Alexander Wurz still considering US F1 drive:

http://www.f1times.co.uk/wurz-still-intere...-seat-1427.html

Interesting to read his reasons for considering US F1:



According to the full article:

http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/news/20...t_09121711.html

Windsor wanted Wurz to drive for US F1 and he had an offer from them, but when Wurz's wife asked him what he would think if Peugeot came first, second and third at Le Mans and he was in Canada (F1 race at the same date as Le Mans). Wurz had then called Windsor and said he was going to sign for Peugeot. Wurz also said that US F1 even had offered to have a reserve driver that could drive in Canada so that Wurz could do Le Mans. Wurz would not be a pay driver but would expect to get paid to drive for US F1.

[link]

I posted some important news regarding JM López in the Silly Season thread: he's 99% into the team for 2010. Budget completed.

EDIT: nice to see Alex Wurz could finally race with USF1. His technical backup should be very important to a new team like this.

So is Wurz going to be announced along with Lopez or has he not signed yet.

BTW, USF1 should sign Robert Wickens as the reserve driver. So a Canadian would drive in the Canadian GP. (As Wurz will be in Le Mans)

There's no indication that they will announce their two race drivers together. The plan in the first place was to announce López in Buenos Aires when the deal was done, which, according to the Argentine press will take place next week, but with Christmas so close I guess they could do it right after the 25th, although that's just my thought. And Wurz is far from being confirmed, he ruled himself out many weeks ago, but apparently he ruled himself in the last days. If he's going to be a paid driver and USF1 has their budget more or less secured, I guess he could be announced soon too, that's if the team is still interested in him, which seems to be the case.
Oh, it has been confirmed too that the negotiations to bring a WSR car to Argentina failed due to lack of time, so López will test a F3 Codasur car after Christmas in Termas and will test the WSR car in January in Spain, though it hasn't been revealed how many days of testing he will have.

The team faces a tremendous challenge to design and produce the first American-based Formula One car

Well if Anderson says that in a press release, it must be true. It's a tremendous challenge, because they are behind shedule by months.

I have an avatar bet with someone about USF1 making the grid next year. I always thought they were the most serious entry of the new teams. I don't understand the ideas to the contrary.. or why some people want USF1 to fail. I don't know if they will make it or not, but I think there's a good chance.

The only problem is.. it was in one of those bloody Max Mosley topics where we agreed to the bet. I can't even remember who it was. Please don't make me wade through those pages and pages of Max Mosley discussions to find it.

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?show...p;#entry3716732

Thanks.

You shouldn't have talked so soon Repco... Moriatis takes title

And Corsa confirms López will sign the deal with USF1 next week just before Christmas or in the three days following Christmas. López's sponsors already sent their logos to USF1 to design the livery of the car. ACCORDING TO CORSA USF1'S FIRTS CHASSIS IS READY, AND THEY ARE FINISHING WITH THE ADAPTATION OF THE COSWORTH ENGINE WITH A MODEL SENT BY COSWORTH.

Sorry for the capital letters but this is very important news considering all the rumours about the team not racing next year. With López signing and this confirmation about the first car being almost ready from a reliable source like Corsa which has deep contacts with USF1, the chances to actually see USF1 next year on the grid are very high.
I t was also confirmed that López will test on 28th and 29th December at Termas de Río Hondo with an F3 car by Césario Formula, with the probable presence of a few people from USF1 on the track.

I don't suspect we will see pictures until testing in January.

There's no reason, given the way cars are developed now with CFD, that we *should* see a car "now". Or the production of it.

The ultimately cost effective way for them to work as a start up is to cut it very close schedule wise. There's no reason to put CF workers, machinists, mechanics on the payroll until the car is ready to be built. Which could literally, given be a few weeks before a test.

Because, it's not like they're going to have the money/resources to just knock something out NOW, test it in January, then decide "hey, we need to start over" afterwords.

Building the car itself takes how long? I think this is where the resources in Charlotte may surprise the rest of the planet. They should be able to hire enough experienced people *just at the right time* to put the thing together. Given that they're probably going to start by copying an existing chassis a good bit, and not building engines, means that in reality if they're going to compete in an F1 season, they *should* have to be able to complete a car in just 2 weeks anyhow.

In theory.

I don't see any pictures of any other teams 2010 work?

No car at testing in January = no USF1, though. Until then this is pointless.

You don't show the gold to your rivals, teams are very cautios when showing their work in the pre-season.

There's no testing until February. As I've said in an earlier post, if they have no car at the team launch, then they're in trouble.

Why?

They need a car at the first race, but ideally they would show up at some of the scheduled tests (to test and set up the car before the racing season). The common launch seems to hang in the balance as well, and I believe Lotus have already indicated that they won't have a car ready at the planned common launch date.

Strongly disagree. Flying a car out to a European launch cuts at least a week from the time they should be spending getting ready to test. Makes far more sense to do a launch at the factory, or maybe even at Windshear. More exposure, they get to show off the facilities. You piss off some of the European journalists, but they all have it in for them anyway.

