maybe USF1 doesn't have a dress code. personally i never understood why people that don't face the public (like internal bank type guys) have to dress up. who cares? you would think though that if the camera was coming in that nicer dress would be called for! Can't win with you guys ... if it had been a shiny modern office with uber lighting the comments would be, wow they sure spent a lot of time building out the office space!
What we find issue with is that as a racing team you are always looking for additional sponsorship. With this fact front and center, you have to realize that large companies are not going to write massive checks unless they are confident that they are investing in an organization that is run in a professional manner and is capable of a competent performance. With their name publicly attached they know that they will be linked to the image that the team displays. ANY time there are cameras or media present or the organization is present to the public at large, image must be considered at all times. This is precisely why major teams have their personnel in uniform appearance at all times. It reassures current and prospective sponsors that they have invested in a competent, professional organization that will reflect well upon them. US F1 is not presenting a professional image and that will make in difficult for them to attract major sponsorship. As an analogy, it is always best to wait until your house is decorated and in top shape BEFORE you invite the neighbors over for a house warming... not with bare walls and unprepared... US F1 should have had their place standing tall and looking good and ensured that their team members were professionally attired before allowing them to be filmed so that a professional image was presented and additional sponsorship attracted to the team. PW with his extensive experience in public relations has no excuse for presenting such an unprofessional image... Frank
Weren't they supposed to have announced one driver already, or was that to be later this month? I'm sorry, but I still can't see them having two cars on the grid in Bahrain.
I do not believe this is staged, but I disagree with the "moved in" look. Go to any office that has been in existence for a year. You will find pictures on the walls, pictures of families on the desks. You will find reference books and other resources in certain places. I didn't really see any bookshelves. On one guy's desk there were books, but they looked like a dictionary. All the guys are working with laptops, but I didn't see any docking stations. To me, it did look "staged." But I don't think they staged it. I think they are just inept. (One guy--the guy with the slow speech--he had given up on F-1 for 10 years and now he is back. Strange.)
I was giving them the benefit of the doubt without the long term paraphenalia of family pics and other items since they have obviously just moved in... in a few more months you would undoubtedly see more personal clutter at their workstations. Outstanding choice of the word "inept"...I believe that just about sums up the whole impression of US F1 so far...
It was said VERY tongue in cheek. Anytime I see a NASBORE race, seems the MWR cars are struggling except for 1, luckily a young talent can drag them things up the order. Hendricks cars far outrun everybody in every area, power, mileage, aero, reliability, planning and strategy. OK, maybe one car (88) does have a weak link, time to screw in a new lightbulb as we used to say.
F1 is entertainment and image, alongside the noise/smell/adrenaline. that's what sponsors get in it for, certainly not to make a profit directly. A big sell for Tiger WAS his image on top of his awesome game, how quickly that changed. Even the lowly of race teams spend a small amount on appearance whether uniforms or t-shirts. I would imagine that a $5K investment in such things would have impressed many internet fans and probably potential investors. As for the furnishings, that's all they do, I agree that a $100 desk is as good as a $300 one. In this economy, it should be possible to persuade a good discount off all these things.... I would imagine that the original Brawn GP gear sans sponsor or with will fetch good money on Fleabay. And those that bought gear off the 'net have some very unique memorabilia. Some USF1 gear before so much BS would have sold......
Although i do not own an american car. In support of the USF1 endeavor, i am going to temporarily park my red vespa pit bike (the one i use when supporting ferrari) and construct a barstool racer. Like the ones i've seen the good ole boys using in the pits.........construction under way..........
Personally I really don't care for uniforms/suits. Sure in the pitlane etc it's very different (if I had a small race team everyone would be in uniform too) but in an office space I really don't care (unless meeting important clients for the first/second time, of course). I'm pretty laid back. I just find it funny that you can immediately see its USF1 because there's a fat man walking around in shorts, with a shirt tucked in its pants and with a little luck, huge socks pulled up all the way. Sometimes when I'm bored I look at ESPN and I see shows like 'russo & steele auctions' and you see those fatties in their red shirts, shorts etc etc being all hyper active selling the cars. Honestly I have nothing against Americans, when I was there everyone was very helpful and nice (the complete opposite of Spain, where I moved to later), but of all the people I've met over the whole world, American's are the easiest to stereo type. Especially the local sheriff who stopped us for running a stop sign. It was hilarious. I'm rambling I should stop (BTW, I stereo type everyone, also people from Holland)
folks, they will have cars complete and on the grid. many of you are forgetting that this was windsor's idea of how a f-1 team could be formed and operate on a reduced budget (shoestring). they have drawn heavily on the resources of the neighboring companies thus the justification of the shop being set up in charlotte. they are doing nearly all they have said they would do sans the driver selection...he has not delivered on a u.s. driver and as srt mike has said...that america thing is a bit of a stretch! i understand that engines are delivered and that a car will go to the wind tunnel next week. they are making headway...but as said, they will be a back marker. no disagreement there. pcb
Whatever the outcome, the whole 'concept' is a "Field of Dreams", with the principals hoping for $$ returns to themselves, this or next year. IF, and I say that as a big IF, they survive, IMO they will be based totally in europe within 3 years.
Hadn't considered that. It makes sense. Even design engineers are public facing when they are on camera.
In my office, we frequently see clients in our offices, not just conference rooms. Taking someone to my office means that we pass other offices. If my client sees a guy in flipflops and shorts, he will wonder what kind of program we are running. If he sees people dressed professionally, he will know what kind of program we are running. With cameras present, I expected more.
regardless of what the appearance, one never knows how an organization is being run until one is able to look under the hood. the same may apply in the case of usf1. and for all of those to chide pw for trying likely attempting to make money here...i suspect this was never contemplated as being a non profit. they will have a car at the start of the season but i am curious as to wo will jack the car up, change the tires and add fuel when the driver pulls into the pits? pcb
if that would be the case, it would be the only place usf1 will lead the pack...have you ever seen a nascar pitstop?
yes - 15 seconds plus - can't compare to F1 guys - perhaps Mercedes will enlist their DTM crews - TALK ABOUT FAST stops (go Schumi) under FIVE seconds for refueling and 4 tire changes and with F1 having no refueling they'd be winners hands down! perhaps a 3 second stop. Carol
There's a bit of difference there. Honestly the NASCAR pitstop is much more athletic, vs. 16 guys squatting around a car. The 12 second pit stop ballet is amazing -- especially when 43 teams are doing it at the same time.
This is a bit short sighted. An extremely prominent F1 technical director did his Ph.D in aerodynamics on NASCAR. Additionally, NASCAR experience isn't as rare in F1 as you'd think.
Yes, it is referred to in other countries as "America" (meaning the USA). Do a google search on the word "America" - all the results are about the USA. If you refer to the continent, you say "North America" or "South America". I am chatting to my Colombian friend right now and she agrees and says "American" to her and the people she knows means "person from the USA". It is not arrogance, it is simply the abbreviation of our countries name. And frankly, it's never going to change, nor should it.
I'm sure they knew Varsha was coming, right? Maybe this is their version of "dressed up". Also, I require my employees to adhere to a reasonable dress code at work - all of them, even those who work in the shop and never interact with the public. Why? It sets the tone for the business as being serious and "work", not play. There is a reason this is practiced at almost all major companies - it works.
