U.S.-based Formula One team in the works, report says

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090204/FREE/902049991

I'm applying for a job!

Scott

me too! They will need some advertising and PR help to lure big name sponsors.

Let me guess: It's going to weight 4,250 pounds, it will have a twin-turbo Viper engine, the aero will be designed in a wind tunnel that is used for top-secret military fighters, and they're going to tease it until it's the meanest car in the field. F1, here we come!

SUPER-EDIT: I just read the article. I wasn't too far off!

Cool idea, but I don't see anything coming to fruition.

I suppose the rules ban a good ol' small block, huh?

We can ruin it right away and get Paul Gentillozi involved

I think its awesome and is a serious reality for next year.

Mosley is trying to implement a cost cap of $50million Euros for 2010, much less than even bottom teams have been spending recently.

Now with an in-season testing ban, you eliminate the need to travel to Europe for testing in between races and such.

maroon92, I'm with you!

the in season testing ban has been lifted....supposedly only for this season. it is supposed to be back in effect for 2010.

Wouldn't the logistics/transportation costs be significantly higher for a US-based team? Does F1 gather and ship en masse, or does each team do their own thing?

Yes it would cost a lot more and each team does its own thing about shipping. I would love for it to happen but I doubt it will. As far as testing, I don't see why they couldn't use Indy or Road Atlanta. Both of those tracks can be used by F1 cars. I really hope the cap on money spent or this stupid idea of spec engine doesn't happen. Mosley is trying to ruin F1 and he can go f*#k himself.

They need a team doc or database guy? I'm in.

A bigger problem with having an F1 team outside the UK is that a lot of the really talented F1 folks are in the UK and don't want to move. Toyota reportedly had all kinds of recruiting problems getting people to move to Cologne.

confuZion3 wrote:

billy3esq wrote: A bigger problem with having an F1 team outside the UK is that a lot of the really talented F1 folks are in the UK and don't want to move. Toyota reportedly had all kinds of recruiting problems getting people to move to Cologne.

Thats not true. Central and south America have talent too. Look at what juan pablo montoya did in his career. Maybe he'd come back if we offered him a ride?

I'm not talking about drivers. I'm talking about designers, engineers, mechanics, and aerodynamicists, who need to live where the team is based.

Dr. Hess wrote: They need a team doc or database guy? I'm in.

I call team car oogler! They're so beautiful!

Honda and many others couldn't crack the F1 nut, but it's going to happen in the U.S. ? A place that can't even host a race is going to build a F1 team with economy in the dumps the way it is? Can you hear the doubt pouring off my keyboard? I would like to see it, but the logistics are too much for it to become reality. Sometimes I am wrong, and with a little luck, I will be this time. If it does happen, I am lucky enough to live in Kannapolis. We got it all here stock cars, sports cars, drag racers, Indy cars, and maybe an F1 team. No reason to ever live anywhere else.

I'm confused. Is this "team" going to compete in actual F1 or are they forming an American F1 series???

The article talks about one team building one car, which makes me think it's for the existing F1 series.

???

billy3esq wrote:

confuZion3 wrote:

billy3esq wrote: A bigger problem with having an F1 team outside the UK is that a lot of the really talented F1 folks are in the UK and don't want to move. Toyota reportedly had all kinds of recruiting problems getting people to move to Cologne.

Thats not true. Central and south America have talent too. Look at what juan pablo montoya did in his career. Maybe he'd come back if we offered him a ride?

I'm not talking about drivers. I'm talking about designers, engineers, mechanics, and aerodynamicists, who need to live where the team is based.

I know one soon to be engineer who would love to be in on this project (aka me). I think there is plenty of engineering talent here in the U.S. between both in aerodynamics and race cars. Let's face it if you can make a Car of Tomorrow handle you can make anything handle and plus look at the huge numbers of Formula SAE cars turning up at competition there are plenty of race engineers in training.

96DXCivic wrote: Yes it would cost a lot more and each team does its own thing about shipping. I would love for it to happen but I doubt it will. As far as testing, I don't see why they couldn't use Indy or Road Atlanta. Both of those tracks can be used by F1 cars. I really hope the cap on money spent or this stupid idea of spec engine doesn't happen. Mosley is trying to ruin F1 and he can go f*#k himself.

No cost cap, eh? How do you propose they cut costs without turning it into a spec series?

I'm all for a cost cap, give rules to govern say, tires, size of the vehicle and aerodynamics and let the rest be up to the team.

Want to run a 1.5L 4 banger on eleventy billion pounds of boost, fine. 8.0L W20, fine. But you only have XXXX to spend on development/testing/travel etc.

Do brake hoses count in the budget, or is that safety equipment? How about if you sell off used parts, can that money go back into the budget up to a certain percentage?

96DXCivic wrote: I know one soon to be engineer who would love to be in on this project (aka me). I think there is plenty of engineering talent here in the U.S. between both in aerodynamics and race cars. Let's face it if you can make a Car of Tomorrow handle you can make anything handle and plus look at the huge numbers of Formula SAE cars turning up at competition there are plenty of race engineers in training.

Any comparison between F1 and Nascar is like comparing Chuck Norris with Bob Costas

Who's Bob Costas, or is that what's supposed to make that funny?

Unfortunately, most people calling themselves race fans in the US mean NASCAR. Most of them dislike open wheel or prototype series because the cars don't resemble the ones they can buy. As if a Nextel Cup car does.....I wanna shake 'em and say, "It's DECALS, people. The bodies are all the same."

Too bad because there's talented drivers in NASCAR wasting their talent going roundy-roundy-round. The schedule is so all-encompassing, drivers can't run multiple series and disciplines like Gurney, Foyt and Andretti did. Even Bobby Unser has a Formula 1 start or two under his belt.

Most Nascar fans that I know have no delusions that the cars racing are anything like the cars they pretend to look like. Most of my friends like the close racing and the lack of criminals and self important asshats that other sports seem to adore. They schedule has always been what it is which is why guys like Gurney, Foyt ect were able to try stock cars now and then but few stock car guys tried anything else.

Maybe there is something to that nascrap thing. Guys like the Gordons(Robbie and Jeff), Tony Stewart, the late Tim Richmond, to name a few, all ditched open wheelers to become circle jerks. And BTW, an awful lot of circle guys became pretty damn good road racers in the process.

96DXCivic wrote: I know one soon to be engineer who would love to be in on this project (aka me). I think there is plenty of engineering talent here in the U.S. between both in aerodynamics and race cars. Let's face it if you can make a Car of Tomorrow handle you can make anything handle and plus look at the huge numbers of Formula SAE cars turning up at competition there are plenty of race engineers in training.

The Formula SAE team at my college was crap. And from what I've seen at events I have to say there aren't many free thinkers out there. Re-hashing the same old design is kind of lame from an engineering standpoint. Not to mention a total lack of the single most important aspect of F1, aerodynamics. Make all the suspension and power you want but aerodynamics are the single definitive quality of a winning F1 team. I don't mean to offend a fellow EIT, but really the mechanical stuff is pretty freakin' simple in comparison to the aerodynamics. Sadly COT doesn't help our case either. It's actually worse now, since the rules have pretty much made aerodynamic developments illegal. And there are so many suspension and chassis rules that NASCAR has finally returned to what it used to be, pre-made cars with simple altered suspension and driveline setups not designs.