Been hearing little bits here and there in the press about a new American team, with Chad Hurley keen to invest in F1 even after the debacle with USF1. Parris Mullins (who I know little about, anyone know more on him?) says they are looking at an established team rather than a start-up and they've had meetings with Bernie and other investors/big players.

To add to the intrigue, Luca has spoken of Ferrari branching out into a secondary team run by an American operation and seems keen to follow this idea up in the near future. From what I've seen there is no strong connection between Hurley/Mullins and Ferrari yet but is it a possibility? Would they buy an existing outfit such as Sauber? Are the Americans serious or is it all hot air?

After USF1 who knows what to believe. It's interesting though, they seem to definetly have Bernies ear.

Mullins worked at a Silicon Valley Ferrari dealership and the US is Ferrari's sing;e largest market. I think they are serious which is why they want to concentrate on an established team rather than starting from scratch. If they can get the money and find someone to buy is another story.

I've been hearing about this stuff too. I believe Parris Mullins is Chad Hurley's manager and basically his go-to guy.

I'd imagine them investing in Toro Rosso. I believe the team is still for sale, and has been for years, so that Dietrich Mateschitz can concentrate all of his focus, and $, on Red Bull Racing. It'd be perfect for the Yanks too, with Ferrari engines and the team being based at the old Minardi HQ in Faenza, Italy.

I can see Luca and Bernie 'making some phone calls', and we'll see a Ferrari B-team, but being run by the former Minardi/Toro Rosso boys.

I think your both on the money, seems they will grab an established team and turn it into a satellite Ferrari team. Would be a perfect scenario for both them (Hurley Mullins) and Luca M.

I'm guessing Torro Rosso or Sauber will be the teams they pick from.

Regarding Mullins...apart from being a close confidant/Manager of Hurley, was he seriously just a sales manager/rep at a Ferrari dealership originally?

Nice work, either way. I'll be keen to see where this goes....and I think Bernie is too.

I don't think that Americans are regarding F1 as a business or a good deal nowadays. Obviously everything is tweaked in a way to make money for Bernie's employer CVC. Neither new teams, new circuit owners nor new race promoters can expect to make anything but losses from F1.

Sure Luca gets a hard on when he thinks about a nouveau-riche Silicon Valley billionaire who would play the straw man for him and would pay on top of it. That must sound like the 72 virgins for the horse whisperer. In reality the team would very quickly get out of Luca's grasp when it starts to compete on the the international circuits. Ferrari could at maximum expect the team to do their bidding for three or four years until conflicts of interests would split the alliance.

An American team racing with Ferrari cars. That would be NART(North American Racing Team) again, and I can see it only as a great thing! They should paint cars with traditional USA racing colors. That would be darkish metallic blue, with with stripe going from front to rear. Two drivers from USA would make it intresting campaign in the states.