Driver pairing for Team US F1

Karting isn't "big", but it's around. You can find both indoor and outdoor tracks in almost any city.
(Even in the D.C. area, where motor cars are politically incorrect, so knowing how to drive is "bad". (Seen the roads lately?))

But I think the reason the US has trouble getting drivers for F1 is the same reason you don't see many Japanese or Australian drivers in F1 either: They can race at home.

And, racing domestically, you get to spend your weeknights at home with the family.

Most F1 teams are based in England or Italy. (BMW is based in Germany and Switzerland). You have to live near the operation -- even the "off season" has a lot of car development.

There's only so much racing Robert Kubica could do at home. And Germany isn't all that far away, for him. For Lewis and Jensen, their home bases are at home. For any European driver, the bases aren't that far away. (London and Rome are closer to each other than LA and New York.)
(Most of the drivers used to live in Monaco or on the Isle of Man for the tax free status those places used to have.)

Mark Webber and Kaz Nakajima have a far longer commute to England. And Scott Speed had to commute to Italy.
Eddie Cheever was already living in Italy when he joined Alfa's F1 team. He didn't go to Europe specifically to race there. Later, he returned to racing in the states. (After the F1 cars got too small for him.)

Japan and Australia have extensive racing opportunities domestically.

The US also has tons of racing venues domestically. NASA (national auto sport association) http://www.nasaproracing.com/ and Rally America http://www.rally-america.com/ are trying to pick up where SCCA has dropped the ball -- in getting new drivers to take up racing.

In addition, the US also has domestic racing (in IRL and NASCAR) that pays well enough to attract international drivers.

(After Isle of Man dropped the tax free status, Nigel Mansel moved to Florida, because the taxes were lower there than in England -- and because he loved golf. His switch to CART wasn't all that big a surprise -- it was "home" racing, after he moved to FL.)

This may be one reason USF1 wants to base out of Charlotte NC -- to make it possible for US drivers to live at home part of the time.


And there's another factor:
I've noticed that most Europeans can get by in quite a number of languages. (Remember Alonso and Massa having a shouting match --- in Italian?)

People in the States tend to speak English, and maybe a bit of whatever language the grandparents might still speak, and that's about it.

And English is a bit of an oddball language. It's not all that much like French and Spanish and German, which all have common roots. (English started from those roots, but diverged significantly.) Once you grow up on English, it's harder to become a polyglot, I think. That makes it harder for US natives to get around in Europe.

Of course, with F1 going to places like Singapore, China, and Abu Dhabi, language issues are going to be bigger problems for the European drivers, too.


And a third factor:
Meals in Europe are very small, by US standards.

Ever been aboard the USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides")? That 18th Century ship was built for the people who grew up on that diet: It's *TINY*. There's no headroom for anyone even close to six foot in height.

The US has had a surplus of food products for a long time. (Heck, we're burning corn in the cars.) US natives tend to grow up on a larger food intake. US natives have been tending on the tall side, through most of the 20th Century. It's only recently that they've been growing wide, instead.

I meet lots of people in the States who are as tall as I am (6'4"/193cm), but I didn't see that many in Europe.

Alfa dropped F1 racing, but Eddie Cheever's ride with Alfa was already in question, after they implemented the rule that a driver had to be able to exit the car rapidly. Eddie could shoe-horn himself into an Alfa F1 car, but he couldn't get out all that quickly.

I'm horribly skinny for my height, but I still mass 84 kilos -- which is weight the engineers couldn't move around in ballast.
In F1, small is beautiful.


US drivers have a lot of challenges entering F1, and a lot of alternatives.

 

here's just what F1 needs . . . and this person is going to be paired with Scott Speed in a GA DP. . . .that should be a very interesting race, is Ganassi crazy??

Kyle Busch draws fire for massive wreck
Kyle Busch took the brunt of the criticism for a massive pileup in turn one that knocked out a handful of contenders in Sunday's Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

During a restart on lap 175, Dale Earnhardt Jr., running third, spun his tyres in front of Martin Truex Jr., who had to slow to avoid contact with Earnhardt's Chevy. Busch, who was behind Truex, started to move to the inside but contact between the left front of his Toyota and the right rear of Truex's Chevy sent Truex spinning across the track and into the path of Jeff Burton.

