he's broke I think the real problem here is assuming the American F1 team must have an American driver. This is a solution for failure. We have neither the skilled drivers, nor the technology to be out there. Step one build car, step two find talented driver, step three farm team to develop American drivers. From the looks of US freeways, everyone feels qualified to take the wheel in F1. Is it possible USF1 is an off-shoot American only series to run parallel to F1 as we now know it? A low-rent version? And not on ovals? add an X to the end and market to younger kids. Imagine USF1X! and the us grand priX (only the x is capital) or gRaNd PrIx
"I am going to guess maybe Donald Trump?" Might work. I still miss Eddie Jordan and Eddie Irvine. And, for the Danica fans, Donald might put his daughter in a car. I'd love to hear the sponsorship pitch: "we only need a couple hundred million ...."
UHM - that Donald Trump remark was said in jest, everyone...although he probably would like to personally interview Danica.
"that Donald Trump remark was said in jest" I got that. I'm taking pretty much everything about "USF1" in jest. But if I were starting a team with US drivers, I'd at least test Scott Speed.
Yup - there is just so much wrong with this concept on so many different levels that I am taking the pre-season 5 position penalty for Lewis H much more seriously.
Thanks Ron. Regarding the eye for talent: - I was one of the first on here to mention Vettel when he set fastest lap at Monza when he was still a test driver on Friday. - I also was very quick to point out that Hami has it and will be a WDC. In fact I said something along those line after the Melbourne GP. And I still have a bet going with a fellow FChatter that Hami will become a multiple WDC. - Equally I was one of the first to point out that Scott Speed, Piquet Jr. and Jani are hopeless and will leave the sport soon. Still waiting for Piquet, but I'm sure it'll happen. - Having said that, I was however dead wrong when I praised Button and later Kovalainen. And the jury is still out on Rosberg. So no, I don't have the eye of Peter Sauber. No experience behind the wheel to judge: Well, compared to what or whom? I never liked this argument, because it basically tells 99% of the people on here to never have an opinion about anything. Wouldn't make much for a website, would it? Regarding experience I can at least look back upon my Skip Barber open wheel class, 2 drives of F1 and a bunch of trophies in my living room. Ok, folks who have been here for a while know that I tend to exaggeration. When I say "no talent" than that means in relation to the top. Of course any F1 driver has gobs of talent, including Scott Speed. No talent means IMHO he doesn't have enough talent to stay on. And yes, there are still today people in F1 who have no business there but are still around because of their name (Piquet) or money or whatever. Speed didn't have the connections and the money so he was the first to be gone. But I still believe Mateschitz/Berger/Tost would not let a F1 driver walk away if they didn't see a chance of good results and they did not see that in Speed or Liuzzi. And Bourdais is on very thin ice right now.
Well he isn't really because this whole US team is a big balloon: Our not so good friend Windsor is partner in crime. The same Windsor who tried to pull off a similar stunt and it fizzled. The reality is, that so far they got 10 million US, which is enough to set up press conferences and web sites, but not a F1 team. The talk about Scott Speed is however justified as he is rumored alongside Danica as the driver pairing. But as I said, none of this will happen and Scott will go back to what he does best: Drive a truck in a circle.