Actually, this is a fair point. As you said most European journalists are already doubtful at US F1. So just show the cars to the American Press. (or those that give a **** about F1 in the US.)

Excellent idea. I hope Peter is reading.

"Let them eat cake"

The proposed launch is just before the first tests. If they launch in the US, they will still have to ship the cars to Spain for the first test, and lose at least a day.

Obviously, it is irrelevant since they have as much chance of having a car to actually test as MyF1Dream.com.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/for...icle6964463.ece

Bernie: "Even though I just signed a dream deal with Rome. I haven't been in the news for awhile. So I speculate, someone is bound to post in on the internet."

<----- Bernie Laughing

You mean the same guy who said Adolf Hitler was a man who could “get things done”?

In less than 8 hrs cars and equipment can be flown cargo to Europe. It takes less time to fly cargo to Spain from the US than it does to drive it down from England.

It's not the travel time (although you're leaving out customs clearance time), it's getting the cars "show ready", then actually showing them over however long this event is supposed to be. You can show up to test in a bare carbon car, but that's not how you'd want it to look at a launch next to McLaren.

No ones even certain that this Valencia Koom by ya Launch is going to happen. And yet you're arguing over it

This off-season just started and it's going to be a loooong one.

USF1 is building a car, with photographic evidence!!!

http://racingwire.info/

So, minus Campos and USF1, but plus Stefan GP, presumably.

Don't forget, Eccestone also predicted Jenson Button would stay at Brawn/Mercedes twenty-four hours before he joined McLaren ...

Excellent article by Gorman. I particularly love the way he decribes the proposed race in Rome as taking the cars close to the Vatican - in a straight line, it's over seven kilometres from St. Peter's Basilica to EUR. Call me pedantic, but to me "taking the cars close to the Vatican" means that spectators and television audiences will clearly be able to see the Holy See during the race.

Uhmmm...

Looks like a boat to me

Obviously you have never seen an F1 car!!! It looks really long to me anybody else have that sense? Maybe it is the angle?

It looks quite a radical design, but maybe it's just the photo. I really hope for their sake that they are further along than this otherwise they'll be adding the paint to the car by the time the F1 circus leaves for Singapore in late September.

Even though I hate Bernie, he usually has the inside scoop on all things F1. If he is saying USF1 is not making the grid, then they probably won't....

I don't know if this means anything, but here's a report and pic of the first chassis: http://racingwire.info/index.php/formula-one

It does look long.. but I guess it's normal. Next years cars need to be longer to balance out that added fuel with ballast in the front.

As for the USF1 situation and them making the grid or not, I can't see why Bernie would give them bad press for no reason.. well.. actually there possibly have been some frictions, if you remember Bernie having a problem with the name of the team, and of course USF1 joined FOTA quite early, but apart from that??

Funny that right after Ecclestone says USF1 won't make it to the grid, a picture shows up of their first chassis. The other thing is if they didn't think USF1 and Campos F1 wouldn't make it to the grid why did they get the slots? Ecclestone is such an idiot but he does give fans a lot of stuff to talk about.

It is just a monocoque. That is a lot of work to do for them.

Have there been pictures of the other new teams monocoque's or a completed car yet? I don't remember seeing any, I've seen a wind tunnel model of the Lotus but have we seen anything of the actual race cars yet?

and Manor does not even have a windtunnel to test on.

Is that a Cosworth bolted behind the monocoque?

Campos.

Windsor:Read: "we ran out of money and we're frantically looking for a pay driver"

Windsor: Bull. If I told my boss I had no planned due date for a project I'm working on, she would cuss me out. Are USF1 a serious business or is Windsor trying to fool us to think all is well.

I think this team has next to no chance of making the grid.

There are too many elements missing.

I think Winsor's credibility will be sunk if this fails.

and there's me thinking Windsor's lack of credibility was a problem from the beginning..

Not even a part laid out for display, huh? Where is the rest of the factory?

Don't worry, USF1 was initially selected by the FIA over the likes of Lola and others... and the FIA selection process was ruled to be tighter than a duck's ass..

The team doesnt stand a chance. I sincerely hope for their, and their apologists sake that that photo was taken months ago. If thats all they have to show then its not good.


I wouldnt be suprised if thats a remnant of Andersons old Indy car program anyway. The Data boxes in the background look early 2000's/ Late 90's.


Stick a fork in them. Theyre done.

Oh come on now, making it to the grid ain't that hard. If Life and Forti Corse can do it, anyone can.

Now designing a competitive car, that's a different matter

Details of Lotus car from November here http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/ca...-production.htm

Brightened up USF1 pic. Car does look very minimal in design and cockpit is very low although padded surround is missing.

Weird, no sooner had I posted my thoughts on USF1 than Autosport posts a story with Mr W denying it.

It is not even a monocoque. It is just a mockup

Also at Race Car Engineering there's this piece from December 18th:

I guess we'll learn more soon.