The wreck eliminated Truex, David Ragan and Brian Vickers and severely damaged the cars of Burton (16th in points and fighting for a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup) and Kevin Harvick, both of whom returned to the track after extensive repairs.

Truex blamed Busch and appeared ready to throw his helmet at Busch's car as it rolled past after the crash, but he restrained himself.

“Someone spun the tyres, and our lane didn't go,” Truex said. “Kyle just lost his head like he usually does when something bad happens. He decided he wasn't going to lift. He was going to turn me on the straightaway for no good reason at all.”

Vickers was even more emphatic.

“While I was in the (infield) care centre, I saw the replay, and it looked like the #18 (Busch) was just completely impatient — very normal,” Vickers said. “Just hooked the #1 (Truex) in the right rear and turned him in front of the field.

“If you wreck somebody on the straightaway, you kind of should be black-flagged for it, but that's NASCAR's call, not my call. I guess everybody just learns to expect Kyle doing something stupid — stupid is forever.”

To his credit, Busch didn't duck responsibility for the incident and apologised for triggering the wreck.

“The #88 (Earnhardt) spun his tyres on the restart, I went to choose a lane, went to the middle, and the #42 (Juan Pablo Montoya) and I got together a little bit,” said Busch, who finished seventh and gained a position to eighth in the Cup standings. “That pinched me with the 1, and I spun the 1 out, and it was just mayhem from there. I hate it for all those guys, because I know they've got Chase contentions, too.”



Carol

 

Here is my take, they need one low cost experienced F1 driver (US or non-US) and a up and coming US based driver, here are the options as I see them (not in any order):
Experienced
- Scott Speed
- Anthony Davidson
- Giancarlo Fisichella
- Marc Gene

Up and coming
- Graham Rahal - too tall for F1 car?
- JR Hildebrand - Indy Lights point leader and ran races in A1GP this year
- Alexander Rossi - 2008 Formula BMW champion & running IFM series in europe this year
- Danica - but for sponsor $$ only
- Marco Andretti

 

Agreed, of course the only one a US citizen is msr Speed. A shoe in if Red Bull agrees.

Also agree on all the above. Rossi makes the most sense but a formula BMW and an F1 car are completely different animals. Some adapt, some dont, and a very very few actually improve.
Does Logano have ANY formula car experience ? Does he care ?

I still think AJ Allmendinger is the stuff. He fits between the wise old one and fresh blood.

 

The drivers for this team are to be American citizens. I wonder if that means that someone like Scott Dixon can't apply for US citizenship and be one of the drivers? I am not picking Dixon, just using him as an example.

 

Let's start here or stop here...JPM ? not a chance, he left F1 because he didn't like the sport...I don't think the USF! team has the cash to bring him back.
If Danica is one of the drivers, i'm going to start telling people I'm Canadian ( No offense to the Canadians...)

The team will need at least one driver with modern F1 experience...?
I guess the question should be who in IRL has the cash to get a seat?
I really think Marco Andretti would be cool to see in F1. He does wine a bit though...

This is a tough one.

 

Speed is the only one who makes sense.
Love him or hate him.

 

If that's true, then it says a lot about the state of affairs in the US. Good night.

 

I think that the management of USF1 knows that Scott Speed would look like a publicity stunt rather than an actual choice. It's like picking David Letterman and Paul Shaffer.

_J

 

I am voting for a super dieted Tony Stewart.

 

No offense taken . And now that you've gone that far, might as well put the nod in for Robert Wickens. 2nd in points in GP2 as we speak.....

 

OOPS on GP2. Make that Formula Two.

