US F1 set to abandon F1 bid

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US F1 appear to be on the verge of giving up on their plans to compete in the 2010 F1 season.

Reports in the Argentinean media claim Peter Windsor told Jose Maria Lopez the team will not race in F1 this year.

There has been little news from the team for several weeks. It planned to test its car at Barber Motorsport Park this month but no details about the test have been forthcoming.

There are also doubts over high-profile backer Chad Hurley’s commitment to the project.

As recently as yesterday the team asserted it was still on-track to race in Bahrain.

The team has not yet officially responded to the reports but keep an eye on their official Twitter and Facebook presences for developments.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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205 comments on “US F1 set to abandon F1 bid”

  1. I think a lot of people have sadly seen this coming for a while now, and if ture, this is a shame, and will only serve to cast doubt on any future attempts (assuming there is any) to join F1 from the US. If this is true, it must damage Windsor’s reputation as he has stated that their entry has been planned for years (and thus was not affected by budget caps). Stephan GP must also be emboldend by these reports.

    1. Jraybay-HamiltonMclarenfan
      17th February 2010, 23:08

      Now it looks like stefan gp team was right lol. Not long ago they said that there were other teams not ready so they continue to make their chassis for 2010. Maybe they will be on the grid after all D:

      1. looks lke sending containers to Bahrain was a good call for Steph GP!

        1. hmmmm, the Argentina media…really. Kieth, you’re title is 100% sure that they are done and then you’re article is contradictory.

          I know it doesn’t look good, but let’s separate rumors and facts.

          1. “set to abandon” not “has abandoned”. i’d say 83.71% sure…

          2. Maybe it’s a difference in English English and American English, but set to abandon means they are abandoning….

        2. banned from J.Allen site
          18th February 2010, 15:43

          bernie was behind it for sure.

          1. why were you banned from james allen’s site? ;?

    2. As I thought from the outset, the whole thing was only going to be an embarrassment for America.

      1. Cetainly not a proud day for us American F1 fans…

        1. Sorry men :( You guys tryed

      2. Don’t confuse America the country with usf1. They are the one’s to be shamed here. A bunch of morons, trying to run an f1 team on a shoestring budget? How stupid can you be. Then to get a 2nd rate driver.. CHILD, PLEASE. Ken Anderson would be a great man, but windsor? Come on, I realize the guy had experience, what 20 some years ago or some trash like that. Who cares, that was a long time ago and the sport has come so far since then. Way to let the country down losers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wait a minute. Get Speed channel on the phone for me, I’m going to make a team now! Up, just ran out of money. Peter Winsor better not be on speed this year or I’ll need to watch some place else. Poser!!!!!!!! Get lost.

        1. paul garnett
          4th March 2010, 15:16

          wow his majesty. im sorry you call yourself an american you do great disservice to the rest of us americans who arent arrogant and disrespectful and really you actually watch speed(aka nascarcrapfest)speed isnt fit to broadcast lawnmower races let alone offer anything meaningful in the world of f1 (thank god for bbcsports)do us all a favor and defect to canada!

    3. Weren’t these the guys that had YouTube as a sponsor?

    4. The following statement is on their Facebook site:

      “USF1 and Campos Meta are to meet Friday Feb19th to discuss possible merger. Chad Hurley previously has sent his representatives to Dallara confirm thier ability to deliver two cars before first GP race. The surviving team use the Dallara chasis and assume the contracts for the Cosworth engines and all other debtes. The remaining team license would be sold to Stefan GP1. All teams would have to vote in favor of allowing a new team at this late date. The weaker teams probably would not want to see the TOYOTAonthe grid again. By buying one of the remaining teams Stefan GP1 would be assured of a spot in 2010. No matter what happens Ken, Peter and Mr Campos are probably out. Mr Hurley and Jose Carabante will assume control of the team and bring in thier own people.
      All this is subject to Collin Kolles not acquiring Campos Meta first.
      http:/bit.ly/aBEBf9”

      1. Is this statement legit, who made it? Makes loads of sense but doesn’t sound very official.

        1. Don’t know who the person is who made it other than he’s stateside, just reproduced it here as it’s on their official facebook page – not been confirmed or denied by anyone there yet.

          1. The official Twitter page is now carrying this message:

            “The US F1 Team web server is down and is being repaired as this is written. We are not gone, as many have reported. More news soon.”

  2. Jraybay-HamiltonMclarenfan
    17th February 2010, 23:05

    As a canadian I thot it would be cool to see a team from America compete. So I followed them as closely as I can but I never got my hopes up and this is not suprise news to me.

    1. why would a canadian like yourself be proud of an american team?

      1. Because we’re friendly neighbors…

        1. I’m a Canadian too, though living in the UK. I was excited about the prospect of a team from North America. Even though it wouldn’t be a Canadian team, it was still good to have a team from our little corner of the world. A lot of times I find that sports in Canada and the USA are so internally focused and not very international. We seem to play sports that no one else plays, and don’t take serious part in sports that do. The thought of a decent North American F1 team was an opportunity to see the North American sports world open up a little more to the world.

          Oh well. Perhaps Frank Stronach will start up Magna F1 and make us Canadians proud – well, at least half proud as the Austrians will no doubt be proud as well.

          1. Cheer up! German websites say Villeneuve is about to sign second seat Stephan.

      2. Jrayybay-HammiltonMclarenfan
        22nd February 2010, 17:45

        where and when did I say I would be proud of them? I thought it would be cool to have a team from North America competing in formula 1, the pinnacle of motorsports.

  3. it is saddening to hear this, if it is true. And I origionally believed them to be the best prepared after months of talking about it from Peter Windbag before the entry process was even mentioned.

  4. I think we’ll get a confirmation within few hours. It was expected, they don’t have so much money behind them as Lotus and Virgin do. And I expect something similiar to happen to Campos soon. Too bad for Senna and Lopez.

    1. It’s more that they don’t have a car. At least Campos have the Dallara, at least Dallara have the Dallara, that can simply be built. USF1 was doomed to fail because it thought that in a recesion it could get the funding to build a car itself. Lotus and Virgin are owned or backed by large self financing empires an therfore where never going to fail like this.

      It’s still quite likley we’ll see Senna and Lopez on the grid, either in the Stefan or in the Dallara, whatever that entry turns up named as.

    2. Still no confirmation….I think they are going to try and pull every last string they can….we’ll get the announcement on March 10th…

  5. Whoah! What a surprise!! (Yes thats called sarcasm)

    How do the FIA feel now?

    1. Terry Fabulous
      18th February 2010, 6:54

      I bet they’re glad they blew off Lola and David Richards!

      Actually, I bet they don’t even notice

      1. Who’s saying that Lola or Prodrive would have made it? Experience in Racing isn’t everything, just look at Campos/Dallara. And Lola and Prodrive also wouldn’t have thought about F1 without the budget cap.

        1. Dave Richards isn’t in the habit of failing at things he sets out to do.

          I think a Lola-Aston-Martin would have been brilliant, although mostly because the racing DB9RS sounds absolutely amazing.

          1. Yeah, because Lola were fantastic in their previous comeback in 1997 weren’t they? ;-p

          2. and Prodrive where magnificent when they got an entry for 2008 and … didn’t show up

        2. I’m pretty certain that established Motor Racing entities got overlooked for the grid spots in favour of teams that were going to use the Cosworth engines.