Simply not true. Remember Scott Speed (like A.J.) rose through the ranks of Red Bulls talent search. The US is the biggest market for Red Bull. They would have loved nothing more than the happy end to their success story of finding and raising the next American talent (Eddie Undera-Cheever was tasked with that). Having to fire Speed was a big blow to their own marketing campaign. But the Red Bull market segment in the US was the reason they offered him a new drive. However I tend to agree that they never liked him. And after having heard him in an interview I can understand why. We had the "pleasure" of his comments on Speed TV live before the races and it was awkward at best. I know his fans on here will give me flak for this, but he is a spoiled loudmouth. Personally I actually like my F1 drivers as arrogant jerks (Montoya, Alonso), but they have to deliver the results to back that up. If you're just throwing the car away in the first turn AND are a loudmouth, well... And while it is true that there was no love lost between Berger and his drivers (he hated both of them after a while), Berger sold his share back to Mateschitz. So if Mateschitz (who gave Speed the truck deal) really wanted to have his F1 happy ending, he could have easily put Scott back in the running. At least he could have offered him a seat in the past winter's trials, but they didn't even offer that. You guys can bash me and say I have no idea about F1, but consider this: Do you really believe a F1 team manager would leave a real talent out there in the cold? Particularly a driver he already has under contract? A driver who represents the biggest market for his #1 product (Red Bull energy drinks)? Couldn't it just be, that the lack of results persuaded Mateschitz otherwise and to take on a different driver? In the end F1 is a business and having a successful Scott Speed in a Toro Rosso would have been a lot more interesting to Mateschitz than an unknown Swiss or a borderline performing Bourdais.
Back on the topic of Danica driving in F1. If USF1 does choose her, they are already guranteed some merchandising and marketing sucess. She has the,... what I would call the "Howard Stern" effect. Some people would watch her just for her, others would watch her because they hate her. Its a win/win. If you buy tickets, watch the TV or buy schwag its all good for the team's finances and F1's as well. So Love her or hate her, bottom line she sells. Just announcing(rumouring) that they would test her has already sparked a fervor. From a "dude's" point of view think of it this way. She would increase the female support for F1 and we would have alot more women at the races, which is a good thing. No offense guys. Some of us just ain't what I want to look at on a hot day at the track! LOL.
Oh yes! The Danica effect is so obvious from the hugely successful IRL series. Stands packed to the full with young women and men following her around..... Yawn, stretch........ good morning, wow that was a wierd dream........
A Danica/Speed ticket won't magically generate 90 million in sponsor money flowing into the door in these trying times. This is somebody's wishful thinking. Nothing more.
I heard they've announced the first driver for Team USA. You've heard of "McDreamy"? Well, meet "McDrivey" http://www.ratemybody.com/profile_326141_Caliracer415.html
So they are 'looking to have Danica as one of their drivers' but didn't bother to actually let her know she was being considered: "I haven't really expressed a lot of excitement and interest in world travel," Does she have a passport???
Good post, and I agree with you. One of my driving instructors (who shall remain nameless) told me about Speed - that he was talented, but cocky. He had a tendency to annoy people. This was hearsay to me, but corroborated once Scott made it to F1. Maybe it's a cultural thing, but clearly that did not endear him. Not unlike Michael Andretti, if you aren't liked and you don't produce, that's an equation for dismissal - which is what happened. Andreas - clearly you have an idea of F1 My posts were not intended to state otherwise, but if they did, my apologies. FWIW
That quote basically says "its too much of a pain on my over rated a-- to seriously think about F1 other than a test" Danica is a marketing gimmick first and racing second. She will not be remembered for her impact on the sport. She has had little beyond flaunting her looks for selling car detailing supplies. Any serious effort would not take her seriously as a potential driver. As stated earlier, her racing in IRL has not had much impact on that series.
I love to see her get to F1, get her ass whipped (become the Ide of her era) and sent back to the US with her tail between her legs.
