it small and lost cost, but I can't but help thinking that this team could flop very easily, as many teams have done in the past.

I think I'll decide whether this team has a good chances when I first see them in qualifying in Australia 2010, many teams have come and gone before who have talked the talk.
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I think you're being a little harsh there. To me, USF1 seems to be pretty well-organised and have some pretty reasonable objectives. They're not like Force India coming out and saying that the team will be able to win races within two years; sure Sutil nearly had this fourth place at Monaco until Kimi hit him, but that was more a product of luck than the car's prowess. USF1 seem to be grasping the concept that they're going to be a new entry and that they will naturally be at a disadvantage because of that. So rather than make outrageous statements of what they intend to do, they seem to be more concerned with establishing themselves within the sport first and foremost and then concentrating on getting some results.
 
"Most of the technology in Formula One comes from the United States to begin with[citation needed]. As of next year less than half the races will be on the Continent so there's less of a reason for being there."
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Fixed it for him...

Then why are most of the teams based in Britain? There is a reason foreign teams setup here, as USF1 are about to find out...
 
Do you race?
I think you're being a little harsh there. To me, USF1 seems to be pretty well-organised and have some pretty reasonable objectives. They're not like Force India coming out and saying that the team will be able to win races within two years; sure Sutil nearly had this fourth place at Monaco until Kimi hit him, but that was more a product of luck than the car's prowess. USF1 seem to be grasping the concept that they're going to be a new entry and that they will naturally be at a disadvantage because of that. So rather than make outrageous statements of what they intend to do, they seem to be more concerned with establishing themselves within the sport first and foremost and then concentrating on getting some results.
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Oh, I think the management side looks good for the team and they have the facilities and equipment. But they will be lacking experience.
And its not the first time we've heard promising things about a new team and they've flopped or not exactly met expectations. TWR Arrows? Jaguar? BAR?

True they all screwed up because of business and management decisions within in the team, but they all said pretty things about themselves and managed to convince many people they would do good only to fail miserably.

I'm not going to expect much from this team but I won't judge them just yet.
 
I can hope this'll end up like Dan Gurney's Eagle effort in...what was that, '67? I'm still not expecting much, though, in the Ferrari Racing League...I mean, Formula 1.
 
Autosport
USF1 looking for experienced drivers

The new USF1 team are likely to target an experienced Formula One driver to lead their line-up in the first season in 2010, according to sporting director Peter Windsor.

USF1's long-term goal is to be a national team running two American drivers, but Windsor says it could be better for the team to use a driver with F1 experience to help them progress in the first season or two.

"In year one, certainly there is an argument for having an experienced F1 driver in the car," said Windsor. "We're going to need to get all the information we can as quickly as possible, particularly in an era when they're cutting right back on the amount of testing you can do. There's definitley and argument for that, and then maybe having a young American in the other car.

"But actually finding the right experienced driver to put in the car for those first two years, or maybe just the first year, is not easy if you actually think about. We are going to be a new team on the block and a driver who brings a lot of expereince and a record of success with him could be a difficult driver for us to work with, because his expectations are going to be a lot higher than ours. So it would need to be exactly the right sort of driver with the right sort of temperament."

Windsor added that USF1 will be looking for a driver willing to grow with the team and says he would steer clear of drivers whose expectations would be too high for a new outfit.

"In Rubens Barrichello's case he would be good, because he's known two bad years at Honda and that would be a very useful baseline for our operation. But he's almost unique of the drivers out there who would potentially fill the role of the experienced driver.

"You can't imagine Jenson [Button] in a start-up team, driving at 100 per cent knowing that the best he's going to qualify is 14th - which would be good for us - and finishing maybe 10th on a good day. Jenson would want more than that and it would be very difficult working with somebody like that.

"If you took a big American star from NASCAR, he'd be quite happy not to qualify last and to finish 12th. That would be a great result for him in his first Formula One race, and that would be a great result for us too. We are a new team and we are going to walk before we can run - we will all grow at the same pace."

When asked about IndyCar racer Danica Patrick and NASCAR's Kyle Busch - the two American drivers with the biggest profiles in Europe - Windsor said: "Both of those drivers bring with them a lot of reputation and PR, the question is whether that's the right thing for USF1 in the first or second year.

"What we don't need is a driver coming in, dominating the team and expecting more than the team can give. Equally, we don't want a driver who is going to underperform because he's so inexperienced, so it's a very difficult balance to strike.

"The concept of taking somebody like Danica to Formula One and being successful with her is mind-blowing. And, equally, taking a NASCAR star driver, putting him into F1 and seeing him do well would be just as pleasurable. Both of them would be great people to talk to. I don't know if Kyle has any interest at all in F1, I don't know if Danica has either for that matter, but it would be interesting to see."