          Of course this is just idle uninformed speculation!!!

  6. Rumours of Chad Hurley looking to back another team now are interesting. Will he back Campos or go with one of the more established teams now. Renault could certainly do with a fresh sponsor.

    1. yes i think that rumour is very interresting if true – he has the money, and wants to sponsor F1, but has lost faith and wants to look elsewhere.

  7. It’s a pity and a disappointment as it won’t help the chances of an F1 race returning to the States, but let’s face it we’ve expected as much for a while now. I hope that the USF1 venture is rescued by Americans and set right, or failing that Stefan GP is ushered in with USF1’s paperwork.
    Here’s hoping Campos will come through their difficulties and make the grid.

  8. http://www.ultimavuelta.com.ar/noticias.php?t=noticias_internacionales&id=3637

    This article is talking about a “Merger” between Campos and USF1?

    1. just, no.

  9. Bit more from Adam Cooper:

    A source close to the US F1 team has confirmed what we have all suspected for some time, namely that there is no money, the outfit is nowhere close to being ready for the start of the season, and that it has neither complete cars nor engines.

    1. I would NEVER have guessed that from the videos they posted of an empty factory building staffed by a tiny number of very nervous F1 rejects. Honestly, that first visit by Bob Vargas is something they should never have shown – it was excruciatingly embarrassing.

      Compare that with Lotus’s video. Nobody doubts Americans can do the job. But it takes a huge huge commitment to be successful in F1, and you need knowledge and experience. This is why Lotus never got talked about like the other 3 – they have Mike Gascoyne. His involvement speaks volumes about the team. And they’ve got a car doing 70+ laps daily while Virgin can’t get theirs out of the garage.

      1. A little harsh on Virgin there sir. Timo clocked 72 laps today while the Lotus tried to spontaneously self-combust. All new teams to F1, so none going to cakewalk it, but for sure, lot of experience at Lotus. Still think Virgin may give them a run for their money this year.

        Sad about USF1, but not totally unexpected.

      2. hahahaha @ Hairs….i know, i was scared as soon as i saw those videos….

  10. Those three car teams Ferrari was wanting don’t look so dumb now if this is true

    1. nope, they still look dumb

      1. Yeah dumb as hell.

      2. pretty dumb IMO.

    2. Dumbest idea I’ve heard

      1. Magnificent_Geoffrey
        18th February 2010, 7:25

        Luca ‘dumb’ Montezemolo IMO.

        1. Mouse_Nightshirt
          18th February 2010, 7:48

          EPIC Dumb really.

    3. Not dumb, he can clearly speak quite well :D
      Just might not voice the most popular ideas all the time :p

    4. I’ll voice my support, 3 car teams has always been the way ahead… but I guess this isn’t the 3 car thread, so I’ll shut up again ;p

    5. Yeah…still looking pretty dumb to me.

  11. Brian Bonner has refuted earlier rumours that he had stopped working with USF1 on his Twitter:

    …still helping my friends at USF1 and others too.

    I love internet “reporting” What happened to good old fact checking. Nah, that’d get in the way of a “story” You know who you are…

    http://twitter.com/Indy92

    But I suppose the say-so of some Argentinean rag is far more reliable than what those involved with the team have to say.

    1. Good point. There is lots of speculation, but at this stage that’s all it is.

    2. I have been in touch with US F1 (see last paragraph) and although they’re usually very quick to respond, nothing yet.

      1. Jraybay-HammiltonMclarenfan
        22nd February 2010, 18:06

        Do you know if they requested, to miss the first four races of the season?

    3. Kind of agree, but it’s not just the rag… it’s that plus the fact that they have no car, no driver line up, no money or any concrete testing plans with less than a month to go… all things Windsor said would be in place by now.

      I did think they would be there in Bahrain, but surely not now. Framed pictures of Jim Clark does not necessary an F1 team make.

  12. I saw this coming for a long time but I never wanted to believe it. What a shame to Americans, although most of them don’t hold much interest in F1 anyways :P

    1. Nothing but an arrogent, classless remark there. Not to mention completely untrue……

      1. he did say ‘most’ of americans…

      2. No, he’s right. Most Americans arent that interested in F1. In fact most Americans think that Indycar and F1 are the same thing.

      3. I live in America and from all of the americans I know, I have come across 2-3 f1 fans. Don’t see how it is completely untrue….

        1. Thats like saying most Europeans dont like ice hockey like Canadians do. There are fans all over the world nonetheless. It’s just in North America we only have the Gilles villenueve circuit now that Indianapolis is gone. and Europe has many circuits and is where formula 1 competes the most. It’s hard to find hardcore fans because formula 1 isn’t in the media very much for us except when the canada grand prix comes around. The IRL and Nascar get more coverage than formula 1 I believe. Mostly because they race in america. I blame the lack of interest on a lack of exposure.

  13. http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=357796&FS=F1

    An indian driver in F1, and a red car at the front and the back of the grid. Presuming the Toyota is still terrible.

    1. He did promise a good news to all his fans by Feb 25th on his Twitter page.. Im assuming this is it..

    2. That’s great news, if it’s true.

  14. Voice of The Emperor:

    “Everything is happening as I have foreseen it…”

    Bleh, it’s a shame, but I knew they had only 2 options: 1. make it to the 1st race and make a fool of themselves all year, or 2. don’t make it at all.

  15. I feel more positive for Campos, they are supposedly more technically advanced compared to USF1 and it is better to be technically advanced and lacking funds than having potential investors but no chance of a decent car. Campos have already had rumours of a deal.which suggests there could be a plan to save them in some form.
    If this is all over foe USF1 then I doubt F1 can really try to crack America for a few years. All the steps were in place; a national team and the return of Montreal could have ignited interest for F1 to return there and race.

  16. Utterly, sadly, depressingly predictable. If this is true (and we still don’t really know, Adam Cooper’s article notwithstanding)(although, there is a story on Speed, a formerly ‘friendly’ news source for Windsor) then much of what I’ve tiringly repeated here is true: reputations of young F1 up-and-comers have been smashed and once again, F1 in the US looks ridiculous.

    Windsor and Anderson are rowing back saying they weren’t ‘re-inventing the wheel’ but this was cornerstone of their pitch with their skunkworks nonsense.

    The silence from the team speaks volumes because until January there was a stream of rubbish issuing forth from them about how well things were going. Joe Saward, who was carrying the flag has fallen strangely silent (the mainstream F1 press have been giving USF1 a *very* easy ride with either support or silence) and said a USF1 announcement would be forthcoming on his blog and Twitter stream and it never came. Tweets asking for comment were not returned or even commented on.

    It’s deeply troubling that they couldn’t make this happen or even pay their staff (!). Brian Bonner, a staunch Twitter defender has gone from the team (but continues to ‘help his friends at USF1’), rumours are swirling about (which is always a bad sign, especially when the team doesn’t outright quash them) and there’s also talk that Chad Hurley has gone.

    Hurley’s involvement always seemed ropey and it has to be remembered, he’s a user interface designer, not necessarily the smartest money guy in the room. Just because you have lots of money doesn’t you mean you spend it in the most sensible places. So I never thought his involvement was of much use to the team and he is probably one of the sponsors that Windsor darkly referred to as not being very helpful in Adam Cooper’s blog post.

