Windsor is speaking like he is a flag waving born and bred American whereas infact he is an Englishman born in Surrey so this fake nationalism and jingoism he is showing won't be taken seriously by Americans as it is exactly that, Fake

Because no one here much cares. I bet, if you could find a motorsports site with a large proportion of Indian and Malaysian members, alongside other folks predominantly from the same regions, you'd read a lot less about USF1, an all-Brit McLaren and a Mercedes German-powered return and a bit more about Force India and the new Lotus.


And to attempt to stay on topic: US will overwhelmingly likely be on the grid – I've seen nothing to change my opinion on that – and likewise, I've seen nothing to convince me that they're going to revolutionize F1 or that they're setting about the team start-up work in the cleverest ways. They're just one more new team that will either last a few seasons and fade away or build up into a viable contender. It's far to early to make a call either way on the final outcome.

Am I the only one that thinks the population of crow will go down once USF1 makes it to the grid? Better yet, not finish last on 1st race?

God to admit his language is beginning to sound a bit "odd" to me. A little unconvincing. Still, they should make to the grid, for me it's more of a question of for how long.

To me, that is the question.

The fact is tha here in the States the overwhelming majority know nothing and care nothing about F1. To position USF1 as using "all American drivers" was silly to begin with for the simple fact that drivers bring sponsorship dollars. How's an American driver supposed to bring sponsor dollars when Americans could care less about F1 (if Americans could care less than American sponsors could care less - follow the money). It's just not going to happen that way.

If USF1 is to survive they need to take whomever brings them the sponsor dollars to do so. And that didn't take them long to figure that out.

So what are you offering in this post then?



So far you have just attacked anyone questioning your statements. You offered to provide evidence that USF1 was behind schedule, lacking funds etc. (see quote above). We have not seen any evidence from you yet, in any format.

If you make an offer you should be prepared to deliver on it.

To me it seems like you are the one who wants an argument and without having to deal with the nuisance of providing facts for your statements.

Also, (thanks mainly to Peter Windsor, I think) USF1 has to an unusual degree presented itself as showing how things could or should be done. The last team to arrive like this was maybe BAR? Although Virgin has developed similar tendencies since becoming Virgin. But for some people there will, unfortunately, be anti-US feeling; on the other hand I can discuss the problems of Campos without being accused of hating Spaniards.

I sort of hope that the team is a success but without Windsor and without being a national team. That it gets on the grid (as I think it will) but with certain changes having to be made so that it becomes, say, Charlotte Racing.

Although few of us in th U.S. watch F1 there are a lot of US based companies that sponsor F1. It would be nice to see them back the USF1 effort when they get the chance.
From my experience PW and KA promising an American driver was outlandish considering how many problems the IRL has getting American drivers. If USF1 doesn't have an American driver in 3-5 years I will be disappointed. It would have been nice for them to hire Villeneuve who still has some star power in the States. I just think JV has been out of the game to long to be a good development driver like Wurz or Davidson.
I read this thread everyday and my impressions of the team fluctuate with good and bad news. I think the team is showing good progress towards the season i just wonder where is the money. I am hoping our "You Tube" founder with his Google money is keeping them going until a proper sponsor can be found, and won't waver for a year or two.

they do plan to hire US drivers but is not that simple.. Summerton is having issues getting a superlicense because he finished runner up in the Indy light series.. If both Jonathan and Rossi can land rides in gp2 or f2 next year, I have no doubt that they will race for usf1 in 2011..

Talking of superlicences, apparently Peter Winsor is trying to sort out Lopez's Superlicence. Technically Lopez does not qualify for a Superlicence at the moement as he does not fulfil any of the criteria. His previos testing experience has been mentioned, but the FIA state he needs to be a test driver in the previous year (2009). The FIA can grant a licence outside the usual requirements in exceptional circumstances (presumably as with Raikonnen in 2001 when he impressed mightily in pre-season testing), but does Lopez represent an exceptional situation?

Bringing 8 million in sponsorship money, vital to get the team on the grid, really sounds like an exceptional situation to me.

