sorry to disappoint some of guys who believe this would occur . . . Carol autosport and other related sites reported this morning Danica Patrick has all but ruled out a switch to Formula 1, despite speculation linking her to the new Team US F1. The IndyCar Series frontrunner, whose contract with Andretti Green Racing expires at the end of this season, is mulling over her options for 2010. She could choose to remain in IndyCar, or make the switch to NASCAR, but it appears she has rejected trying to make the move to F1. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Patrick was asked if she had narrowed down her search into a specific category and responded: "I'd say it's probably not F1." Team US F1 has made it clear that it wants American drivers on board for next year, but Patrick claims the team has not made contact with her. "I've had opportunities to take it a step further with Formula 1, and I don't want to lead anyone down a path," she said. "It's not in my heart to go there. I've explored Europe before. "I particularly like to be here and I like my family and I like my friends and I like my creature comforts of my home country." Patrick said that at the moment her mind was open about what she would do in the future. "At the end of the day I've got to go with my gut about what I want to do," she said. "At the end of the day the team has to make sense, the deal's got to make sense; the progression has to make sense. I might race IndyCar and never go to NASCAR at all. I'm not really sure right now. We'll see." Speculation in the IndyCar paddock suggests that if Patrick chooses to remain in the series rather than switching to NASCAR, she is likely to leave the currently struggling AGR team and move to champion squad Ganassi.
Why would any driver in Indy or Nascar want to go to F1 in a backmarker team with no chance of even scoring points,then be blamed for all their problems? Look at Bourdais and others in the past.Unless of course it's something they've always wanted to do or the money is too good to turn down.
indy car front runner? hmmm, really? and yes, much better to publicly decline an offer...that likely was never to come. and last, who the **** does she think she is? i'm getting so tired of listening to testosterone ladden lass...please go away danica!!! pcb
Probably the biggest mistake she'll ever make. You want to get ANYWHERE in Motor racing you aim of Formula 1, same with any sport if you want get the best out of yourself and your abilities theres always a top flight to aim for. She and F1 would make SOOOOO much money. She also said she likes the creature comforts of her home country and she has explored Europe before (not to my knowledge), but i thought the team was base in the US anyway, so she wouldn't have to more anywhere. Hence why it's called USF1.... not the sharpest tool in the shed.
And for the longest time I thought that she did not have a single living brain cell, I have been proved wrong. +1,000,000
Comparing an F1 driver's race win record to an Indycar driver's race win record is like comparing the Apollo moon landings to successfully driving your Volvo down the street to the 7-11 and back.
Just to remind you guys, bypassing the filters here is a bannable offense. Ferraripete, 24 hours in the sin bin for the post, since corrected. DM
USF1 is likely going to hear a lot of that. Remember Cheever in F1? He was already living in Europe. Remember the rumors about Jeff Gordon going F1? Didn't happen, did it? While Mansell and JPM (and Wilson et al) made the move the other way. It's going to be tough to get a worthwhile US driver willing to live out of a suitcase in order to race a back marker car in Abu Dhabi. Spa, Imola, Brands Hatch, the Ring --- maybe. But these new tracks have no history to draw US drivers away from home. Besides: Danica makes way too much off US commercials.
You're right about a lot of things but dead wrong about this one. Any driver worth his/her salt would give their eye teeth to be in F-1. It's a dream of a lifetime to be involved in the top level of racing. I haven't met a racer yet that didn't want to jump up in class no matter what the sacrifice. Just look at the drivers who started at the bottom level teams like Minardi just to get in the game. She's just got it too easy right now. She finishes mid pack and still gets endorsement money. If she jumps to F1, the pressure is really on her and the pay off not much better. They'll have no problem at all getting top line people to make the jump as long as they can afford it. Besides, with a new team and coming from the US, expectations will be very low. So, the pressure is really off anyone who tries. Just showing up and qualifying will be enough for the first year.