    So, I say a sad, pre-emptive farewell to USF1, although it does mean you all won’t club together and pay for a ticket to watch me run Silverstone nude (I made that promise in a post somewhere). Windsor was the wrong man for the job, using the US brand as an opportunistic and exploitative play to curry favour from across the pond. Windsor is a fast-talking Australian (like myself) who was more interested in his very 70’s dream of ‘going racing.’ He wanted to start in the big league and has found himself being spat out by it.

  17. Prisoner Monkeys
    18th February 2010, 1:06

    Reports are suggesting that Peter Windsor is in Europe on a last-minute mercy mission to acquire a compelted chassis. I know Lola has one lying around …

    1. N-Tech could be a potential partner

      The chances of them finding a cash injection at this point are almost zero. They would be looking to trade their place in the Concorde agreement with another party for a car/support.

      they shouldn’t be allowed to sell their spot, it should fall back to a party that applied for a place and denied entry (ie. Stefan).

      Again this calls into question the FIA selection process, 2 out of the 3 teams (Campos and USF1) have struggled, while 2 teams not selected (Stefan and Lotus) seem to be doing reasonably well. USF1 blew a huge chance when they didn’t snap up the Toyoto chassis and plans – might have been a poor decision fueled by pure arrogance.

  18. This speaks volumes about the judgement of the FIA who gave these a place ahead of quality outfits like Prodrive and Lola who would have been genuinely good teams for the forthcoming F1 season. Looks like they placed taking the standardise Cosworth engines ahead of being a serious team.

    I feel sorry for the Argentinian lad who had been told he had a seat for the season, just to have it taken away from him.

    What a mess.

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      18th February 2010, 1:38

      This speaks volumes about the judgement of the FIA who gave these a place ahead of quality outfits like Prodrive and Lola who would have been genuinely good teams for the forthcoming F1 season. Looks like they placed taking the standardise Cosworth engines ahead of being a serious team.

      I’m sorry, but your anti-FIA agenda speaks volumes. The failues of USF1 and Campos are a result of internal mismanagement and an inability to capitalise on demand for Spanish and American teams. There was simply no interest for sponsorship in either country, a mistake even Alain Prost made back in 2001. It was impossible to predict this outcme back in March.

      Also, Prodrive were once given a grid entry and failed to materialise, just as USF1 are now apparently doing. How are they any different from USF1?

      1. It was entirely possible to see that failing to get sponsorship for two new back-of-the-grid teams in the middle of a massive recession from two markets where potentially interested sponsors were already fully committed to motorsport ventures (Indy and NASCAR in the states, Alonso, Barrichello and Massa in Iberian markets), when established sponsors of successful teams were bailing out would be a problem. The names announced by the FIA were met with incredulity at the time from all sorts of quarters, and with good reason. Like Nick Fry, the FIA failed to do proper diligence on the teams they were accepting – or more likely, chose teams that would toe the party line rather than teams they thought would turn up. USF1 were full of hot air from before they applied, and Campos’s whole scheme was based on the sort of wishful thinking Donington would have been proud of.

        The farce and the speculation is entirely the fault of the FIA for not acting in the best interests of the sport in the first place.

        Prodrive did not “fail to materialise” – the FIA (at the behest of teams who didn’t want McLaren selling customer cars?) changed the rules that Prodrive applied under, right before they entered, and Prodrive very sensibly decided not to spend years being ****** around by Max. Strange that Scuderia Torro Rosso didn’t have any such problems getting hold of a customer car……

        1. I don’t know why you are bolding the word “Scuderia”, since Toro Rosso use Red Bull chassis. You were referring to chassis, not engines throughout the Prodrive paragraph. Other than that I agree with you.

          1. Doesn’t the word Scuderia mean “stable”, or “team” in Italian. I’m pretty sure Scuderia Toro Rosso is just an Italian translation of “Team Red Bull”. I’m also pretty sure that they have developed their own chassis this year, separate from Red Bull Racing. As far as I am aware the only link to Scuderia Ferrari is the fact the Scuderia Toro Rosso uses Ferrari engines.

        2. Prisoner Monkeys
          18th February 2010, 22:20

          the FIA failed to do proper diligence on the teams they were accepting

          Again: it would have been impossible to predict USF1 and Campos’ inability to find sponsorship a year ago. Due diligence doesn’t come into it.

          Prodrive did not “fail to materialise” – the FIA (at the behest of teams who didn’t want McLaren selling customer cars?) changed the rules that Prodrive applied under, right before they entered

          Having a grid entry and not appearing on the grid is the definition of “failing to materialise”. Prodrive did not apply under customer chassis rules – they lodged their entry with the proviso that they could use one. Dave Richards had to know that the use of a customer chassis had to be ratified by the teams first, and if there was a chance that the teams didn’t agree to it, he needed a backup plan. But he never formulatd one. He put all his eggs in the one basket, and it blew up in his face.

          1. 1: Everyone predicted that sponsorship would be impossible to find. That was the whole thrust of max’s budget cap, remember? You must run teams for under $40m because these budgets aren’t workable any more? Sponsors were deserting teams (even McLaren lost sponsors). RBS, ING, HP, Lenovo, these are all big ticket marketing companies, and they were all leaving. The FIA was supposed to have audited these teams to check they had funding in place, viable business plans, suitable facilites, and expert personnel. 3 teams who met all those criteria (Lola, Epsilon and Prodrive) were turned down. Two teams with no facilities, no business plan, little or no hope of sponsorship, and no expert staff on board were given the slots instead. And the inevitable two failures have happened. Bernie knew it was going to happen, he said so before the end of the season!

            2: Your use of the phrase “fail to materialise” attempts to compare Prodrive’s situation with USF1’s. I think i’ve been pretty clear with the facts already, they are not at all similar. Prodrive are a professional outfit and, when the FIA flim-flammed on the terms they were told they could enter under, their boss saw that it was not an honest offer, so he withdrew rather than wasting his team’s time, money and talent playing games with Max. They were open, up front, and professional about it. It is also worth noting that while teams who wanted to run a McLaren customer chassis were told no, another team who had a ferrari engine contract had no problems obtaining a customer chassis. That’s an example of FIA “one rule for this team, another rule for the rest”.

            USF1, on the other hand, were full of hot air and nonsense, attempting to run an F1 team on a “dream” and a lot of hype instead of hard business and engineering realities. It was clear from the outset that they were, at best, going to have trouble doing this, even if they did it to the best standard. Instead, they bodged it, and took a lot of credibility out of the sport too. That’s entirely the fault of the people who reviewed their entry and approved it, despite them being less qualified to get on the grid than other teams.

          2. I think you’re response here demonstrates very clearly how Prodrive’s situation and USF1’s were completely different. As you stated, Prodrive lodged their entry conditional upon using a customer chassis. I agree with you that Dave Richards had to know it would need to be ratified first, which is why he lodged a conditional entry. He did not need a backup plan, he had one. In the event it wasn’t ratified Prodrive would not race. That is a backup plan and was fully disclosed at the time of application. It is the FIA, not Prodrive, which failed to have a backup plan, resulting in no one racing in that slot. When you receive and approve a conditional entry the burden is on the entity that approved the conditional entry to have a backup plan in the event that those conditions can not be met. One could argue that the FIA should not have approved a conditional entry (and likely should never approve any conditional entry) or one could argue that the FIA should have had a backup plan when approving a conditional entry to cover the possibility that the conditions not be met and the entry retracted. The FIA knew (or should have known) that Prodrive would not race if the customer chassis option was not ratified by the teams, as it was fully disclosed to the FIA as a condition of the application. Its not fair for the FIA to approve an application under those conditions and then hold a grudge against that team for following through exactly with what was laid out in their conditional application.