Even winning the Indy light series holds no value towards a superlicense, it's only the IRL results that count according to appendix L of the sporting code.

Only European and Asian lower formula count towards a superlicense.

you see what I mean.. The best US open wheel drivers still need an extra year in GP2 or WSR before F1.

There is also this option to qualify for a superlicence...

"be judged by the FIA to have consistently demonstrated
outstanding ability in single-seater formula cars, but with
no opportunity to qualify under any of c) to e) above. In this
case the F1 team concerned must show that the applicant
has driven at least 300 km in a current Formula One car
consistently at racing speeds, over a maximum period of 2
days, completed not more than 90 days prior to the application
and certifi ed by the ASN of the country in which the test took
place."

Presumably that's what Raikonnen got one under.

Another photo from USF1:

Those blokes can't know what they are doing. Look at how they are dressed, they don't even have uniforms....

Gonna be a lot of folks soiling their armor when USF1 proves they can hold their own against the new teams.

He is not an exceptional circumstance, but as was the case with KR he can gain a superlicense via pre-season testing, assuming of course that the team can make the tests and do enough mileage.

Yeah, the whole superlicense qualification still confuses me...

They should wear uniforms

For all we know Windsor dragged a load of guys in from the street and made them pose infront of pieces of equipment, these pictures prove nothing

Sometimes, life's too short...

Uniforms don't make the worker but you would think if they were really working on that part rather than just so someone could take a picture that the gloves would have been moved away from the part being worked on.
That being said most F1 companies use clean room practices when making their cars for a reason, perhaps this is just another one of USF1's novel new procedures to cut costs dont worry if dust or hairs or whatever contaminate your parts

Windsor hasn't said anything to make me want to support his team since their inception, it's just been a litany of complaints.

A clean room is not a requirement for that procedure.

I think he got the same guys they used to fake the moon landing. They didn't have uniforms either....

Your comments are amusing

But if they had worn uniforms you would have said that Windsor just put uniforms on some Hollywood actors he found outside....

If/when you see photos of their car at the tests or in Bahrain I guess you will also say that the team personell is just some people they found on the grandstands and that the car is just a imaginary car projected onto our TV screens?

Unless I have reason to believe otherwise, I take the photos for what they are . Photos showing work being done at the USF1 factory. Until we see the new teams at the first race I'm not going to say that they are going to make it but some of the negative (towards USF1) posters on here seem 100% certain that USF1 is not for real and will not make it to the grid. So certain that some of the statements will make them look rather foolish if USF1 makes it to the grid... As long as we are waiting for the first race I choose to be cautiously optimistic and take info and photos at face value and not say that I'm 100% sure they will or 100% sure they will not make it to the grid.

Seriously, theres some anal people here judging even the clothing of the workers? I'm sorry their "uniforms" are not up to spec with your snobby ass, but this is getting beyond ridiculous.

I suspect they WILL make the grid although very clear backmarkers along with Campos but everyone saying that all is rosy because some fat scruffy bloke with gloves on is seen to be doing some work is not convincing, he could be an engineer or he could be a case of Windsor saying "here is $50, pose for this pic please" to some random guy outside Starbucks

I am neither convinced nor unconvinced

As a recent Haymarket employee I strongly suspect Windsor reads this thread so he should know what the concerns are and address them

The current text is:

He's probably laughing too hard to reply to anything.

Really Mega, did PW do something to you in a past life, your disdain for him is puzzling

Who said everything is rosy because of that photo?

To be honest I think that if Windsor is reading your concerns he is probably laughing at the paranoia in them. You are obviously seeing this as a possible conspiracy by Windsor and Anderson. Where they, to make the conspiracy believable, sign an agreement with the local government in Spain to build their European base (and the building are actually being built), they refurbish the base in Charlotte, get lot's of equipment installed, show photos and videos of the base and tub etc. being made. Do you realise how many people will have to be involved and keep quiet about such a conspiracy?

Do you also believe that 9/11 was a plot by the US government and that all photos were manipulated?

Let me ask you a question: What will it take to believe that the photo and people in them are genuine? Is it the lack of uniform (as that is the one thing you have pointed out so far) that is your problem in making it seem believeable?

