US F1 Update

[PatBuckley]

I would have thought that they could have found an American to drive for them.

[Got the Bug]

Originally Posted by PatBuckley

I would have thought that they could have found an American to drive for them.

Agree with you Pat. But, everyone is a free agent and F1 isn't like a competition between countries.

[PatBuckley]

True - but it is a team with at least 50% of the principals not American, using the name USF1 who started out saying that they were going to be using American drivers (or at least they inferred that on many occasions) who are now choosing a guy who has never raced in F1 and who is not from the USA......

Ernie - she wouldn't stand a chance. With the exception of Montoya and Villeneuve, guys who have DOMINATED Indy car racing haven't done squat in F1 - as in Michael Andretti, Da Matta.....Danica only won one race and that was pretty much a gift.

[Don]

At least the USA F1 Team is US based, in Charlotte and a number of the personnel have come from the US.

One of the challenges Michael Andretti had, he was not based in Europe and commuted from the US. It has been stated that the F1 ride required total commitment along with experience in the lesser series of open wheel cars

[Wayne Maybury]

In all fairness to American drivers, very little emphasis is placed on open wheel race cars in the US. Most skilled drivers end up in stock cars trying to make it to NASCAR. In addition, those who do race open wheel cars spend much of their time on oval speedways. Learning to race open wheel cars on road circuits just isn't part of the average young American race driver's agenda.

While jumping from F1 to NASCAR is difficult, going the other way is just about impossible. If USF1 wants to have American drivers, they are going to have to make a long term investment and commitment to the driver development process.

Wayne