            USF1 did not lodge a conditional entry stating that their entry application was subject to obtaining sponsors. This means there is a breach of contract in the USF1 situation, as they clearly failed to satisfy their end of the deal, while there is no breach in the Prodrive contract as their contract was conditional from the start.

      2. At least the rules didn’t change between them getting the slot and the start of the season. Customer cars ring a bell?

      3. May not have been clear enough. Prodrive’s chances went up in smoke when the FIA flip-flopped on customer cars. If they were allowed, they’d have easily been on the grid. If Prodrive had known about it BEFORE getting the slot, they would’ve had time for plan for it. Neither of those happened. Prodrive didn’t get a fair shake.

        1. Prisoner Monkeys
          18th February 2010, 5:40

          Custonmer cars don’t change a thing. The FIA would blame Prodrive regardless of who was at fault. Prodrive are not completely innocent – they should have had a backup plan.

          1. Creating a chassis from scratch isn’t exactly that easy. Even STR (which had a history of constructing chassis as Minardi) has struggled with it at best – and that’s after years of advance notice.

          2. “create a chassis” is not exactly a good backup plan. look at STR.

      4. @Prisoner Monkey

        It does speak volumes of the FIA or rather at the man at the helm of affairs at that time, a certain Max Mosley.

        The slots were awarded more on sentimens than competence. If USF1 even had 15% of the required amount to compete available to them, they would not be in this mess.

        By threatening to force out the established teams from F1 and replacing them with new ones, the FIA was putting its credibility at stake and it was really in their interests to ensure that only those genuinely viable teams were given the available slots.

        Its a distraction trying to compare this scenario with that of Prodrive’s situation 2years back. For one reason, the FIA promised Prodrive customer cars. Prodrive came up with a business plan based on customer cars being available. At the very last minute they FIA banned the use of customer cars. Mike Gascoyne wasn’t available at that time to help them come up with their own chassis in record time. In my own opinion, Prodrive was a victim of FIA fraud.

        1. I heard that the FIA only granted a team entry if they used Cosworth engines

      5. “The failues of USF1 and Campos are a result of internal mismanagement and an inability to capitalise on demand for Spanish and American teams.” – correct

        “It was impossible to predict this outcme back in March.” – no it wasn’t, it was patently obvious.

        “Also, Prodrive were once given a grid entry and failed to materialise, just as USF1 are now apparently doing.” – nonsense, see all the points made by others.

        The FIA (i.e. Max) wanted new kids on the block that he hoped could be kept under his thumb, rather than teams likely to have real weight. He wanted (car) manufacturer influence reduced – hence the insistence on Cosworth engines, and he certainly didn’t want someone like Dave Richards, that would stand alongside the big teams and fight back next time he threw his weight around.

        1. I agree with Hairs. It was no secret that the FIA would only allow in new teams for 2010 if they A) used Cosworth engines, B) agreed fully to adhere to the budget cap.

          The last thing the FIA wanted was new teams that were aligned with the manufacturers (i.e Prodrive using Mercedes engines). Thats why Prodrive were denied entry.

          Prisoner Monkeys – do you honestly believe that USF1 and Campos were a better bet for the forthcoming season than Prodrive and Lola?

        2. “Also, Prodrive were once given a grid entry and failed to materialise, just as USF1 are now apparently doing.” – nonsense, see all the points made by others.

          Sorry, I fail to see how that is nonsense. It’s exactly what happened. Prodrive were given the chance to get on the F1 grid in 2008 and they failed to take it. Those are the facts.

          1. No, those are not the facts. Prodrive applied to enter the sport under certain conditions. Those conditions were changed. Dave Richards, a man with F1 experience, could tell that the invitation was not being given on a fair basis and decided not to waste his time or money.

            USF1 entered under certain conditions. The conditions were changed. Instead of realising “Whoops we haven’t a hope in hell of pulling this off now” they soldiered blindly on and made a laughing stock of themselves.

  19. If USF1 is not there then will Stefen GP get a chance to race in 2010?

    1. There are now rumors that Stefan GP has not fully paid off Toyota. Add the fact that even if somebody acquires the Dallara it has to be built and shaken down in 3 weeks.

      At this point, I think we’re gonna have 22 Cars come Bahrain, plus who knows how long Virgin and Lotus will last.

      I foresee Todt trying to convince Lola and Prodrive to bid for 2011 or 2012.

      Either way I feel bad for the Argentine people, whose tax dollars will be wasted. As well as American F1 fans, following Indygate, the loss of the USGP and now the failure of an “American” team. F1 in the US now rests on the shoulders of Alexander Rossi becoming the American “Lewis Hamilton”.

      1. Prisoner Monkeys
        18th February 2010, 1:39

        Add the fact that even if somebody acquires the Dallara it has to be built and shaken down in 3 weeks.

        That depends on how much of the chassis is actually completed. If it’s half-finished, they’re in trouble. If it’s nearly done or finished outright, it won’t be a problem.

        1. That is why I disagreed with USF1 carrying the name of an entire country in their team title – it means that the entire US market for F1 was tied to the fate of this team through that association.

          All the remarks about USF1 failing immediately also mention the fate of F1 in North America overall. Windsor overplayed the role that the USA played in USF1, and the association along with what appears to be the impending failure of USF1 does not bode well for F1 in the USA (wow, what a confusing mix of words).

          If it was ‘Windsor F1’ failing, there would be almost no talk about the failure of F1 in the USA.

    2. I hope so. Bernie wants stephan, so it shall be.

      1. @ R.E.M.
        I too want Lola and Prodrive (Aston Martin)
        back in F1 in 2011 if not in 2010.

        1. Prisoner Monkeys
          18th February 2010, 7:30

          Dave Richards has said he doesn’t want in, that Formula One “isn’t relevant”, and that if Prodrive were to join the grid, they’d have to be asked by the FIA to join.

          It won’t happen.

          1. I forgot about that comment from Richards. Maybe Epsilon and Lola then.

  20. Wow. First Phoenix, and then Andretti at McLaren, Indy 2005 and now this. This country has been consistently shooting itself in the foot with regard to f1 for two decades now.

    I’m not suprised… just saddened. I’d like f1 to have an impact over here and it just seems like poor planning, laziness and dumb luck keep negating that.

    1. indy 2005 was clearly not america’s fault.

      1. Indy 2005 was in no way America’s fault. It was a fault with the Michelin tyres and the high speed banked corner, and there was solution, installing a temporary chicane, but the FIA / Ferrari said no. Of course Ferrari didn’t need the chicane because they were on Bridgestones instead. So the blame for Indy 2005 should probably rest halfway between Michelin for not having a suitable tyre and FIA / Ferrari for vetoing a temporary solution that would have allowed the full field to at least put on a show.

