The USF1 Announcement 24/02/2009 The 24th has dawned and we await the announcement of the American F1 team, USF1, due at midday on SpeedTV. Against all odds (and my prediction), the rumor has firmed up into fact over the last few weeks with Peter Windsor leaking snippets of information to the press and much discussion amongst the fans of how it might work.Peter WindsorWhile details of the intended headquarters (Charlotte, NC), European base and strategy will no doubt be the main focus of the announcement, I cannot see the most important issue, funding, getting much of a mention. Without the involvement of some major sponsors, the team will never happen and we can only hope that the effective PR seen so far continues until the necessary backing has been found.F1 fans are nothing if not creatures of hope, of course, and we already have our lists of potential drivers drawn up. Without a car to put them in, however, that is a mite premature and so I look forward to the announcement impatiently, willing it to be a viable proposition but fearing worse.I will update this post once the broadcast has gone out.UpdateHaving watched the announcement, I have to say that USF1 is a serious venture with interesting and innovative ideas on entering F1. Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor made it clear that they were aware of the problems involved in setting up a new team and had good answers to all of them. I think we can begin to be excited by the prospects opening up for both the sport and the States.To my surprise, the matter of funding was dealt with and one has to look at NASCAR to see what the team envisages: lots of small investors and no major sponsor whose withdrawal could be catastrophic for the team. This dovetails nicely with the plan to use the many component suppliers in and around Charlotte rather than build everything in-house, thereby keeping costs down while ensuring publicity for their partners. It is a Minardi-like concept with much more viability in that the technical knowledge and ability is already greater and more concentrated in the region the team has chosen as its birthplace. Expect to see the names of component manufacturers on the car rather than banks and energy drinks.Transport has been mentioned as a possible difficulty for the new team with every GP being an "away game" for them, but I agree with Ken Anderson when he says that this is not a huge handicap in a world where everything is managed at a distance and travel is an accepted fact of life. With the British GP questionable in the future, it may not be long before the majority of teams have no home race anyway.It does sound, too, as though the lessons of accessibility of the team have been learned from NASCAR; the importance of fans is recognized and there are plans to allow them real access to the facilities and members of the team. That counts for a lot in a country where the fans are used to instant access through TV and other media. Although the team obviously knows the history of American involvement in F1 and two of its statesmen of the past (Mario Andretti and Dan Gurney) were wheeled on to give the stamp of approval, I wonder if they realize the full extent of the goodwill and support they already have from the abused American F1 fans - I cannot imagine that any of them want anything but success for the USF1 team.Much was made of the support of Ecclestone and Mosley but perhaps a more telling factor was mentioned as an aside: America now has the vice presidency of the FIA in the form of Nick Craw, a possible replacement for Mosley, should he ever be induced to leave the sport. That has to be important for the future of both USF1 and any future USGP.Everything seems to be coming together quite nicely. I like the realism of the team owners and their clear plans for doing things in their own way, rather than just following the usual guidelines for entering the sport. We have seen that costs have become the crucial factor to survival in F1 and it is time that new methods of funding be found if the sport is to remain viable. USF1 may just be showing the way.IncidentalsAutosport has several quotes from the announcement that make the team's plans pretty clear - well worth a read. And I am glad to see that Scott Speed was mentioned as a possible driver, since I think he has the potential to be an important part of USF1's initial effort in the sport. Alone amongst current American drivers, he has experience of setting up and developing F1 cars for the races.Finally, today's announcement has inspired my wife to go public with her own F1 blogging efforts. To get a truly American viewpoint on the best darn motor sport in the world, have a read of Andrea's F1 in America blog.
Clive
Nick Goodspeed Fingers crossed! If USF1 succeeds a USGP might not be far behind which might help bring reinstatement of the CDNGP. Now, if we can only get Ecclestone and Mosley on a no-fly list! Date Added: 24/02/2009
NIck I just caught the last 20 mins, pretty boring actually. I like Windsor, but the Bernie and Max ass kissing is even more painful than his Hamilton infatuation. Did they say anything about where the money is coming from? Date Added: 24/02/2009
Clive I thought it was an interesting discussion, Nick. The ass-kissing is necessary for anyone wanting to enter the sport - not a good idea to set the Terrible Two against you before you have your foot in the door, after all.Anderson and Windsor seem determined to keep the team under their control and they are looking at combining many smaller sponsors (mostly component manufacturers, I think) to achieve the necessary funding, rather than have two or three major funding sources. This is more along the lines of the NASCAR model is a viable way of doing things. They said a couple of times that the capital is already in place - which I take to mean they already have enough money to set the team up. So what remains to be done is to fund running costs. Considering the goodwill existing towards their project, I think they can do it. Date Added: 24/02/2009
Nick Your right Clive, its just painful to have to listen to how great those two are...ugh. I am really excited about this, I cant believe its gotten to this level, but I wont hang my hat on it until I hear of at least one specific sponsor willing to pay for any of it. After all, if I was looking for sponsors I would start like this, making the whole project look as solid as possible despite not having anything bought, anyone hired etc. I just hope the whole thing is too obnoxiously nationalistic. Date Added: 24/02/2009
Clive I think there is little danger of that beyond the insistence on American drivers. Windsor is British, after all, and it makes sense that the team would employ other nationalities if they are the best available. Both owners strike me as very sensible and unlikely to be overly nationalistic in their approach. Date Added: 24/02/2009
Speeder_76 I didn't see the presentation on TV, but from what I read on the press and what they have told, it can be something very good for Formula 1. If they succeed in bringing the team to the grid, I think they can make a larger impact that I thought it would have.I'll have my fingers crossed, and wish them that it's project should be a success, because if so, they can bring an well welcomed breeze of fresh air to Formula 1! And of course, the return of a US and Canadian GP, and - who knows - a Mexican GP... Date Added: 24/02/2009
donwatters As an F1 fan since the 60's, I think the time has finally come for USF1. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for this effort to succced. Date Added: 25/02/2009
Nick Goodspeed Somewhere in the USA there's a new Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt, or Mark Donahue who could very well be a revelation to F1. Hopefully those running the USF1 team will find her or him, and choose based on record and not hype. AS far as being over patriotic goes, take a look at ant country with either a driver or manufacturer involved in F1! They are all very nationalistic, some to the point of becoming racist on the fringes. Why should the US be different? Date Added: 25/02/2009
Nick Goodspeed Before anyone gets the wrong idea, I was not inferring the US would become racist by my previous comment! Date Added: 25/02/2009
Clive Speeder: Agreed - let's have lots of GPs in the Americas! Date Added: 25/02/2009
Clive Don: After Bernie's disgraceful axing of the Indy GP, the news of USF1 goes some way to restoring the States to its rightful place in the sport. Next, let's have several GPs on this side of the Atlantic! Date Added: 25/02/2009
Clive Nick: I think it is quite natural to want to see one's countrymen do well in any sport. F1 fans have always been less nationalistic than most in their views on the heroes of the sport - cheer for the home boy but accord proper respect for the talented foreigner, that's how it's done. Date Added: 25/02/2009
chunter That is the best looking photo of Peter Windsor I have ever seen, bar none. Date Added: 27/02/2009
Clive Agreed, Chunter. I suspect it was taken during his period of management at the Williams team. Perhaps we will see that look re-emerge in 2010... Date Added: 27/02/2009
Darren Its a shame that USF1 never happened in the end. Would do really well to promote F1 in the US with an actual US team, especially now we have a race in Austin and soon to be in New Jersey. Date Added: 24/01/2012
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