Nelson Philippe eyes F1
"I'm down in Melbourne and I went to the Formula One paddock and introduced myself around to people like Flavio Briatore.
"I'm not prepared to pay for a test drive, and I don't want to move down to GP2. But if I got an offer of a test drive or to become one of Renault's development drivers, I'd take it."
"I'm looking at every top open wheel racing series at the moment, but I'm also looking at what my options are in V8 Supercars – hey, I might even get paid to race in that! – ALMS, and also the Le Mans 24 Hours.
"I want to be supportive of Champ Cars, and I believe it is the best series in the world for racing, but I don't want to be expected to bring money each time. And how can you find a sponsor who wants to put $2m into a series that hasn't had a television profile for the last six years?
"So I decided it's time to take my destiny in my own hands. I don't think I'm a superstar or anything like that, but I'm not going to pay to drive. I want to have a drive on merit and talent."
[Editor's Note: Bravo to Philippe. This notion that drivers should pay to drive is nonsense. If a sport is truly professional then the athletes should be paid to perform. Champ Car is not a development series. Atlantics is the development series and there drivers are expected to bring money. But at the top level drivers should be paid by the teams to drive because they should be the best, i.e. the pros.]
03/16/07 Champ Car driver Nelson Philippe was spotted in the F1 paddock in Melbourne and the whisper is that the 20-year-old Frenchman is trying to talk his way into a test drive in Formula 1 as his career in America has run out of steam because of the financial demands of the teams in the United States, where money is hard to find because of the never-ending lunacy that is the IRL-Champ Car fight. Everyone is trying hard to make things seem promising but the field in both series are threadbare and only those with sufficient cash are getting rides, unless the team owners are willing to pay for them.
Philippe is the youngest driver to ever drive a Champ Car, having made his debut at 17. In 2004 he raced for Rocketsports before finding a better relationship with Mi-Jack Conquest Racing. In 2005 he began to show promise and won the award for the most improved driver that year and he did the same in 2006, winning in Surfers Paradise for the CTE-HVM Racing operation, which has now become Minardi USA. Logic would dictate that he should stay where he is but the money seems to be a problem and so Philippe is looking at F1.
Our spies tell us that he might try talking Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore into a management deal. That will mean that he will sign away a proportion of his income for years to come but will also give him the chance to test something in F1 and that could lead to a new career in a series which would love to have more French involvement. Grandprix.com
03/16/07 This rumor is upgraded to 'fact' today. AutoRacing1.com has been in contact with Nelson Philippe and he said "An F1 test driving role is what I'm after. A few teams are interested (wish I could tell you but you know how it is.) and I will be testing soon. GP2 is a last resort for me as I would see it as a step down from Champ Car. My brother Richard and I both want to race F1 and we will." We will also remove Philippe from our Champ Car Silly Season page.
03/16/07 According to French sport newspaper L'Equipe, Nelson Philippe is in Melbourne shopping around for a GP2 drive or a F1 test drive. He said to L'Equipe that you cannot find a drive in Champ Car if you don't have $3 million.
All the F1 seats are taken, including the test seats, and ditto for GP2 unless he wants to drive for a backmarker team. The bottom line is that his younger brother is already signed to race in the World Series by Renault and it appears the Philippes have decided to get out of the Champ Car paddock completely and invest their money in Europe.
Why would they do this after Nelson won his first race last year and appeared to have finally proven he is a winner? Speculation says that Champ Car's image has taken a big hit because of recent reports of low car count and lack of sponsorship, making the Philippes question the long-term viability of the series.