        1. Prisoner Monkeys
          18th February 2010, 2:31

          You want to blame Ferrari, Bridgestone and the FIA for following the rules? Why should Bridgestone have been penalised for producing a safe tyre when Michelin didn’t?

          1. I’m saying that FIA / Ferarri should be blamed for failing to comprise. What they effectively did was destroy F1 in the US. They saw the short term gain of an easy race win, and took that over the potential long term gain of F1 having a strong presence in the US. They failed to act in the best interest of the sport, which is to have a full grid at each race. If I’m not mistaken, part of the deal with the chicane was that points would be awarded only to the teams that were running Bridgestone tyres. It would have been a fair compromise that would have at least allowed American fans to see as close to a real F1 races as possible given the circumstances, rather than the 6 car parade they were treated to.

          2. The organisation who “destroy F1 in the US” was clearly Michelin. It was they who failed to produce a safe tyre for the race, and caused the whole debacle, so you simply cannot go about blaming anyone else.

        2. Wish I’d seen this post sooner. Sir Frank Williams confirmed on BBC Radio 5 Live the following day that the chicane would have made no difference to the durability of the Michelin tyres. And to correct another misconception, Ferrari had asked for the rule regarding tyres to be reviewed when Michael Schumacher had a delamination at the Spanish GP earlier that season. All the Michelin shod teams said NO! The rules are the rules, they said. And along came Indy and bit them in the ****. Not Ferrari’s problem by any manner of means.

    2. USF1 is not America. Looking at how the FIA and Bernie run the sport in recent times, why should anyone be interested in throwing money in just to entertain us.

      Latest news, Yas Marina circuit has been sold to the government to clear its debt. Almost every circuit associated with F1, apart from Monaco, is going through financial difficulties.

      I love F1, its the only sport I follow, but a lot has to change.

  21. Sad if true, but the naysayers will have only been proven right by things being settled this way rather than the other. That’s not me trying to say my own position was still validated even in light of this news, just that there was a negativity surrounding USF1 for a long while, and if they had turned up in Bahrain that would have been proven wrong instead of right.

    I had hope for them and America’s involvement in F1 in general, but both seemed to have been dashed, completely and temporarily for the two respectively.

  22. Really a sad news to American Formula 1 fans….

  23. To be honest, an american team failing in F1 will do 0 to get the american general public interested in the sport. even if a race was to return to the states….what’s one race per year supposed to do to excite them when there are nascar and indy races a couple times a month that many americans adore? F1 in the states will be like football (soccer) in the states. some will love it and many more can get caught up in the hype, but it will never rival american sports such as NFL and MLB, just like F1 will never rival nascar and possibly indy (also they will find a way to get the name wrong lol)

    1. So what? I have always maintained that F1 will never be as popular as the domestic sports series over here, but that dosen’t mean that the sport cannot have a successful and profitable presence here. Just look at all the European soocer/football teams playing games and selling merchandise over here- they know they can’t rival the NFL in pure numbers, but they are building a great fan base and making money at the same time.

      1. Agreed.

        Also, how about actually starting the correct way, and giving an American race first, before letting in a team and expecting Americans to jump at supporting them? If Greece had an F1 team, it would work, because it’s a small country. If Britain announced it was entering a team into the World Tiddlywinks League (I know Britain already plays tiddlywinks, this is just an example), it wouldn’t raise interest in the sport overnight.

        Perhaps when we have a regular F1 race in America, the majority of it run on an oval, and perhaps a small winter series in the South for promotional purposes, perhaps then we can get a lot more Americans interested in F1.

  24. Why is there a limit on the number of cars allowed to Grid.

    1. I think the FIA limits the number of entries allowed in the Formula 1 World Championship. I don’t know why.

      In the FIA International Sporting Code, Appendix O, Supplement 2 there is an equation that calculates the maximum number of cars allowed to start a race based on the dimensions of a track. The minimum length of allowed for circuit that can be used for Formula 1 is 3.5km, and the minimum width for new circuits is 12 metres, so using these two values along with a couple of other parameters specified in the International Sporting Code, the maximum number of Formula 1 cars allowed to start a race on a 3.5km circuit is 33 cars. On longer circuits that number would increase. So I guess theoretically the FIA could allow upto 33 cars, if they wanted.

      1. Prisoner Monkeys
        18th February 2010, 5:00

        It’s for safety purposes. Some circuits can only hold a certain number of cars. While places like Shanghai and Abu Dhabi could easily hold thirty cars without breaking a sweat, the size of the grid is effectively limited to the number of cars the smallest venue can hold. That venue is Monaco. Space is at a premium on the streets of the principality, and the pits can only hold twenty-six or twenty-eight casr. I know parc ferme can only hold twenty-six (when the FIA was trying to pitch Sauber as a fourteenth team, they suggested installing video cameras in the pit garages and using them as parc ferme). Anything more would simply be unsafe.

        1. The cars are even longer this year, at least most of them.

        2. they say it is for safety purposes because that comes across better than ‘it is so there are less teams to split the money up with’

          all of these tracks run far more than 20-26 cars in other formula, even at high-speed formula.

          1. No, no they don’t. Monaco, which is the roadblock, only runs 26 GP2 cars (and nothing in other formulae). Until 1987 F1 only managed to squeeze 20 cars around the Principality. There just isn’t room.

  25. I think that the rumours are true. Chad Hurley must have left the picture a long time ago – look at thier website. It says that CH will take “an active role in sponsorship procurement and activation, external communications activities and enhancing exposure for US F1 Team through a variety of media-focused initiatives and campaigns.”
    I wonder how he is going with this? As a You-Tube Founder – the USF1 website has not been updated since late January – hardly the way to communicate activities and enhance exposure. If he was really into USF1 – we would be seeing daily updates – more media exposure. The official F1 website has barely mentioned the fact that USF1 even exist in the past weeks.
    I think that SGP has been a revelation in the sport in the last few weeks – sending his container to Bahrain – and just the comments Bernie has said have ‘spiced things up a bit’ F1 in past years has not had this sort of ‘good’ drama which it needs from time to time to raise its profile. It has had plenty of negative drama (McLaren/Renault) but this has just added something at a normally more boring time of year.

  26. Until it is official, I wouldn’t overreact from a report from argentina. Why would they be talking to the media when they are against a deadline? And why wouldn’t a paper in the US report this? The Charlotte Observer is a much more credable paper.

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      18th February 2010, 4:47

      Because if it happened in Argentina – ie Windsor telling Lopez – then how would the Charlotte Observer know about it?

    2. Don’t forget that the sagging shoulders of a car less driver can convey much more information than many a smiling, champagne popping, press conference.

  27. Mark Hitchcock
    18th February 2010, 4:38

    Despite not really liking USF1, for the sake of the people who have committed to the project I hope this is just an unsubstantiated rumour.

    I won’t be sad to see the back of Windsor though.

  28. Prisoner Monkeys
    18th February 2010, 4:40

    You know, I’m not exactly heartbroken at the idea that USF1 might not make it. I would have liked to see them show up, if only to stick it to the nay-sayers who I feel attacked the team rather unjustly from the moment it was proposed.

    If this happens – I’m refusing to speak in absolutes because there’s always a chance that something may come of it – then I’m laying first claim to a guest article on what happened to the team and why.

    1. “I would have liked to see them show up, if only to stick it to the nay-sayers who I feel attacked the team rather unjustly from the moment it was proposed.”

