KYLE BUSCH On F1 Future | FerrariChat

KYLE BUSCH On F1 Future

Discussion in 'F1' started by RP, Feb 28, 2009.

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  1. RP

    RP F1 World Champ

    Feb 9, 2005
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    "To me it seems like it would be a lot easier to drive a car (F1) that's fully equipped. It's kind of like getting in a Volkswagen Beetle versus a Ferrari. Those are kind of the differences."

    NASCAR star Kyle Busch says he would like to try competing in Formula One, amid speculation linking him as a candidate to drive for USF1.

    The 23-year-old, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Sprint Cup series, was one of several American drivers mentioned by Peter Windsor last Tuesday during the launch of USF1 in Charlotte.

    Busch admits he would like to get a proper opportunity to drive in Formula One one day to see if he has a future in racing beyond NASCAR.

    "It's something I'd love to take a shot at one day," Busch told reporters at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday, where he qualified on pole for Sunday's Sprint Cup race. "Hopefully, one of these days I'll get a chance to drive one and see if I'm good at it."

    However, Busch doesn't reckon it's yet time for him to leave NASCAR in pursuit of a possible future in F1. First he would like to become champion in the Sprint Cup series, where he would like to return once he has tried out F1.

    "It's not quite time for me to do that yet," he said. "If I could win a championship here in the next two or three years, then I wouldn't mind going over there and doing that, trying it for a few years and coming back.

    "I think I would still be young enough where, if I could win a championship by 25, go run Formula One for a couple of years and be back by 28, I've still got plenty of time left to run in NASCAR."

    The Vegas-native believes it would be easier for him to adapt to an F1 car than it has been for drivers coming from open-wheel racing to master the heavier, slow-reacting stock cars.

    "I feel like it's probably easier to go that route than it is for those guys to come to this route because these cars have less downforce, less grip, more weight on the car, less technical advancements and stuff like that," said Busch.

    "To me it seems like it would be a lot easier to drive a car that's fully equipped. It's kind of like getting in a Volkswagen Beetle versus a Ferrari. Those are kind of the differences."

    Busch was expected to drive a Toyota F1 car last winter in Japan, but his run was called off because he was required to attend the clashing Nationwide Series awards event.
     
  2. Gilles27

    Gilles27 F1 World Champ

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    I have mixed feelings about Busch's comments. I think he's underestimating the effort that goes into driving a Formula 1 car at 10/10 consistently over 90 minutes. I'm not trying to dredge up old arguments about which series is better or lamer. I understand where he's coming from, but modern F1 cars need to be driven on a razor's edge that is much less forgiving than Cup cars under more severe physical strains. Apples and oranges. What I did like was his interest in moving on to something beyond NASCAR, which is in opposition to the current convention among many drivers. Not that NASCAR is a fallback series for drivers who can't hack it anywhere else but rather a series that offers career longevity and stability as well as more opportunities than F1 with fields twice as big.
     
  3. badges2

    badges2 Formula 3

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    The simple fact that he's allowing 2 years in F1 before he would want to be back in NASCAR shows he already does not have the commitment to do what would need to be done.
     
  4. Far Out

    Far Out F1 Veteran

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    I don't know anything about that fellow, but if he thinks he can have some sort of a three year holiday with cars that are easy to drive, he's slightly wrong...
     
  5. SRT Mike

    SRT Mike Two Time F1 World Champ

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    It's easy to cover for internal doubt about one's ability by claiming one isn't interested.



    "Nah, I don't want to ask that gorgeous girl out... she's not my type".


    Riiiiiiiiiiight. LOL!
     
  6. 1_can_dream

    1_can_dream F1 Veteran

    Jan 7, 2006
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    The two series are completely different animals and I don't think that necessarily makes one easier to do than the other. Clearly JPM isn't winning championship after championship in NASCAR, and when Jeff Gordon tested an F1 car he was quick, but wasn't quick enough to be competitive on an F1 grid.
     
  7. Isobel

    Isobel F1 World Champ

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    Florian, he's arguably the fastest man in NASCAR on ovals. On a road course, all things being equal, JPM and Speed would likely walk away.
     
  8. Far Out

    Far Out F1 Veteran

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    Thanks for the info, Isobel. I somehow doubt he'd succeed in F1 even if he was fully committed to it - IIRC, no touring car driver (to which I count NASCAR in the broadest sense) has ever managed to survive in a modern F1 car*. Frentzen, Häkkinen and Schumacher (Ralf) weren't too successful in DTM either, but that's a different story....



    * every time I claim something like that, I get beaten down with names and numbers from the last 50 years. I'm waiting! ;)
     
  9. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    Oh boy, here we go again. Something tells me 62 250 GTO will chime in any moment...
    :)

    Kyle is right that driving a modern F1 is easy. I've said so many times in other threads. But that's not really the point: It gets insanely hard doing it at 10/10 for 90 minutes (as Jack posts). Plus "just driving it" isn't really all that's involved. You also need to develop it, give good feedback, be around for testing (hello Michael Andretti) and deal with F1's politics to get into the right seat at the right time.
     
  10. Whisky

    Whisky Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Holiday ? What I read was a 3 yr commitment, no more, no less...

    And, Jeff 'tested' for exactly how long ? Give him a break...
    I see a few F1 guys in cup, they've been 'testing' for a long time, and not doing THAT great.

