American F1 team in the works
Former Ligier engineer Anderson and ex-Williams team manager Windsor are preparing the groundwork for the proposed team, which is set to be based in North Carolina. An official announcement regarding USF1’s intention to join F1 is to be made on 24 February.
There has already been plenty of speculation regarding who may drive for the team, but it looks likely that Americans will be chosen, with Patrick to be considered.
"She's great and gets a lot of press," Anderson said earlier this week. "Indy Racing League chairman Tony George would be pretty mad with me if I took her out of the IRL but we'll see."
Windsor has now made more solid the potential for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit model – who became the first women to win an IndyCar event when she triumphed in the Japan 300 last year – to become a Formula 1 driver.
"We are looking at all American drivers with the right credentials and that includes Danica," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian. "But it's not about what the driver brings commercially, it is [about] the driver's compatibility with the team and their ability." Setanta
02/16/09 A reader writes, Danica is being included in discussions of USF1 only because it brings attention to the project. But to include her name in your Editor's Notes is an embarrassment to your site. I don't knock Danica but she is light years from The HOF names mentioned. Paul G.
Dear Paul, Consider the sarcasm in what we wrote. We think everyone realizes that Danica is not F1 material, that her name is being listed as a PR stunt for USF1, and that she will remain in the IRL where she has a large fan base and has had some success. She will never go to NASCAR either. Mark C.
02/15/09 An American team will be racing in Formula One next year, and IndyCar driver Danica Patrick is a candidate to fill one of the seats. USF1, which will be unveiled Feb. 24, will have a staff of at least 100, a working budget of $64 million and an aim to put two American drivers on the starting grid. The team is looking at several candidates, including the 26-year-old Patrick.
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| Danica Patrick, one of the true great American race car drivers, so deserving of an F1 ride given her ability to win most of the races she has entered over the past 3 or 4 years. |
[Editor's Note: Based on the length of her autograph lines, Patrick must be one of the greatest American's to have ever driven a race car and is, therefore, worthy of an F1 ride. Patrick is a true American hero and she ranks right up there with Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Richard Petty, Dan Gurney and all the other great American drivers who won so many races and demonstrated such skill and daring behind the wheel. She will demonstrate to the world that America really can produce great race car drivers.]
"She's great. She gets a lot of press," USF1 technical director Ken Anderson told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "(Indianapolis Motor Speedway president) Tony George would probably be pretty mad with me if I took her out of the IRL but we'll see.
"I don't know if it's something she wants to do. We'd certainly love to test her and go from there."
NASCAR driver Scott Speed, who raced 28 times for F1 team Toro Rosso from 2006-07, is also a candidate.
Conor Daly — son of former F1 driver Derek Daly — and Josef Newgarden are also being mentioned, with both drivers presently competing in European junior categories.
The team will be based in Charlotte, N.C., and with much of the technology coming from the United States it means "there are a lot of companies we can lean on to outsource," according to Anderson.
Calls by the AP to motor racing's governing body Sunday to confirm that USF1's entry had been accepted were not returned.
The team is currently looking for a secondary base in Europe, most likely sharing with Epsilon Euskadi's team headquarters in northern Spain.
"We're talking to (F1 engineer) Sergio Rinland about basing it at Espselon. It's a beautiful city, it's certainly on top of our list," said Anderson, who worked as a designer and engineer in F1 and IndyCar. "Spain makes a lot of sense with all the winter testing."
Epsilon Euskadi is active in Le Mans and there is a wind tunnel there that meets FIA standards. More at SI.com
02/09/09 (GMM) One of the figures reportedly central to a prospective US based formula one team has confirmed the intention of 'USF1' to contest the 2010 world championship.
Ken Anderson, an American engineer involved with NASCAR and IndyCar and also a F1 technical director of the 80s, told the Charlotte Observer that "95 per cent" of the unofficial information carried by websites in recent days was correct.
In collaboration with British broadcaster and writer Peter Windsor, also a former F1 team manager, Anderson said they are scouting possible headquarters in North Carolina, and that a formal announcement of the team is due later in February.
Anderson also said USF1 is close to signing its first driver for 2010, hinting that he is an American who is currently racing in a junior open-wheeler series in Europe.