      It’s a fair enough comment…but if, as looks likely, they don’t turn up at all (or maybe at best doing an Aguri and stealing an old chassis to limp around in) then the nay-sayers hardly unjustly attacked them – they were essentially able to read through the lines and see that it wasn’t going to happen.

      I’ll be disappointed if they don’t turn up, although as much in a “I want 13 teams” way than “I want USF1”. But throughout the process they’ve never established any credibility as a proper Formula 1 “entity”.

      To be fair, Campos haven’t either, and if it wasn’t for Dallara I’d have written them off in the same way before now.

      1. Prisoner Monkeys
        18th February 2010, 9:58

        the nay-sayers hardly unjustly attacked them – they were essentially able to read through the lines and see that it wasn’t going to happen

        No, they weren’t. They had no evidience of anything other than their dislike of Americans in general and Peter Windsor in particular. They were all making stupid claims like the machines in the SPEED-TV videos being props, the employees were all actors and the on-screen dsplays of car designs were all pre-rendered animations run especially for the cameras.

        1. Well, I was always sceptical of USF1 turning up, and I don’t remember ever slagging off Americans, Windsor, actors or animations.

        2. Whilst I don’t agree with your earlier point about the FIA (who I feel share a good deal – though not the majority – of the blame), I agree with you that the naysayers just happened to be “proven” right. The worst thing is this “proof” will provide ammunition for just about anything to do with F1 and the USA – every time it will be: “Yeh, remember USF1?” and whatever the proposal, it will be put down just as USF1 was.

        3. Your assumption that people sceptical of this team are automatically being anti-american is misplaced, erroneous, and reflects badly on you.

          All the evidence that this team was going to have problems was evident from day 1. As the months went by, it only got worse. When they started releasing videos of empty rooms, then it got laughable. Campos at least had the sense to keep quiet when things were going badly, as opposed to getting louder.

          In fact the only person I saw engaged in jingoistic nationalistic invective was Peter Windsor and his “europeans are lazy” rant on the offical USF1 blog.

          1. “Your assumption that people sceptical of this team are automatically being anti-american is misplaced, erroneous, and reflects badly on you.”

            I agree with that statement.

  29. Wow. I’ll reserve comment for the official announcement, but it really is sounding like USF1 won’t make it to the grid.

    I’m not surprised that finding sponsors has been difficult for USF1. It’s simple really, in the USA Formula One is to racing as soccer is to sports.

    1. There usually are no official announcements in such situations. Everybody just goes to bed and hope the mess is cleared away from their backyard by morning. :-)

  30. “This country has been consistently shooting itself in the foot with regard to f1 for two decades now.”

    Sorry dude, it ain’t the country, it’s individual people.
    Windsor tried to sell the “American Team” concept, but unfortunately there were no buyers. And knuckleheads like you will gleefully continue to dump on America.

    Regardless, I’m personally gutted that they screwed the pooch on this effort.

  31. Plink Plonk Plunk
    18th February 2010, 7:29

    Regardless if these rumours are true or not I’m done throwing my support to USF1.

    Yes, I desperately wanted them to make it and shine but with less than a month to go; no test, no second driver, no motor, no idea even when they will fire the car up?

    Seriously! For a team that was suppose to have been in the making for years…..they look a complete mess!

    I have to say….I never bought into the whole ‘were an American team’ nonesense. Windsor’s English as is half the other team members. Just cause you [failed to] build a car in the US doesnt make you an American team.

    1. Windsor is Australian, but yes, not American.

  32. Well, damn. I had high hopes. Here’s something semi-official, as it is from Lopez’s own website.

    http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pechitolopez.com.ar%2Fnota.php%3Fidn%3D90&sl=es&tl=en

    “Taking into account the amount of information dumped on the participation of Jose Maria Lopez pilot in Formula 1 in the 2010 season is reported in yesterday Jose Maria Lopez (father) with Felipe Mc Gough and visited the headquarters Victor Rosso of USF1 in Charlotte, USA, to make contact with team officials.

    At that meeting several issues were touched to know in depth the state of affairs of the new squadron commanding Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson.

    After the meeting with a certain idea of the current state of the U.S. team last night set out for London, England.

    In London, several meetings were generated, one with executives of the FOM (Formula One Management) who presides over Bernie Ecclestone.

    The result of these was positive and expected for a similar agenda on Thursday to today.

    Lopez (p), Mc Gough and Rosso are scheduled to return to our country next weekend.”

    I think it is obvious things aren’t good, or else they wouldn’t have flown to London. Perhaps they are looking for another ride.

    1. The account’s been suspended. That was quick.

      1. Yeah, I’m glad I copied and pasted that instead of just posting the link.

  33. After all the promise in January, it looks like they are done. But there is still hope that we’ll have a full grid in Bahrain.
    The only way Stefan GP can get an entry is buying one of the existing ones (Virgin and Lotus will never agree to give them a new entry, as only the top10 in the constructor’s championship will get a share of the TV money). And if USF1 fails, they don’t have just some unhappy sponsors, but also the government of a not-so-small country that would want its money back. So selling their entry with Lopez attached to it might make sense…

    1. You can’t sell an entry on its own. Stefan GP would have to actually buy the team, including its debt to Cosworth and its lease on the Charlotte facility. The alternative is that USF1 withdraws its entry entirely and a brand-new one is granted to Stefan GP, but that would require a lot of legal wrangling and the agreement of all the other teams (which, let’s face it, isn’t going to happen).

      1. It would be crazy if Stefan GP bought the team, since they have already bought one. The most likely scenario is that USF1 will have to withdraw based on bankruptcy. And I am not really sure if they will then have to pay a penalty under these conditions… :/

        Stefan GP is probably next in line to be granted a grid by FIA should any team fail to show up for the first race, or pull out… We’ll just have to wait and see what hpns

  34. I will keep hoping that USF1 make the grid until it is official that they won’t race, the same with Campos.

    On the bright side we are still due to have more cars on the grid than last season as there have already been 11 teams who have launched their car and are testing them, and if USF1 and/or Campos don’t make it looks like Stefan GP will.

  35. hoping stefan gp get in

    and hoping villeneuve and ralf are the drivers :)

    1. Accidental Mick
      18th February 2010, 10:43

      Why? Neither Villeneuve or (Ralf) Schumaker were ever very good.

      1. Saying that Villeneuve was never any good is rather overstating it don’t you think?

      2. The two drivers have 17 wins between them, so they can’t be that bad.

    2. What did Ralph achieve in F1 apart from his salary?

      1. Prisoner Monkeys
        18th February 2010, 11:30

        Well, he proved that Spykers weren’t condemened to last place …

        1. Ralph raced for Spyker?

          1. Prisoner Monkeys
            18th February 2010, 12:06

            No, he raced for Toyota. Actually, raced isn’t the right word. “Drove around in last place” might be a better descriptor, which saved Spyker from dead last.

          2. Oh, come on, that’s a bit harsh, since he did win 6 races in his career.

          3. Prisoner Monkeys
            18th February 2010, 22:23

            Oh, come on, that’s a bit harsh, since he did win 6 races in his career.

            Yes, he did win six races in his career. Then he spent most of his time at Monaco in last. Very unbecoming of the “third-best driver in the sport”, wouldn’t you agree?

