Ecclestone: USF1 are a doubt

why all the contempt? i'll be laughing silly at this thread when USF1 shows up on grid. well of course we'll know well beforehand if it's going to happen but you understand my comment.

 

Being a "bag of hot air" has never prevented anyone from succeeding in F1 has it?

 

If Peter has put big money into the project it has a chance. If its all investor $ .....

 

Yeah, USF1 instead od David Richards/Aston Martin or Lola. Go figure.

 

It makes sense. They are trying to increase the entertainment value of F1, not the heritage.

 

Well. The only way I'll believe a US based F1 team is on the way is when Roger Penske announces that he's starting it up.

 

I have to disagree with Bernie. He usually just sprouts the first thing he thinks of. Additionally, I question his 'insider information' As for Peter Windsor he's equally inaccurate and repeated convinces himself he's knowledgeable on a technical side.

I'd wait and see for this one.

As for the comments about Prodrive, the FIA required some pretty hefty presentations and substantial proof of a technical and financial basis by teams. Prodrive's facility is already pretty well full. Additionally who knows how much was serious vs how much was publicity.

 

I seriously doubt if any of Mr Windsors $$ are on the table.

 

Yep. He is bringing his contacts and experience to the team, not cash.

He gets to play the F1 game with OPM(other peoples money), the best way to race.

 

Problem is that there isn't much OPM around these days.

 

Indeed. Therein lies the problem....

Not sure if I believe the team statements that they have secured several years budget.

 

USF1 "the acknowledged leader in financial vaporware".

 

LOL..

 

Because they're trying to pull the wool over our heads. If they had something tangible, why don't they show it at a press release or at least on a website?

Windsor has done this game before and it resulted in nothing.

 

From Atlas:

Former Cosworth director joins US F1

By Jonathan Noble Saturday, October 3rd 2009, 03:14 GMT


The new Team US F1 has received a boost in its preparations for next year by recruiting former Cosworth director of motorsport Bernard Ferguson, AUTOSPORT can reveal.

US F1 is pressing ahead with readying its 2010 challenger, with a first rolling chassis due to be finished later this month, and it has drafted in Ferguson to help as a consultant in building its technical relationship with its new engine supplier Cosworth.

Ferguson retired from his role at Cosworth at the end of 2007, when the famous engine builder left F1. However, with the company returning next year to supply a host of new teams, US F1 has wasted little opportunity in recruiting the highly-respected figure.

US F1 sporting director Peter Windsor told AUTOSPORT: "We are with Cosworth and pleased to say that we now have Bernard Ferguson working for us. He used to head up the Cosworth operation, and indeed headed up the Cosworth operation when the engine that we are going to be racing was designed and built anyway.

"Bernard has since then left the company, but always had a great relationship with them. He is a great guy and he is, I think, going to be as helpful to Cosworth as he will be to us in our new role. We are very happy with that."

US F1 has recently completed the refurbishment of its factory in Charlotte, and work is ongoing in readying its first car.

Although the fact that the team kept quiet about its progress in recent weeks prompted speculation that it may not be ready for the start of next year, Windsor says there is no doubt that it is on course to be in Bahrain next March.

"Absolutely," he said. "I would never say never about anything, because lightning could strike the place and the whole thing could explode, but I am just being stupid now. We will be there and why would we not be there if we were not going to do it.

"That is why from day one we wanted to do it ourselves, as a product of everything that all the people we have can create. That is what this team is all about. We are using all the fantastic American technology out there and showing it in a beautiful F1 car, and that in itself in a wonderful thing to be a part of.

"Of course we are going to have a lot of dramas and nothing is going to be easy, but it is going to be a lot of fun and it is going to be a huge challenge - and that is what life is all about."

When asked for a response to comments made by Bernie Ecclestone suggesting there were doubts that US F1 would make it, Windsor said: "We were a bit surprised when Bernie said that, but all Bernie was doing was reflecting general pitlane chat that US F1 has been a bit quiet, so what are they doing?

"I suppose there is so much going on in this world that people do not have the time to think: 'Oh yeah, they are doing the car in-house and they are doing it slightly differently to everybody else - so probably there is quite a big work programme on getting the building right, and getting the machinery in place and all that stuff.

"'And while they are doing all that, they are not going to be showing pictures of walls being painted and wires hanging out of the ceiling, are they? So it will probably take them two or three months to get up to speed, given all the problems we have had this year'.

"I cannot imagine anyone in the pitlane has time to think that through, they just think, 'oh, new F1 team, they have an entry, where are the cars?' I guess in this modern media world, everybody expects instant information and instant pictures anyway.

"In a way it was probably Bernie showing he is a racer like everybody else. It is fine. I had a good chat to him there, he was nice and helpful, which he always has been. I just said, 'Bernie, just to let you know everything is great, we've just had our machinery delivered. It is looking great.'"

 

Seeing is believing.

Given how Windsor is tied in with Speed TV we have seen surprisingly little of his team.

By now I would have expected a "Racing Per Matchett" segment shot at the USF1 team's facilities. After all the USA makes really strong carbon fibre...

 

Wasn't the line about 'moving in machinery soon' heard several weeks ago, and now it's just been delivered?
If you are still moving in machinery, how can a rolling chassis be ready this month?

At least the carbon fibre will make good flack jackets.......

 

Interesting that Ferguson is NOT an engineer but another consultant. he was a $$ chaser at Cosworth and Delorean!

So, the principals have NO direct top line, race winning experience! Yeah, here's my $$$! I think any sponsor would want some more on the table than wind.

 

+100M US$...

SPEED TV would be there instantly if it was more than an office with a bank of phones...

I don't believe for 1 second they have any "factory" worth showing, and haven't done a segment during F1 coverage or on wind tunnel. Hell, if I was starting a team, I'd say come do a spot every week.

What start up would turn down free publicity...

 

They should be already working on the car by now.

Not only usf1 but all those new teams that are supposed to join next year, we aren't seeing much..
Are they going to build a car 3 weeks before the season starts or what?

 

Also a very good point.

Of course what better way to attract sponsors than free PR on TV?

According to Benoit all USF1 has at this moment is an almost empty hall in Charlotte.

Even if the team turns out to be for real, this does not leave them a hell lot of time to put a car together that has any chance of being fast.

Personally I think their bid was based on the 2 league regulations and that deal collapsed. Now they own a spot on the grid (which is worth real $$$) and are probably playing for time to buy up another team that packs it in (Toyota?) or are looking for somebody who wants to buy their spot. If they would however admit that, the FIA would instantly pull the plug on their slot.

 

Ermm yes makes sense.

 

How long does it take to build a car? Can't be much more than 2 weeks.

The design part is where all the time is consumed, making parts should go quickly?

 

Given his numerous roles he might be trying to avoid a conflict of interest by keeping them separate.
Oh wait this is F1 where no one has such scruples.

 

Takes a lot longer to build a car. Just baking bits and pieces in the autoclave takes many hours, let alone an entire car. And you don't start by baking carbon fibre but by making parts and molds in CNC machines and 3D printers (RPM had a nice segment about it).

Besides: It's an iterative process, so you don't just design and build something but go constantly back to the design phase after your first wind tunnel or real life tests.

And btw: New chassis need to undergo FIA crash tests. All this takes time. It is already October. November is another month of productivity and the rest of the year a Holiday write off. By mid January you should go testing. While it is true that Brawn skipped several of these steps, they did have a car (sans engine) ready in December and of course they already had the entire garage, team and its logistics set up from the time they were Honda. USF1 has none of this right now.