USF1 team principal Ken Anderson believes they will be able to produce home-grown star drivers.

"We're a big country and I think it's fair to say that anything we put our mind to, we end up doing pretty well," he said. "We have a big enough pool to do it. If we're taking a flier on a German or Brazilian, why not take a flier on ours.

"The ladder (for young drivers) doesn't really exist in the United States right now, as far as Formula One for sure. Part of our sponsorship will go towards helping kids do that. Max (Mosley) has just started F2 which is brilliant for £195,000 and ridiculously cheap compared to GP2 or F3. What better place to send a kid?

"I grew up in the early 70s in motocross and the Europeans used to come over and kick our butt, then within five years we were holding our own and in 10 years we were world champions."
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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73421

Autosport
USF1 car ready by autumn '09

USF1 team principal Ken Anderson expects to have their first Formula One car built by this autumn and ready to take to the track for the first time when next season's winter testing ban is lifted in January.

The former Ligier and Onyx technical director says the timescale of the team's entry to F1 will become more clear in the next month, but is confident that a January debut would be early enough for them to prepare for the beginning of the 2010 season.

"We'll have a car on the ground in September/October to start doing static rig testing," he said. "There are still some things up in the air right now as far as who our engine supplier is and when that contract would start.

"We're in a state of flux and all these things will come out in the next four to six weeks. But the rule as it is right now is that you're not supposed to run a car between the last race and January 1st, so I would say we're not planning to actually run the car until January next year - but then you have almost three months to the first race anyway."

The team's sporting director Peter Windsor says they will keep their targets conservative for the first two seasons.

"A truly successful 2010 would be first of all proving that a Formula One car can be designed and built in the United States, outside of Europe, breaking the mould and doing that efficiently and cleanly. By that I mean we produce two good cars that are reliable, we finish races and maybe get a decent result in year one.

"In year two I'd like to think we could be scoring some points, which means top 10/top eight finishing. Then the sky is the limit after that. I am being quite conservative because this is a new team and we need to walk before we can run."

Windsor also confirmed that USF1 will have a second base in Europem but says the rumoured deal with Epsilon-Euskadi in Spain has not been finalised.

"We're going to have a European base which is mainly for the trucks, the motorhome, the pit equipment and for operating when we're testing. It's a logistics operation, not large, and it could therefore be anywhere.

"First of all we want it to be a nice part of the world that people are going to want to visit, particularly our investors and partners. Spain would be nice, southern France, northern Italy, somewhere where the wives of sponsors would want to go. Becuase it's a logistics base we can be quite liberal in the way we make that decision.

"Spain is pretty high on the list because Epsilon's Joan (Villadelprat) and Sergio (Rinland) have that very nice operation, it looks nice, it's a plug-in operation in terms of us just using it for what we need. But it's not a done deal and we're not going to make that decision until later on in the year."
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http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73423

So firstly, they're targeting an experienced driver of any nationality for the first few years and probably an American driver alongside to learn the ropes. Secondly, they're not expecting stellar results for a few years - finishes in year one, points in year two - and aren't doing the BAR "we're going to win our first race" rubbish. Thirdly, they're also looking to base the trucks and equipment in Europe and do all the thinking and building in America.

Personally, I'm quite intrigued to see how they do, and how they go about running a team differently to the norm. Toyota has shown that running an F1 team in Germany with orders from Japan doesn't always work, so here's hoping USF1 learn from that.
 
daan
Then why are most of the teams based in Britain? There is a reason foreign teams setup here, as USF1 are about to find out...
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USF1 plans to set up a satellite facility in Europe as well, if I'm not mistaken.

I think it could work. I really would like to see Kyle Busch drive a season at least for them. No NASCAR driver with his talent has attempted a switch to F1, it's always been the other way around.

2010 seems like such a way off...
 
blinky77
I think it could work. I really would like to see Kyle Busch drive a season at least for them. No NASCAR driver with his talent has attempted a switch to F1, it's always been the other way around.
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There is a reason for that - just like most F1 drivers go to sportscars afterwards.
NASCAR to F1 is a step up, not the other way around.

I think its very doubtful they will go for a sports car driver. They will undoubtedly hire experienced open wheel drivers, be it IndyCar or experienced F1 men or even F3000/GP2 drivers.
 
I'd disagree on this point. Both NASCAR and F1 are top motorsports in their respective continents - moving from one to another is not just a move to a completely different discipline, but also a move between the two "peaks". IndyCar is inferior to Formula 1, in terms of level of competition as well as technology and pace - so I'd agree that IndyCar -> F1 is a step up. On the other hand, NASCAR drivers earn as much as the F1 drivers, and are just as highly regarded. I view IndyCar and Sportscars as equals, and NASCAR and F1 as equals as well.
 
