USGPE Looking at Paul Ricard for home base

IMO USF1 is looking to be cheesier and cheesier as the days pass. I think I'll throw up in my mouth a little bit if Danica is given one of the race seats.

 

Well, at least she's AMERICAN for crap's sake......which is more than I can say for anything having to do with Spain, France, or Paul Ricard....whose team IS this, anyway?

 

A "US" team, without any US racing, run by Brits and based at Paul Ricard? Am I missing something here (besides a marble or two)?

If Danica Patrick is given a seat, I'll not only actively root against my country, I'll go Commie. F1 is a meritocracy and she hasn't earned it, at all.

 

Actually, specifying an American driver doesn't have any legal issues. Racing is just like marketing or film-making in that you can cast however you wish.

Here's to lost marbles!

 

Something tells me she's "working hard" for the job!
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Wrong shoes, but the rest of her is pretty good.....

 

Maybe it's USF1 circa 1945?

 

So you guys want your team to be based in the US, thus test on circuits that have nothing to do with F1 or are so different that prove nothing (ie. Indy) AND on top of that have to have a much higher travel cost than any other team since most of the races are in Europe.

There is a very practical reason why all teams are based on Europe/England, even the Toyota team is, etc.

Think about it ...
Pete

 

Pete, as funny as it sounds, i remember a few months back, i purchased F1 Racing mag, and there was an exclusive interview with Peter Windsor. I remember clearly he was mentioning that he's not gonna base he team in Europe, but in the US itself. There was lots of points in his arguments, but i'm really surprised this popped up here now. I suppose this is one of the unwritten contracts Bernie had with Peter...

 

I'd bet a confident buck that it has more to do with being utterly unable to make it work (i.e. sponsorship-wise) here in the USA.

I still think USGPE is a pipe dream. They probably think they will actually be fielding a car in '10 too. This is just the top of the slippery slope towards failure... IMO

 

Not looking good at all.

 

+1

If they ever do get to a F1 grid it'll be with a driver who brings a bag of money with him.

 

This all 'sounds' really legal and lawyerly-like, but if anyone actually enforced this crap, half the Ferrari and Mercedes back-office would be fined/imprisoned....

 

Funny, I don't recall any of the current crop of F1 drivers bad-mouthing Indy or Montreal for technical reasons.....furthermore, have you looked at a map lately? Obviously not. How 'close' to Europe is Bahrain, Singapore, Brazil, and China?

 

There are only 3 tracks in the US that are really even close to being a good test facility for F1 track simulation IMHO.....Road Atlanta, Road America, Laguna Seca. All other tracks are either too bumpy or too flat, etc. However, each of these have issues too. Laguna is much too dusty....although that would be a good test for Turkey but travel wise a bit of a challenge being on the west coast and away from a major airport. Road America is far too long and in the boonies for air travel as well. Road Atlanta would probably be the best of all with smooth pavement, FIA runoff, close to a major hub, and close to NASCAR country to hire away some smart boys under the tutelage of a some gray haired F1 engineers and technicians as well as many of the component manufacturers home bases which "maybe" give them a fighting chance. Not to mention Atlanta being a major hub for the US and international travel. The heat would be a real problem during the summer, but would give them a leg up on testing in the winter.

 

The idea of an F1 team being based in the US was a non-starter from the get go.
If a driver like Mike Andretti couldn't succeed operating trans-Atlantic a team never could.

 

Nonsense - you're mixing apples and oranges. A track doesn't need to support the logistics of actual Spectator-supported racing (crowds, hot-dog carts, etc.) to succeed as a test facility. A successful team needs to adapt to the challenges of a variety of terrain anyway. 'Too' bumpy? 'Too' flat? You're kidding, right? Too dusty at Laguna? What do you think the track conditions at Bahrain are? I recall there used to be FIVE F1 venues within the Contenental US at one time, including Las Vegas and Watkins Glen. Any pre-existing facility could be spruced-up to modern standards more cost-effectively than it would for a team to set up shop somewhere in Europe. Our land here is MUCH cheaper, for starters, and we have much more of it.

 

Nonsense??? Have you ever driven professionally or tested with a race team or been a crew chief or team manager for a professional race team? I have done in each of those capacities "successfully". So maybe I have a little knowledge to pass on.

BTW, crew need hot dogs ;-) if you want to go that way. They work really hard when they are not hungry.

Logistics is referred to being able to move equipment quickly from here to overseas. As one of the single most important air cargo and passenger hubs to the world, and the fact that Road Atlanta is a "real drivers" track with FIA standards already in place, I could not think of a better place in the US. I only have one 54' transporter and one 48' transporter. Getting them ready to go test or to a race takes a ton of man hours. Moving equipment, cars, support, hospitality, etc. is a huge undertaking. I certainly would have a European base if I was running an F1 team. I can remember many times staying on the road and shacking up at a buddy's race shop (or a hotel parking lot) preparing the cars in between events instead of going back and forth across the US much less back and forth across the pond.

A test track by definition should have characteristics of all the tracks you plan on racing. Las Vegas, Indy, are you kidding, they are Rovals not even close. Laguna is dusty "all" the time, so you would never be able to figure out your mechanical grip very easily unless you planned only to race at Bahrain and Turkey. You want a "true" road course that has characteristics of all.

Watkins Glen has zero run off and thus a bad choice probably severely hurting a driver over the edge while testing.....but it would be good practice for Monaco......
Sebring, Mosport, Mid-Ohio, are far too bumpy, as is quite a number of great race tracks in the US including the Glen. There are only (3) tracks in the country that fit and those I already mentioned, the other tracks are what professionals who set up suspension call corn rows.

Of course this only my opinion.

 

I would assume that this apply to people who are already in the USA with a proper work visa.
I think that you are still allowed to give preference to Citizens or people with green cards, as opposed to hiring a foreigner.

 

Looks like everyone is so eager to hate this team again. No wonder the rest of the world hates us.

Paul Ricard is OLD news and have no idea why it is being posted now. They have been looking at MANY different places to have a Euro hub for logistics reasons. Why is this such a big deal?

And is anyone ACTUALLY questioning why things changed from being at the Epsilon facility? Did you notice they lodged and entry which completely threw a wrench in the plans of having a base there and essentialy made them a competitor.

Has anyone here been to Paul Ricard? If you were setting up an F1 team and the facility was offered to you I think you would take it. Bernie spared no expense.

The HQ is VERY much in Charlotte and already exists guys. Hate to break it to you.

In regards to drivers and staff, they are going to try to assemble the best team of people regardless of race or nationality. Peter has even said that the reason they have not made many announcements about hiring staff is because most are from existing teams and need to finish the season. Dont know too many Americans across the pond already working in F1 so I think it is safe to say they wont be ALL American and there is nothing wrong with that. The media has hyped up the "All American" part of this team. Yes there will be a strong emphasis on showcasing American talent and technology but not at a loss. I dont know anyone that would take on such an ambitious task of setting up an F1 team, regardless of where it is based, just to make silly choices that see it fail.

Why isnt anyone mentioning the recent articles about running one American driver and one experienced F1 driver? I think you all will be surprised when the driver line up is announced shortly.

No offense but just the title of this thread shows me how NOT up to date everyone is on the team.

IT IS NOT USGPE!!!! It is Team US F1. It was made VERY clear by Bernie that he was ok with the name but not until they lodged and official entry and were accepted. He also was specific about the spacing of US and F1 and that Team needed to be in there.

I did not see USGPE anywhere on the entry list.

I now await all the backlash I am about to get from all the "experts" on here. I say this because if you look at my other posts it has happen to me before.