"All of the teams' sponsors want a presence here and American companies are going global," he said.
He said a US based team, despite every other F1 outfit being headquartered in Europe, is possible because "90 percent of the technology that exists in F1 comes from the US anyway".
02/05/09 FIA president Max Mosley revealed plans for a US based Formula One team in 2010 are serious but will depend on the sport cutting costs and changing the rules.
Mosley said that a proposed US F1 team had contacted the governing FIA about entering next year.
"They have (approached us). They are serious people but I think they will be the same as everybody else, they need the costs to come down if they want to be competitive," he said.
Media reports have identified American Ken Anderson and former Williams team manager and journalist Peter Windsor as the men behind plans for a team that could be based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Anderson was technical director of the Ligier F1 team in the late 1980s and has also worked in the US CART and NASCAR series.
Mosley said it would be a huge challenge for any new team in the current financial climate to raise the money needed to enter Formula One, particularly in the United States where the credit crunch is biting deepest.
"I would have thought it would be extremely difficult. But there again, a lot depends on what their income could be," he said.
"At the moment if a new team comes into Formula One they race for nothing for two years, they do all their own transport for two years and they only get money in the third year. That is a significant barrier to entry."
The FIA wants teams to be competitive on around £43.8 million a year, or less than a quarter of what some teams spent last season, with all getting a share of the revenues rather than just the top 10 at present.
02/04/09 (GMM) A new formula one team is under wraps in America and set to be launched officially later this month, it is reported.
The team, whose logo can be previewed at usf1.com, is fronted by F1 stalwart and broadcaster Peter Windsor, and American Ken Anderson, of IndyCar and NASCAR fame but also former Ligier technical director.
Briton Windsor, 56, has worked for Williams and Ferrari, but is best known today as a television pundit and writer.
The German website motorsport-total.com said USF1 intends to make its grand prix debut in 2010, and already has the blessing of F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. They of course got the information right here at AutoRacing1.com
The team will have the slogan 'made in America' and be headquartered in the heart of NASCAR-country in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Reportedly, an agreement to use the new Windshear wind tunnel in North Carolina is already in place (Done by Haas Automation)| Related Article – The Ultimate Guide to CNC Maching), while USF1 intends to be a showcase for American technology and US-born drivers. AutoRacing1.com has obtained a brochure that is a preview of what will be given to potential investors in USF1.
02/03/09 This rumor is upgraded to 'strong' today. According to AutoRacing1.com sources, tremendous progress has been made over the past several weeks and Ken Anderson's USF1 team will be announced to the world in February. With the support of American Investors and sponsors, they hope to win the Formula 1 World Championship by the year 2020.
Emmet Britton Keeffe III is the CEO & Co-Founder of iRise has been inviting potential investors to a San Francisco Bay Area meeting at 6:00 PM on Thursday, February 5, 2009 to learn about the opportunity to become a "Founding Investor" in USF1.
USF1 was founded by Ken Anderson (race car designer) and Peter Windsor (Formula 1 television commentator) and word is that their bid to compete in 2010 has recently been accepted by Bernie Ecclestone, President, FOM and Max Mosley, President, FIA.
06/16/08 (GMM) Following Super Aguri's demise, Honda may soon have another satellite formula one team up and racing.
Reports from Portugal claim that Ken Anderson, a well-known US engineer who has worked in prominent F1 roles, is in promising talks about setting up an American outfit.
The reports said that while nothing is guaranteed, the Honda-powered team could be ready to debut as soon as 2009.
Anderson was reportedly a Honda guest throughout the recent Montreal race weekend, meeting with team chiefs Ross Brawn and Nick Fry.
None of the parties wanted to comment, but sources close to Honda have apparently said that the Japanese manufacturer is ready to sell engines, gearboxes and KERS systems to the new team.
Anderson is said to be meeting with F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone in London this week.
The US outfit would be assisted by Honda's North American arm, as well as several backers from within the US, while Takuma Sato is favorite for the lead cockpit.
Portugal's Alvaro Parente, who made his F1 test debut in January as a prize for winning the 2007 World Series by Renault, was mentioned as a possibility for the other seat.
The reports said Anderson's F1 team could be announced officially in mid-summer.