Metar
I'd disagree on this point. Both NASCAR and F1 are top motorsports in their respective continents - moving from one to another is not just a move to a completely different discipline, but also a move between the two "peaks". IndyCar is inferior to Formula 1, in terms of level of competition as well as technology and pace - so I'd agree that IndyCar -> F1 is a step up. On the other hand, NASCAR drivers earn as much as the F1 drivers, and are just as highly regarded. I view IndyCar and Sportscars as equals, and NASCAR and F1 as equals as well.
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I kind of look at this as "open wheel" experience , for comparison sake.
 
Metar
NASCAR drivers earn as much as the F1 drivers, and are just as highly regarded.
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By who though? Are NASCAR drivers highly regarded in Europe? Not really. Japan? Australia?
Whereas someone who won in the Le Mans series or Touring Cars would have more places to go than a NASCAR driver would in the world.

My main point still stands though, they won't be hiring stock/sports car drivers, they'll be going for open wheel drivers - there are plenty of highly skilled ones out there.
 
Ardius
By who though? Are NASCAR drivers highly regarded in Europe? Not really. Japan? Australia?
Whereas someone who won in the Le Mans series or Touring Cars would have more places to go than a NASCAR driver would in the world.
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But then again, how highly are Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg regarded in the US? They don't know them just like Europeans are mostly unfamiliar with NASCARites such as Matt Kenseth or Kyle Busch.

Ardius
My main point still stands though, they won't be hiring stock/sports car drivers, they'll be going for open wheel drivers - there are plenty of highly skilled ones out there.
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I never meant to disagree on that point - you added it on an edit while I was writing the post. I completely agree here, purely because an open-wheel driver might be more experienced at this sort of racing.
 
Metar
But then again, how highly are Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg regarded in the US? They don't know them just like Europeans are mostly unfamiliar with NASCARites such as Matt Kenseth or Kyle Busch.
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True, it is mostly a divide of popularity. But I still do not think of NASCAR as a highly-skilled sport, regardless of the numerous arguments people have put forth about it, obviously I'm biased in this opinion.
I agree that a driver from either sport would find it difficult to win from the off because of the difference in style, rules, etc. However, I don't rate NASCAR up there with F1....but then I guess thats why I watch F1 and not NASCAR (other than the fact its impossible to watch it here).

I still think an F1 driver would find it easier to adapt to NASCAR than a NASCAR driver would F1. Of course, I'd love to see one try and succeed, it would be a great day for both sports and would hopefully allow both to become more worldwide sports.
 
Ardius
True, it is mostly a divide of popularity. But I still do not think of NASCAR as a highly-skilled sport, regardless of the numerous arguments people have put forth about it, obviously I'm biased in this opinion.
I agree that a driver from either sport would find it difficult to win from the off because of the difference in style, rules, etc. However, I don't rate NASCAR up there with F1....but then I guess thats why I watch F1 and not NASCAR (other than the fact its impossible to watch it here).

I still think an F1 driver would find it easier to adapt to NASCAR than a NASCAR driver would F1. Of course, I'd love to see one try and succeed, it would be a great day for both sports and would hopefully allow both to become more worldwide sports.
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Scott Speed grabbed the pole in his Nationwide Series debut today. If only his Sprint Cup career had the same fortune...
 
Ardius
True, it is mostly a divide of popularity. But I still do not think of NASCAR as a highly-skilled sport, regardless of the numerous arguments people have put forth about it, obviously I'm biased in this opinion.
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I believe it's hard to detach from the reality that despite both being categorized in the sport of racing, they are completely different. They both require a huge amount of skill and from the outside looking in, it's hard to compare. That being said, the only way you know if someone can drive a racecar, F1 or NASCAR, efficiently is to put them in the driver's seat.
 
It seems that USF1 have been asked to change their name. Apparently Mr. E doesn't like the use of the abbreviated "F1" and thinks it should remain solely associated with the sport itself, and so have requested that USF1 change their name slightly. They will now be known as USGPE, or United States Grand Prix Engineering.

Force India aren't getting off lightly either, and have agreed to modify the "FI" section of their team logo, adding a dot above the I.
 
Do you race?
It seems that USF1 have been asked to change their name. Apparently Mr. E doesn't like the use of the abbreviated "F1" and thinks it should remain solely associated with the sport itself, and so have requested that USF1 change their name slightly. They will now be known as USGPE, or United States Grand Prix Engineering.

Force India aren't getting off lightly either, and have agreed to modify the "FI" section of their team logo, adding a dot above the I.
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Regarding USGPE, I already posted that with a link right above your post. :dunce: Interesting about the Fi thing though.
 

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