  36. It would appear Villeneuve is closing in on a deal with Stefan GP.

    http://www.autosport.com/news/grapevine.php/id/81566

    With the containers out in the Middle East and Malaysia and now the team doing deals with drivers you’d have to say that they have more than just a vague hope of a slot on the 2010 grid. They must be fairly confident at this stage.

  37. I want to know what’s going to happen to all those toasters.

    Or maybe they could make some money selling that rare and exclusive nosecone they made.

    1. Can we be sure it was actual F1 nose cone or an old indycar item.

  38. How sad to see the kind of reputation we Argentinian people have in the rest of the world, in the light of some comments here…
    :-(

    1. I don’t think anyone is bashing Argentina or it’s people…just saying don’t trust journalists and in this case, Argentinian journalists…

      1. You trust maybe the Sun?

  39. Villeneuve (Jacque, LeBebe) is like a vampire feeding off his own fleeting moment of glory. Until someone drives a wooden stake through his ego driven self image he’ll be trying to catch rides forever. Everyone deserves a second chance, he had more than his share of failed opportunities. Give the seat to a newbie.

    If Stefan GP give the ride to LeBebe, that’s one team that will not receive any kind thoughts from yours truly.

    1. Geez, that’s a little bit brutal. I mean I agree on the ego thing, but he really was not well surrounded with Craig Pollock – that guy always seemed like slimy piece of work to me.

      Anyhoo – when you own a team you’ll get to decide who not to give race seats to, I guess.

    2. hahahahaha @ GeorgeK…true. He WAS fast and fun to watch…but it’s over…

  40. I’d say Lola are pretty happy right now!! If it becomes official that USF1 are dead then Mastercard Lola will no longer be the most unsucessful entrant in F1 history!!!

    1. No, they fall into the same class as Prodrive as failing to come together before the season started. So in essence, they can’t have that honor, because they didn’t make the grid.

      Besides, Life is the worst F1 team ever.

  41. I’m shocked at the 1) lack of American corporate support for such a project (F1 is the MOST WATCHED sporting event/s on a yearly basis and could be gold for a fortune 500 co.), 2) the lack of “buzz” in the USA surrounding the fact we’ve finally got an F1 team. What about some P.R. from a celebrity or two? Some more Youtube videos of the car being built? EPSN doing a piece or two on them? Other than hardcore F1 fans, NOBODY IN THE USA (corporate or otherwise) EVEN KNOWS USF1 EXISTS! That’s not good enough nor does it bode well for the future of the team.

    On a similiar note – notice the lack of Fortune 500 sponsors in F1? Other than Ferrari and McLaren, you’re seeing Renault, Virgin, Lotus, Sauber, Force India, USF1, with sponsors that are anything short of global (or lack of sponsors altogether in the case of Sauber). Even RedBull is having to totally rely on their energy drink empire for the most part. Cost cutting better be working……..

    1. “the lack of “buzz” in the USA surrounding the fact we’ve finally got an F1 team. What about some P.R. from a celebrity or two? Some more Youtube videos of the car being built? EPSN doing a piece or two on them? Other than hardcore F1 fans, NOBODY IN THE USA (corporate or otherwise) EVEN KNOWS USF1 EXISTS!”

      I think that youre right. There is just a lack of interest for F1 here in the states. A few of us are fanatics, but the majority simply arent aware of F1.

    2. i have seen a lot of senterminet along the lines of
      ‘NOBY IN THE USA EVEN KNOW USF1 EXSITS’
      or
      ‘NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT F1 IN THE US

      Is this true? I was listening to the sports radio last sat at about ~2 to ~3am local time, and the station had switched to “fox sports radio’ or something like that, and the had a show on motorsport where along with nascar, F1 was talked about, and quite comprehensively as well. From USf1 troubles and “the ghost car” as they were calling it,
      to the ban on refulleing, tyre managment etc – they spent about 1/2 hr on it in total, then skipped back to it couple of time when talking about the impending Daytona 500. Commercial reality must dictate that they wouldn’t spend time talking about something motorsport fans had no / little intrest in. maybe???

      1. No, I don’t think it is true. I’m guessing that the people posting those statements don’t live in the US and therefore have no idea what they are talking about. I know many F1 fans that are very in to the sport and I know a lot of people who are knowledgeable of the sport and watch a few races, but are not die-hard fans. Also, since I am into the sport and frequently talk about it, I have realized that most people have some knowledge of the sport…Ferrari, Shumacher, etc…

        However, I do agree with a statement I read earlier that the general US public (non-F1 and non-Indy fan) could not easily tell the difference between an F1 car and an ‘Indy’ car.

  42. “As I thought from the outset, the whole thing was only going to be an embarrassment for America”
    ————-
    I am American, and trust me, I am not embarressed.

    Most Americans are sleeping when these races are on TV. It is hard for them to get backing from American companies for that reason alone.

  43. Unlucky America.

  44. a sort of official statement from usf1 on twitter http://twitter.com/USF1Team The US F1 Team web server is down and is being repaired as this is written. We are not gone, as many have reported. More news soon.

      1. they need to modify the rear tires a bit, those are too large in comparison to the fronts!!

  45. Plink Plonk Plunk
    18th February 2010, 16:30

    It doesnt help that ever since Bernie took USF1’s entrance money he immediately turned around and started slagging them off saying they wont make it.

    If you were looking to invest MILLIONS of dollars in something and the head of it’s management said that, would you put a dime into the company?

    I’m not saying it’s Bernie’s fault that USF1 is closing it’s doors but you ABSOLUTELY can blame him for not imbracing the teams he is supposed to have commerical rights and management over. I absolutely believe that Bernie’s remarks over the months have without a doubt cost USF1 (and Campos) sponsorship money.

    Too bad. After all the money they gave him/FIA they should have welcomned the new teams

    or

    if they felt from the very begining that they would fail they should have given the spot to someoneelse.

    At minimum USF1 & Campos lost $ due to FOM’s big mouth.

    1. PPP – totally agree.

    2. There was no entrance money.

      Though, I have to agree that it was weird that he questioned if they would be on the grid so early on.

    3. What the 5 new teams paid for entry to the FIA this year is mere pitance compared to what teams have paid and lost in previous years.

  46. this is why the massive entry bond should have never been dropped, it proved a team could stump up the cash for everything else.

  47. Well it’s a pity really.

    The shell of a car we saw on one of their video’s looked preeety cool and weren’t they meant to have a different type of gearbox.

    It would have been cool to see them.

    Oh well better luck next time… if there is one…..

  48. It would be a big shame if this would really be the end of their play.
    I think the best solution for them would be to have a “merger” of both the teams “Americas F1”, it could save face for Campos as well as for USF1 and the partners they did get into their bids.

    They could get some money from selling 1 entry to StepanGP, have 2 drivers from latin america (both bringing money, one of them supported by a whole country, the other with a great name and potential fan support).
    The Dallara car would at least be drivable and track ready, any fancy ideas and innovations from the US can be incorporated sometime in the future.
    North America gets at least famous one driver on the grid (and Japan not missing makes it a worldwide grid).

    That would be a pretty good solution making the best of this and presenting positives. It will probably not happen, though.