Stop being childlish. The team is in building process and you moan about ****ing uniforms..? Im glad they focused on important things rather than buying uniforms and pretending they are F1 team

Well when was the photo taken? And why was it published? Is it supposed to show something in particular?

I wouldn't take Mega's comments seriously.. he really hates Windsor.

Is your name Matt Bishop?

I think it's supposed to show that the team are busy working on composite components....

I'm not aware any particular reason that they published it, apart from maybe wanting to give some small updates.

The photo was published on USF1's official Facebook profile:

http://www.facebook.com/OfficialUSF1Team?ref=ss

They don't look as professional as Mclaren. Could you image Ron letting his staff coming to work, dressed as they want?

No car. No drivers. No serious senior technical staff. No sponsors.
What Peter Windsor is 'frustrated by' in this situation?
Right, mandatory shutdown in August.

Ah OK .

Seems a bit odd to be labelled 'busy day in the composite shop' with only 2 guys in a large almost empty room, but let's hope they're making something for the cars.

Maybe it's "Dress Down Friday"

for a mechanic it should be dress down everyday..

There's a TV camera and tripod at the back of shot...

Professional? Does that include knowingly receiving stolen documents or being excluded from the championship? Or lying to race stewards? Good thing they got those uniforms....

It's important to have your priorities right you know...

Without uniforms in their workshop, USF1 will of course be hopeless and should just as well give up immediately. Everyone over here in Europe knows that uniforms is the most vital part in setting up a new F1 organisation...

The other interesting thing is that a few days ago someone made a comment about the vanity of having a architect designed building at their European base and how the true European racing teams would have laughed at them for needing such a fancy building... (while completely forgetting about McLarens building). And now we have comments about how scruffy their employees look and not wearing uniforms...

I'm sure that if their European base had looked like a brick and the employees had all been Tom Cruise lookalikes in immaculate uniforms that would have been bad as well... If the USF1 car has four wheels and a steering wheel, I'm sure thats also wrong

It seems like no matter what the team does it's wrong in some peoples opinion, which makes me think it doesn't matter what they do since some people have decided that it's wrong no matter what.

I sincerely hope not too many Americans read some of the comments here, they must be falling over while laughing at the priorities that some of us Europeans seem to have.

No I was referring that the teams of the sixties would have laughed!

No doubt Team Joest, Team Schnitzer etc etc and other operations that run prebuilt cars are based in similar buildings.

you could be a lying and dishonest scumbag as long as you have a clean shaved face and wear team uniforms..

Here in Southern California, we wear flip flop to work, we shave once in awhile or whenever we feel like it. Uniforms are for janitors and door men.

Cheers!

And of course we all know how much Max likes uniforms....

I think we migh have discovered the secret of F1 here. The reason why no one outside the established world of F1 in Europe can ever hope to succeed in F1.

The TEAM UNIFORMS is the key ingredient to success in F1!!!!

I think someone should analyze the uniforms of the most successful teams. I'm sure that if any new team just manage to get their uniforms right, success and prosperity will be guaranteed.

Getting polarised and bitchy about McLaren isn't going to help perceptions of USF1. It was a joke comparison obviously, Ron's micromanagement is legendary and McLaren is a huge grandee team.

Uniforms is a non-issue, but the total lack of sponsor presence on clothing and anywhere else in these pr shots is an issue. As well as the many unmanned workstations in all the shots. They need two cars and spares in crates in 8 weeks, to race, or 2-6 weeks to test. They have to be a lot further along than they're showing, but the signs are they're showing everything they have, plus a bit more for effect.

Posters are equating uniforms with professionalism and using it as a basis for a team making the grid. That's a desperate reach. To me it's far more unprofessional to use stolen documents or intentionally mislead race stewards. I've been in several of the pro race shops in the US and can't recall anyone specific outside of the track setting wearing full uniforms. It's just not how things are done over here and I doubt the people commenting on it have been to any US race shops let alone been to the US. As for sponsor laden uniforms, I seem to recall one team did pretty well this year very plain uniforms.