US F1 Update

[Don]

AutoWeekRacing.com

" The Charlotte, N.C.-based Formula One upstart U.S. F1 has finally given us a look inside its facility, a significant step toward dispelling any lingering doubt.............. "

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20091007/F1/910079988

[VRM]

Yeah, I had my doubts. I didn't really see Peter Windsor as a team principle.

It's going to be interesting. I wonder what sort of livery they are going to come up with. Red/white/blue, traditional white with blue stripes, or something that matches their primary sponsor colours (blue, white, with Youtube red?).

Steve

[Don]

Additional info from MotorSport.com :

US F1 Team interview with Ken Anderson
Date: 2009-10-07

5 QUESTIONS WITH KEN ANDERSON, US F1 TEAM PRINCIPAL, PRESIDENT & CEO

Author: US F1 Team: America's new Formula One team prepares for the 2010 season. Team interview with Ken Anderson follows:

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=348388

[Wayne Maybury]

That machine shop is quite messy, I hope they get someone in to clean it up before they take more pictures of it.

Wayne

[Dan40]

I remember reading some YEARS ago [2,5, 7 10?] that to field a COMPETITIVE F-1 team took well over $400,000,000.00 per year! I doubt that number has come down.

[Bartruff1]

I am going to go watch...I have kinda been looking for a excuse to revisit some of the places I saw 45 years ago (Including the 1964 Cobra effort) and to go to some completely different countries that I can't imagine ever visiting.. yes, I know ...it won't be as much fun as it was in 64 !!!

[Don]

From AutoWeek.com

" The new U.S. F1 Team and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile said on Thursday that the FIA completed a second round of visits to the team's headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday and that it was pleased with what it saw."

"I personally visited the U.S. F1 Team in August as well as this week, and I am impressed with the progress made by the organization since the Concorde Agreement was signed in late July," said Nick Craw, the FIA's deputy president for sport. "It has all come together very quickly for the team, and we welcome them into Formula One competition in 2010."

Note the picture: The U.S. F1 complex in Charlotte, N.C., includes an autoclave to create carbon-fiber parts

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20091008/F1/910089995

“The Next American Formula One Champion,” says the header on the Web site JonathanSummerton.com. Ambitious? You bet--the last American F1 champion was Mario Andretti, in 1978.

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20091008/F1/910089990

[Excaliber]

Curious, would Danica P. even stand a chance of competing at the F1 level?

[Got the Bug]

Hurley pushing for Stefan-U.S. F1 merger
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100226/F1/100229925

[Got the Bug]

Looks like the US F1 team is trying to push out their entry to 2011.

http://www.speedtv.com/video/popup/69107930001

[Wayne Maybury]

This goes to prove just how difficult it is to compete in F1.

Wayne

[Don]

My subscription of the April edition of Road & Track arrived today with a 4 page article by Sam Posey " The American Dream " " US F1 is tackling Formula 1" " R & T takes you inside the new Team. "

Not knowing when the magazine went to press, but the US F1 Team was still a go.........

" No one is answering the phone at U.S. F1's Charlotte, N.C., headquarters, and sources said that the fledgling Formula One operation is now dead once and for all. An AutoWeek source with close ties to several team employees said that a senior employee informed the remaining workforce on Tuesday afternoon that they effectively no longer have jobs. "

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100302/F1/100309974

[dave from mesa]

Guess it's a no-go.
http://www.racer.com/team-us-f1-shut...MC-RACER_DAILY

To bad!

[Don]

From MotorSport.com

" The team still does not have a chassis ready, and its capabilities had already been cut with staff reductions in recent weeks.

Things went from bad to worse today as the remaining staff at the team's facility in Charlotte, NC were told that they were being put on indefinite unpaid leave while the team goes through a reorganization. The laid-off staff are still technically employees of the team and will instead be eligible for state unemployment benefits. "

http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=359112

[VRM]

That's too bad - I've been looking forward to this for a while. I wonder if this means that Peter Windsor will be back on Speed...

Steve

[Tommy]

I was hopeful for the USF1 effort, but I never fully accepted the idea that it would work. My skepticism was based on the following logic.
1. The nations of Europe are geographically like states in the USA. Thus, races in Italy, Spain, Monaco, Belgium, the UK, etc. are akin to races in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Tennessee and California. It makes sense that European car manufacturers would want to showcase their brands for a European audience. Thus, brands like Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari have invested heavily in F1 teams.
2. With only one F1 race in the USA, there is little reason for American car manufacturers to spend a lot to support a F1 team.
3. Without major support from a US car manufacturer, it is difficult to see how USF1 could afford the resources and talented people needed to be successful.

[Wayne Maybury]

Tommy

The only F1 race in North America is in Montreal. The US lost their race 2 years ago and the Canadian Grand Prix was actually chopped off the schedule for 2009 as Bernie thought he could make more money elsewhere that weekend. It turned out to be a disaster so Montreal is back this year.

Ford (Jaguar) backed out of F1 a few years back and there is no way GM or Chrysler are going to spend a dime on an F1 team. They are cutting back on NASCAR spending which is their bread and butter racing base. Toyota and Honda have also both exited F1 in the past year.

All of the car manufacturers involved in F1 consider North America to be an important market and they were very upset with Bernie when he cut the US GP and then when he also cut the Canadian GP last year. One of the big problems with F1 in the US is that Americans prefer stock car racing over open wheel racing. Even IRL has a difficult time making ends meet. US F1 was a very ambitious endevour but the team was facing stiff odds before they got started.

Wayne