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      18th February 2010, 22:49

      I’m suspicious of the merger. I’m really quite against it if it’s a case of USF1 seeing Campos edge closer to securing a future and figuring that “Well, they’ll be on the grid, so let’s jump on their bandwagon and use them to have a presence on the grid”.

      1. You are against it? I don’t see your money in there. :-)

        1. Prisoner Monkeys
          19th February 2010, 0:27

          I’m against the idea of USF1 allying itself with Campos simply because Campos can make the grid and USF1 cannot. It would just be USF1 leeching off Campos. However, I now see that it is only really Hurley who is talking with Campos; Windsor and Anderson are not invovled.

          1. That’s a pretty silly argument PM. If there’s any truth in this thing, it’s up to Campos to decide whether such a merger can be beneficial – if it’s not, then hopefully they’ll be smart enough not to do it and if it is, than there’s no leeching.

  49. As an American I was very excited when the announcement was made for USF1…but after assinine statements from half-wit Windsor about how Danica Patrick or Kyle Busch could come into F1 and become F1 Champion in a couple of years…I knew a man who made statements like that (they were made for no other reason than to obtain a bunch of redneck fans from NASCAR) had no business running an F1 team. To hell with Windsor and his talking down to American F1 fans. Maybe he can field a team in NASCAR(Non Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks) or IRL (Idiot Racing League)

  50. Totally agree. A race in the states and a respectable USF1 entry would have been great first steps in building more of a US fan base.

    The one recurring theme of this thread that I disagree with is the idea that USF1’s failure to turn up this year will do irreparable damage to the image of F1 in the US.

    Remember – few Americans follow F1. Those who dont follow probably havent even heard that there was going to BE a USF1. Those who already followed will continue to, since they followed last year with no USF1 at all.

  51. Prisoner Monkeys
    18th February 2010, 22:54

    I seem to recall reading that USF1 were in the process of deveoping their own engine in-house. If that’s the case, it’s probably one of their biggest problems. They should have waited for a few years before the started on it, establish themselves as a team first before they began work on an engine of their own. If it was really so important to have their own engine, they could have purchased re-badging rights from Cosworth. An unnecessary expense, but certainly far less pricey than devloping their own straight off the bat.

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      18th February 2010, 23:50

      Actually, scratch that. It was the gearbox they were developing in-house, not the engine. Something was lost in translation.

  52. Interesting how people are bristling saying that USF1 is an All-American failure. It’s not, half the team aren’t Americans and one half of the driving force of the team (or braking force, as it turns out) is an Australian with a dream to run a F1 team.

    He couldn’t get one up and running in a sensible manner in a sensible way in Europe so he bounced across the pond to leech money out of the world’s biggest economy.

    I have heard it so often from clueless numpties that America has so much money sloshing around they don’t know what to do with it. The inference from that is that Americans are rubbish with money. Windsor is that kind of idiot.

    America is an amazingly competitive economy and the numbers were never there for USF1. Their whole operation was going to be vastly more expensive than they bargained for (leasing a plane big enough to carry their gear was going to bankrupt them in one hit) as was the challenge of building a new chassis and gearbox from scratch.

    Windsor is an opportunistic gob*****. Whenever he appears on Channel Ten here in Australia, I mute him because he talks such utter rubbish. Which is extraordinary for a man who travels with the F1 circus and gives reportage that is at odds with respected publications like Autosport.

    Which makes me think the teams won’t talk to him because he’s such a fool. How anyone thought a goose like this could get a respectable operation off the ground is anyone’s guess. Bernie knew he was off-beam and the reason I though he was off-beam is that he has the same motivation as Gillett – I want and I won’t stop until I get it. Money? Pah! Easy.

    So whether USF1’s staff are rejects or not, they’re all out of a job, a number of them having left good jobs in the first place, taken in by Windsor’s deranged skunkworks philosophy. This is why I am so hard on the guy, he has made many, many people’s lives very difficult on a personal, human level, to feed his own greed and ambition. These people just wanted to put food on the table and work in an F1 team.

    Windsor needs to man up and start typing some apologies to these people and, while he’s at it, explain to the Formula One community how he got this wrong. And not blame others, like he is probably already doing. Which we know he will, because if you’ve ever read anything written by him (presumptuous, molasses-like race reports) or listened to him on Speed/Channel Ten, you’ll know that Peter Windsor is always right.

    First rule in business: people will offer you all the money in the world because if they don’t have it, they don’t have to deliver it.

    1. I have to say, I’m not familiar with Windsor’s reporting and so have no real opinion on his personality, but your take on things is pretty convincing.

    2. “Windsor needs to man up and start typing some apologies to these people and, while he’s at it, explain to the Formula One community how he got this wrong.”

      I agree.

  53. According to Adam Cooper, the part of getting Lopez in at Campos, using his money to pay for the Dallarra car, is probaly signed. Now it is only a matter of days, before StepanGP takes over the USF1 entr?
    http://adamcooperf1.com/2010/02/18/will-lopezcampos-deal-be-confirmed-soon/

    1. Adam Cooper’s reporting is rubbish. “It is widely reported”…so? Why I haven’t heard it elsewhere then???

      Besides, that’s yesterday’s by-line.

      Autosport(who I trust a whole heck of a lot more) reports that Jose Carabonte, majority shareholder in Campos Meta 1 is set to buy out the whole works.

      And no mention of Chad Hurley. Seems Jose may have deep pockets. Ex-Force India team principal Colin Kolles and ex-Red Bull technical director Geoff Willis have been retained at least short-term to get the Dallara chassis in shape and get the cars to the grid. It is unclear at this time if Adrain Campos will have any ongoing role with the team.

      As I commented elsewhere on this blog, I wonder if Adrian Campos has a sore bum about now.

  54. @zerogee.

    Brilliant assessment of USF1 as fumbled away by Windsor/Anderson. My compliments.

    One reason I was deluded into thinking they had a chance is because of their early start AND the depressed economy. No one (would they?)would start a new business venture, in a less then prospering economy unless they had the financing behind them, right?

    When it came time to walk the walk, they had no one to walk to the bank with. So sad.

  55. For me the question seems to be, who will Bernie choose to enter the parade, USF1 or Stefan GP. USF1 refuse to say they have given up and if other sources have a hint of truth in them:

    “A message via Twitter though insisted that the project will not be stillborn: “The web server is down and is being repaired as this is written. We are not gone, as many have reported. More news soon.”

    So will they find another investor, will Bernie rescue them?

  56. Don’t be surprised if there are only 20 cars in 2011

    1. Plink Plonk Plunk
      20th February 2010, 3:29

      I wonder if the FIA will adjust the points system for a 3rd time this off-season.

  57. @dsob

    Hurley has very deep pockets but as always, these people use other people’s money or in this case, he was meant to attract other people’s money. Was never going to work, because Hurley is not regarded as much of a business brain in the Valley. He’s a right time-right place sort of chap (and good luck to him, I’ll take a slice of that luck!) and even though he’s CEO of YouTube, it’s owned by Google, so Eric Schmidt is ultimately in charge.

    Hurley is indeed a very bright boy which is probably why he’s supposedly abandoned USF1.

    I notice Ken Anderson is quoted on the USF1 Facebook page as putting the responsibility on Bernie and the FIA.

  58. How things change. A few weeks ago everyone was saying that US F1 would make the grid and Campos would fail. Gone full circle.

  59. Oh dear…

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