 

Im guessing Patrick/Speed. To say a driver that has never won a race is no good is unfair. Equipment (vehicle) plays a major roll in racing. Look at Hamilton this year... can't even qualify..does that make him a bad driver? NO. Buttons past has been lacklustre, give him good equipment viola future F1 Champ. Personalities plays a big role as well. Like Alonso or Kimis tantrums would be any different than Patricks. Good drivers are Type A personalities they have to be to have the eye of the tiger. They dont have to be asses but being a Type A helps. By the way I have no problem with Patrick's ass.

 

The unfortunate key words here are "super dieted." I see NASCAR and, jeez, those are some seriously fat people -- racing AND cheering. And old. Science has established concretely that talent drops like a stone at age 33 so I don't see many NASCAR drivers who could make the move. Besides, oval and road-courses are awfully different...

Naturally, there's exceptions but I just don't see the youth and triathlete-level fitness that's required for F1 among many drivers here. I see them all day, every day here at the beach but not at the track!

 

It's amazing that the majority of the responses on here are only for the "showboats", not the upcoming drivers in other series whom actually have proven records of poles, fastest laps and WINS ! ! With the potential demise of A1GP next year, that could leave Adam Carroll without a ride and I will still maintain the absolute BEST paring is Jonathan Summerton/Adam Carroll. The new team needs to have race winning drivers in their seats not some gimic Hollywood show if they want to impress on the track.

Carol

 

Okay, you whippersnapper - you get a "time out" for making grandpa feel old.

You're gonna be old someday, yerself. (If you don't keep annoying people who have experience going for them.)

Besides: look at Carlos Sainz in the Dakar.

I doubt even Schumi could win an F1 race driving a checker cab. (Despite the old MS/DC jokes about a "pedal car".)

A newbie team needs car development drivers -- drivers who can help them bring the car from "taxicab" to "competitor".
And I just don't think they'll find any walking around with US passports.

 

Obviously you don't follow sportscars - that's a major insult at the drivers - age equals talent and fitness. I hardly call TK lacking fitness nor is Allan at age 39 a slug and the list could go on....

Carol

 

I'd go with Marco Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve.

 

The Eddie Irvine helmet is priceless!

 

Thanks.

Meanwhile it has been retired because it has no current Snell rating. Now I'm wearing either the one in my avatar or the same helmet without the Raikkoenen paintjob (my stunt helmet).

Next month it'll be time again to dust them off...

 

Have you ever attended a NASCAR race. I am 5'11" and weigh 160-165 pounds depending on how long I stay in Mexico each trip, compared to some I see around me at Daytona for the 500, I feel fat. Jeff Gordan, Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Busch, even Dale Jr, absolutely not fat. Please name one seriously fat person driving in NASCAR. Stewart is hefty, but in an interview his sometimes GF said he is not fat.

Even with "talent that drops like a stone at age 33", Michael Schumacher was 35 when he won his last WDC. Your science must be from Ron Hubbard? Paul Newman was on a winning Daytona 24 team at age 80. Try sitting in a race car at an average 190 MPH on a high banked oval, for three or more hours, with 2-3 cars inches away from you, on the edge, in 125 degrees, usually without a cool suit. Tell me that takes no conditioning, and I will tell you that you are mistaken. Road racing is no more difficult than superspeedway racing, just very different.

I still don't need little blue pills and I am much older than Michael Schumacher.

As an old person, I must disagree with everything you said in your post. ;}

 

Jacques Villeneuve ...

 

While I appreciate your passion for the purity in racing, what you fail to recognize is that racing is a business. These guys are completely unknown in the US market, so it fails against a major priority in the team's objectives. This team will stink no matter who drives. What they need to do is build for the future. They need a driver who is good at development and they need a driver who can bring in sponsorship dollars so they have money to build a competitive car sometime in the future. The ability to win races really does not matter. Not even a little. Senna would not be able to win in the car they bring to the grid, it's not even a goal worth discussing.

What is amazing is the people who think Andretti deserves a shot and Danica is a joke. Have they not been watching the IRL points race the last couple of years? There may be an arguement to be made in road course vs oval skill, but at the end of the day Danica has consistently out pointed her team mate Marco. At least in the series they are currently running together, Danica is the more accomplished driver.