Formula 1 is full of rumors. Some believable, some not so much. (Alonso going to Ferrari any time soon is one that the British press can't seem to leave alone.) One that seemed to fall into the latter category surfaced a few months ago, about a new, All-American F1 team based in the NASCAR hub of the country, Charlotte, North Carolina. In the racing world there's more to Charlotte than Cup cars, but the whole thing just sounded absurd. There isn't even an F1 race on this continent for 2009.
Despite all this, the rumors resurfaced last week and were confirmed today that a USF1 car will be on the grid in 2010. Managing the team will be none other than the esteemed Peter Windsor, Speed commentator and most notably former team manager at Williams, where he helped win a world championship. Also leading the team will be Ken Anderson, a former designer and technical director in F1 and most recently an engineer in NASCAR and IndyCar. The team is even close to signing its first driver, rumored to be an American in a junior open-wheel series in Europe.
Speaking of drivers, put someone in the cockpit with a last name like Rahal or Andretti and I think you'll see F1 gain some major popularity in the US. Even Bernie might find it hard to add another venue in the Middle East instead of putting a race or two back in North America.
Major cost cutting in the sport makes this the right time for a new team to surface, even as big players like Honda are on the way out. Getting started with a standardized engine package and maybe even a customer chassis may not put you at the sharp end of the grid right away, but nobody expects to see a new team winning races right away - just look at Toyota.
Good luck guys. Make us proud.
1 comment:
Or what about Jeff Gordon? He's already had a taste of F1 in Montoya's Williams. Regardless of the driver, I will support any team that Peter Windsor has anything to do with.
In closing, Bernie sucks.
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