DF1- That is not fair. She did anti-freeze ads, too. Would still like to see her get a test. Great photo op and maybe she will surprise all her detractors. Needs to happen when her times can be compared to someone who knows their way around an F1 car and race circuit, though. Taz Terry Phillips
Thanks dude, no apologies needed. Some people take this chat side a tad too serious. Remember this is supposed to be fun. It is an expression of free speech and as such I will state my opinion as others will state theirs. If we'd all agree there'd be no reason for debate and we could close shop on FChat. What's strange is that some people work themselves into a pretzel over a comment I (or anybody else) makes. As I said earlier, it doesn't really matter what I or anybody else on here thinks about a particular driver. The only thing that matters is what his boss thinks. In any matter regarding F1 for me the proof is always on TV: In the qualifying and the races you see who has it and who doesn't. And if somebody isn't part of it anymore (without some victories or podium etc to his name), then chances are that driver was probably not made for F1. It's kinda funny how small of a community the racing world is. My driving instructor at the time went head to head with A.J. (mentioned in this thread) for the next level on the leddar. Of course I was rooting for my guy, but A.J. beat him hands down. Yet A.J. never made it to F1. Needless to say that I always thought my instructor was a racing God and he was darn good. But there are thousands of really good ones out there. Just being good and have talent isn't good enough. That also tells you how good (in comparison) Scott Speed was: He at least made it to F1 and got his super license. But the air on the Mount Everest of motorsports is very thin and there are only a few Reinhold Messners capable of breathing it. Hmm, wanted to make a dirty comment, but let's not go there... First let me state that I like Danica. She is eye candy and a breeze of fresh air. I don't think she has what it takes in F1, but having her on the grid would be fun. I'm sure Bernie and Max think the same. So the trick is really to find a team that operates on such a tight budget that it needs her sponsor money and knows even a Schumacher wouldn't get them to the top. That could be the defunct Honda team. However my crystal ball tells me it will never happen.
This is a heated thread, and any comment is likely to stir stuff...........but here goes. First, on the talent to get to F1; I watch the junior/feeder formulae for talent, and it usually shows pretty early - if someone stands out in a one-make series, they'll generally have a good career. When a spotty teenager who'd never driven anything except karts totally dominated Formula Renault in the UK (wings-and-slicks series just below F3), I thought 'this kid Raikkonen will be in F1' - just didn't expect it to be the very next year! If a driver wins consistently in the lower classes, he's usually got what it takes - I saw Button beat Courtney for the British Formula Ford Festival, then jump straight to F3 and win races, and then straight to F1. The guys who've won in GP2 (and F3000 before that) get to F1 or Indycar, but that step shows just whether they have the ultimate talent/intelligence/discipline needed. Piquet Jnr won F3, got thrashed by LH in GP2, and hasn't impressed consistently in F1; Bourdais went Indycar, but is having to re-learn a lot in F1 - I'm glad he's got another year. Liuzzi was good in F3000 (fast in first year there, champ second year) but surpised me by not showing in F1. Bruno Senna hasn't looked too special so far to me. Speed had GP2, only got a few podiums and a FL, and I was a bit surprised he made F1; Patrick couldn't get near Bourdais in Indycars. Another US driver who impressed me was Charlie Kimball who won in F3, but he hasn't moved on much. And female drivers? They've ALWAYS been judged by other things than results/speed! Probably the best were Lella Lombardi (who got half an WDC point in Spain in '75) and Desiré Wilson; Giovanna Amati was rubbish in F3000, got her F1 drive on her looks, and was crazy to boot! Paul M
Look I am tired of getting into it with people on here cause I stuck up for Scott. I just think he has more skill and talent than he is being giving credit for. I also find it funny that I am being accused of judging someone without knowing them. Yet it looks like I am being judged when you make the statement that tifosi12 is more connected or involved in the sport than I am. Not only that but arent we judging drivers based on what we know from the press. Have you ever driven with or against Scott??? or what about your golden boy Vettel? So you think its fair to judge someone's skill that way? So I want your expert opinion on something... I am sure you know plenty about Peter Windsor and his secret driving school for GP2 and F1 drivers, they have trained Kimi, Heikki, and various other drivers. Dont you think he could groom a US driver to F1 standards? Also I am curious, where did you hear that USF1 has $10M? Thats some insider info, please share I would love to hear.
I dont think USF1 will go with Danica or Scott. They will go after other young US talent that isnt as well known. Jonathan Summerton has some experience over in Europe and did pretty good in A1GP. Who I also would love to see is Patrick Long. He hasent driven something without fenders for a while but he is very skilled and would love to see if he still has what takes in openwheel cars.
