So I think we have all argued about Danica till we are red in the face, so on to something even more fun. Who do you think the driver pairing should be for Team US F1? Here are the guidelines: There needs to be at least ONE American driver (it is up to you if you want to nominate two Americans for both seats) The driver choices need to be realistic, budget wise. (Helio is realistic but Alonso is not, so no saying you would buy Kimi out of his $25M contract with Ferrari) Basically it will see who we think the unsung heroes of F1 are. (Yes you can bring guys like Christian Klein out of the wood work or drivers that you think are setting the world on fire in lower formulas like GP2, A1GP, F2, etc) Also would like to note that these people can be from ANY series, be it Patrick Long from ALMS and FIA GT to Sebastian Loeb from WRC. I have a feeling a lot of you are going to have some great pairings, so let hear em.
Love to see JPM back in F1 with less downforce no traction control and slicks would suit him better than the gizmo cars he drove, but can't see him leaving the taxi series anytime soon (probably because he can earn a lot more in taxi fares)!
JPM is the most realistic, would love to see him back in F1. Jeff Gordon? He's 37, 38 when the new season starts. Far too old. I reckon Anthony Davidson might be a good shot. Brandon Hartley (new zealand) is a great driver BUT IIRC he's already linked to STR > RB
Not to worry -- the car will be slow enough for an old guy to keep up with. (It'd be to try to attract NASCAR viewers --- and sponsors.) The real trick will be finding an American who can actually fit in an F1 car. (Not just width, but height, too: We grow 'em big down on the farm.) And if you can't get JPM to leave the money (and the chance to see the family once in a while), how will you get a "name" yank to agree to live out of a suitcase to go racing in places that consider a half a gram of raw snails a "dinner"?
I like your thoughts Dave! Bas, Jeff is making FAR too much money in Nascar in endorsements/products/etc. why would he want to give that up for peanuts? (given the age factor also). I like Tillman's suggestion of Robby Gordon/JPM as he states, never a dull moment......nah, I prefer Robby in the Dakar. Here's a good one - the Busch brothers - that would add the element of carnival to the revamped F1 circus as in bumper cars. Could you imagine Carl Edwards doing his signature back flip off an F1 car....How about Ryan Newman, I like him and what he supports - Ryan Newman Foundation (F1 might give more money to his wonderful dog cause - dogs rule). DeNiro would be another good one also. If this team wants publicity then Patrick Dempsey (also supports a fantastic charity - Team Seattle)....nah on that..we want him in sportscars where fan friendly is the name of the game and his personality is better suited to sportscars. Dario would be a great one, very likeable...perhaps not, he's an asset for Ganassi in IRL and DP's. SO, there's only two choices...... Jonathan Summerton would be the absolute BEST American for the position (I think Isobel will second the motion!). Set record after record with Formula BMW, highest qualifying rookie in F3 Euro, A1GP (first win for US Team), proven winner. I like this young man's goals in life, to become the 1st American F1 champion in the past 30 years and to learn as much as possible in life. Adam Carroll would be by far the best of the lot unless he's picked up my Manor/Virgin which would be a very good move on their part. He's GOOD, been racing for 15 years, won in GP2, got title for Team Ireland in A1GP, has already had F1 tests with Honda. He's very versatile as he's driven DTM, GP2, F1 test driver, F3 Euro, Britith F3, British Formula Ford, Formula Palmer Audi, attended Formula Renault campus in Le Mans on scholarship. Wins, poles, fastest laps, championships ---- this guy has it all. SO... these two. . . Jonathan Summerton and Adam Carroll who are real racers and proven real racing winners have already shown they would get the job done in a professional manner. Carol
The car will be slow and so it won't matter much who the drivers are. Therefore I'll nominate somebody who has actually driven F1 cars before: tifosi12
FC Press Release 27 June 09:30 Attention race fans......tifosi12 has been selected as the principal driver for the upcoming inagural season for the team. With his vast experience in Formula One cars, this team will make great strides and now will not be last on the grid! Presently, it's all about working out the fine details for his contract with the US F1 TurtleTeam. We, look forward to welcoming tifosi12 to the team . . with all his experience, knowledge of all the circuits and his love of the series, he's definitely an asset to our team. Forza tifosi12 (end of FC release) May I be the first to offer you my hardiest congratulations in a most celebratory (not cyncial) manner. Best of luck for the upcoming season. Way to go Andreas! Carol
surely you jest - great for what?? do you not watch or follow the sports reports about the stars of other series who are actually WINNING on their driving abilities?? Miller says she's probably going to Ganassi IRL/NASCAR team. Apparently from comments elsewhere, she is dependent on Dario setting up her car for her ...hehe. Carol
Richard Hammond (has F1 experience driving a WCC Renault, so great for development) Tony Stewart (allows for USF1 to design an "american sized" car)
And Hammond has even driven the fastest "racecar" on the planet: Some dragster, which nearly killed him. I'm just mentioning this because there is always somebody on here <cough DGS cough> who will bring up the dragster thing when I or others claim that F1 are the fastest cars. Not that I give a hoot about dragsters. Comparing those "racers" to F1 drivers is like comparing an orbiting astronaut to jet fighters claiming that the astros go way faster.
I really REALLY hate to say it... But, what about Tanner Foust? He's been driving SOMETHING long enough... Or A.J. Allmendinger? He came from open wheel... _J
I don't think you can say that. The dragsters (and funny cars) are timed in two different ways: top speed and elapsed time (fastest and quickest). The quickest car is the one that wins (providing the driver leaves on time) independent of top speed. Zero to 100 mph in less than a second is something I don't think the F1 cars can equal. When it comes to agility and the ability to change direction there is no contest, F1 hands down.
I sure as hell don't want to NASCARize F1. Imagine a Skoal Bandit F1 car. Or like in Indy, a freakin' McDonald's car. While we're at it, why not a Oprah Winfrey Racing (OWR GP) F1 car? No thanks. And I don't want fat rednecks with body paint and beer googles singing songs at F1 races either.
I still stand by my original picks. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=138731588&postcount=5 Not for skill but for the marketing.
