Danica Patrick Unlikely for USF1 Seat

Since the first reports of USF1 came to light, media darling Danica Patrick has been linked to the team. Reading the headlines, one would think contracts had already been signed for her to drive the car: USF1 Confirms Interest in Danica Patrick, and Formula One Seat Beckons for Patrick. To quote Peter Windsor, "We are looking at all American drivers with the right credentials and that includes Danica." Adding fuel to the fire, Ken Anderson says, "She's great and gets a lot of press. Indy Racing League chairman Tony George would be pretty mad with me if I took her out of the IRL but we'll see."

Chop up an interview and you can almost write the story yourself. USF1 have actually given very little detail about who will drive the car, other than the fact that they're looking at all the American drivers. While Danica's market value is second to none (as seen in the latest SI Swimsuit issue), the general consensus this writer sees is that it ends there.

Indeed, now that more interviews have been given to the media, we see that both parties are lukewarm on the idea. Danica says she's concerned that if a drive in F1 doesn't go ideally the first season then you "just open yourself up to criticism." And rightly so - anybody remember Michael Andretti in 1993? However, she seems to be more worried about a test conflicting with her IndyCar schedule or making her tired. This brings doubts about her ability to even commit to the sport of F1. Perhaps Peter Windsor himself best sums it up: "She has a very good record and obviously would be a good factor in terms of promotion. She raced Formula Ford in the UK very well, she knows all about racing in Europe and did a good job in everything she’s done. But one has to ask why, if she is that good for promotion, haven’t any of the other Formula One teams signed her up?"

We'd all love to see her test for the team. But if it doesn't work out then there's no shame having a decent career in IndyCar.

USF1

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.