    Again, Kyle is talking about something he had not done, which is F1, his choice of words might change.
    But I will say he is one of the few that drive a Cup car on the razor's edge ALL the time today.
     
  11. lmunz22

    lmunz22 Formula 3

    Jan 16, 2007
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    After seven laps in the car he was within 1.3 seconds of JPMs times. I for one would love to see what he could do with a full season of testing and development under his belt.
     
  12. Ferraripilot

    Ferraripilot F1 World Champ
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    I went to school with Kyle Busch and knew both Busch's very well. Both are for lack of a better word...........special :) No chance in F1. Not now or ever. I amazed they did anything in nascar to be honest, but that just proved to me that any numbskull can perform in nascar given the opportunity and budget
     
  13. Bas

    Bas Four Time F1 World Champ

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    Made me chuckle:D.
     
  14. smart_alek

    smart_alek Formula Junior

    Jun 12, 2005
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    Hha.. Interesting.
    Do you have any anecdotes or funny stories about them?
    Out of the Nascar drivers that are well publicized ( I do not follow Nascar, but know of them of the drivers),
    the characters that I have picked out are
    Jimmie Johnson: The smooth talking, pretty boy corporate guy
    Jeff Gordon: The top gun who is on the comeback trail
    Tony Stewart: Bad tempered but extremely talented
    Robbie Gordon: Some fat guy who wrecks cars, also very talented
    Mark Martin (name?): An older guy who is trying to pull a rocky like comeback to get a championship.
    Kyle Busch: The bad boy of the circuit. I know I felt bad for him when he wasn't allowed to test the Toyota F1.
     
  15. badges2

    badges2 Formula 3

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    #15 badges2, Feb 28, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Not a Busch fan..........well not a Kyle or Kurt Busch fan! Being the dad of a 6 year old girl, I've been forced to sit thru a kid's show called "Lazytown". One of the characters, appropriately enough is called "Stingy". Everytime I see him, I laugh and think of Kyle......
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  16. R2112

    R2112 Formula 3

    Oct 15, 2006
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    No way!! I watch that show every morning as well with my 2 year old. I've always thought the same thing.....that's too funny! :D

    Stingy even drives a yellow car on the show too! :D



    Great kids show btw. :)
     
  17. 308luver

    308luver Formula Junior

    May 4, 2006
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    #17 308luver, Mar 1, 2009
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2009
    Take a look again.

    Generally there are three driver that dominate the few road races in nascar. Stewart, Bush, and Gordon. JPM won one road race(controversial) and since then hasnt really done too well in them. Its also one of my biggest problems with jimmie johnson, he cant even finish more than mid pack in a road race.

    I agree with people saying he's underestimating F1, but the kid has the balls and the talent.

    To me the series are like boxing vs. a really technical karate. One can argue which takes more talent, but its a much different type of fighting. Both are equally involved but one is more physcial and brash while the other is much more calculated and technical.
     
  18. Matt Andrews

    Matt Andrews Formula Junior

    Dec 31, 2006
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    it is strange to me that kyle, having driven lots of race cars thinks it is harder to driver a car fast that reacts slowly and has little downforce. In all of my experiences, it is much harder to competitively drive the super light, razors edge car that does exactly what you tell it when you tell it with tons of downforce. All of those characteristics really amplify the drivers inputs, and really separate the people with talent from the ones who have a lot of seat time.
     
  19. RP

    RP F1 World Champ

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    Its not so much Kyle Busch underestimating driving an F1 car, it is that a lot of people underestimate driving a NASCAR car.
     
  20. Wolfgang5150

    Wolfgang5150 F1 Rookie

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    Not true. Last year, all things were equal, and Kyle won both road course races. Montoya was in the races, Speed was not.
    I think he is one our best chances for F1; he's talented and has the cocky attitude that is required to succeed in F1.
    Kevin
     
  21. Isobel

    Isobel F1 World Champ

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    If you're the best of the blimp jockeys, you can do anything.
     
  22. Gilles27

    Gilles27 F1 World Champ

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    I don't know about that. I think any serious racing fan understands and appreciates what goes into driving a NASCAR. It's difficult, as is any top level of motorsports. But dynamically the two series couldn't be more opposite. And he talks about breezing in for a couple years and then doing something else, almost expecting to have seen and done it all in the brief stretch.
     
  23. tifosi12

    tifosi12 Four Time F1 World Champ
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    I have driven both and there is more to getting the most out of a F1.
     
  24. LMPDesigner

    LMPDesigner F1 Rookie
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    Doesn't matter whether he would be good or not in F1. At 23 years old now and wanting to wait a couple of years before attempting F1 he is "pass his sell by date". F1 drivers nowadays need to be in a good Formula car series at about 16 years of age and then be able to make F1 by 22-23. Hamilton is the perfect example of what a modern F1 driver has to do to make it. Busch can't make up for the lack of experience (in that type of racing), no matter how good in Cup. Two totally different worlds.
     
  25. Matt Andrews

    Matt Andrews Formula Junior

    Dec 31, 2006
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    I agree he is getting on in age to be dipping his feet in the F1 water. but in reality, I have a feeling that the US drivers that will drive for USF1 will be as much about pulling in sponsors as ability to drive.
     

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