USF1 Team Stalls in Making 2010 Formula 1 Debut: Team Execs Deny Complete Closure

About two months ago, the trials and tribulations of the USF1 Team were beginning to show steps moving in the right direction. Announcing Argentinian driver Jose Maria Lopez late in January, the USF1 Team was also securing strategic corporate partnerships in building their first car inside the Charlotte, North Carolina headquarters. Since that time, there had been many warning signs indicating the inability for the USF1 Team to make the grid for the 2010 Formula 1 season opening Bahrain Grand Prix. Today (Tuesday March 2nd), the most transparent occurrence to the American race team shuttering resulted as the USF1 Team's only driver Jose Maria Lopez has been released from his contract.

While speculation existed since December on the USF1 Team's preparedness to ready their entry for 2010, team representative were refuting those claims officially. According to one media outlet, it was rumoured that the upstart Formula 1 team has yet to take delivery of their spec Cosworth engines and Xtrac gearboxes leaving their competition car incomplete. Through the USF1 team's official website, the new auto racing organization were making every attempt to show that progress was definitely being made on developing the race vehicle. Photos illustrated the team's manufacturing capacity as well as video relating to the design of vehicle aspects including the front nose section and the electrical wiring.

Despite this preparation, signs of USF1's troubles became apparent as there has yet been a sighting of the Formula 1 car. At the beginning of this year, the team tipped off an anxious crowd of American motorsport followers with a planned test of a completed vehicle on North American soil. Once scheduling a shakedown of their USF1 car at Barber Motorsport Park in early February, the month past without a single lap performed by the team.

Pledging that the USF1 Team still has life, co-team principal Ken Anderson has been insistent on mentioning that the USF1 Team organization has not folded. In fact, Anderson speaks positively about competing in the 2011 Formula 1 tour. However, these plans might depend on an investigation by the Formula 1 sanctioning body, the FIA. In recent weeks, FIA president Jean Todt has corrected a misquote that left the impression that the FIA would excuse the USF1 Team from missing the first events of the season. In fact, USF1 could face penalties for breaching the Concorde Agreement (in a nut shell, a contract that grants missive financial considerations to teams and governs the team's business within the sport).

Confirmed: Jose Maria Lopez Becomes 2010 US F1 Driver

A long-waited announcement finally named Jose Maria Lopez as the team's first driver. "Securing 'Pechito' Lopez for our debut season has been a goal of ours for a long time," Peter Windsor commented saying that Lopez's career was followed since his success in the Renault V6 championship.

In Argentina, team principal Peter Windsor and the new Formula 1 driver held their official press conference in Buenos Aires' Government House. With government sports funding mentioned as being a part of Lopez's ride with the Formula 1team, the Argentina president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was on hand to express support for what she mentioned as "...this exciting new project...". Understandably, Lopez's funding has been marked with some displeasure from individuals questioning the use of government money for motorsport sponsorship. In reality, this is no different than the support received for national Olympic teams or when planners for sport facilities ask for several hundred millions to build stadiums.

Being the last team to officially declare their first of two drivers for 2010, US F1 has yet to indicate who will be the second F1 pilot. "You can nail every step along the way but if you don't have the right guys in the seats, everything else is for naught" were the words of co-team principal Ken Anderson as he strongly believes Jose Maria Lopez was the step in the right direction.

To the credit of the US F1 team, they certainly know how to build suspense as they prepare for their 2010 debut year in Formula 1.

Formula 1 One 2010: The Final Pieces

Photo Credit: Mercedes GP


With under 46 days remaining before the start lights illuminate for the Bahrain Grand Prix, some Formula 1 teams are more prepared for the start of the 2010 season than others. Two veteran F1 teams with full driver lineups for the upcoming season (Ferrari and McLaren), are set to take the wraps off new cars later this week in press unveilings.

BMW Sauber, having named Pedro De La Rosa to join Japanese driver Kamui Kobayashi this past week, are due to introduce their competition vehicle next Sunday. As BMW sold their stake of the team back to original owner Peter Sauber, expect the German auto company's name to be stricken from the team's banner as the 2010 cars are planned to run customer Ferrari engines. Sauber's ceremony will take place in Valencia, Spain in coexistence with the Renault F1 team without the lavish displays once the norm for Formula 1 car unveilings. Renault F1 continues to possess one of the few vacancies left for the established Formula 1 teams alongside Robert Kubica, ironically the former driver of the BMW Sauber team. Two more teams, Williams F1 and the high-profile Mercedes GP, are slated to show off their race cars one day after in the same Spanish locale. Red Bull Racing, Force India and Lotus are scheduled to show their team colours later in the month of February.

The US F1 Team, a 2010 Formula 1 start up once questioned for whether they'll even have a car ready for the March Bahrain debut, has publicized the headway they've been making through the past month. This week, one of the biggest announcements for the American Formula 1 team is set, some media outlets jumping to name the US F1 Team's first driver ahead of an impending announcement planned for Monday January 25th. Argentinian Jose Maria Lopez, a driver who has been associated with the US F1 Team since early December, is likely to be tabbed as the freshman F1 organization's first driver hiring in a press conference in his South American homeland. Lopez credentials include two seasons of GP2 and a test role with the Renault F1 team in 2006.


2010 Formula 1 Grid (As of January 25th)

McLaren F1
1. Jenson Button
2. Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes GP
3. Michael Schumacher
4. Nico Rosberg

Red Bull Racing
5. Sebestian Vettal
6. Mark Webber

Ferrari
7. Felipe Massa
8. Fernando Alonso

Williams
9. Rubens Barrichello
10. Nico Hulkenberg

Renault F1
11. Robert Kubica
12. TBD

Force India
13. Adrian Sutil
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi

Toro Rosso
15. Sebestian Buemi
16. Jaime Alguersuari

Lotus
17. Jarno Trulli
18. Heikki Kovalainen

Campos Meta
19. Bruno Senna
20. TRD

Virgin Racing
21. Timo Glock
22. Lucas di Grassi

US F1 Team
23. *Jose Maria Lopez* (Pending January 25th Announcement)
24. TRD

Despite Stemming Rumours, US F1 Team is a Go!

As 2010 rolled in, the US F1 Team (helmed by Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor) is busily working to reassure the F1 world that the upstart team has made it past new year's festivities. Co-Team Principal of US F1 Peter Windsor reaffirmed that the gears are certainly in motion for their freshman debut at the Grand Prix of Bahrain.

Windsor, in an interview with Formula1.com as well as through recent updates on the US F1 Team's now upgraded site, has dispelled rumours that his team would not be ready for the start of the F1 season in March. He addresses the allegations of "ludicrous" and offers a detailed account for US F1's short run to prep for the 2010 Formula 1 tour. Having been the colour TV commentator for Formula 1 for the Speed channel, Peter Windsor appears to be expressing his altered view of the media as a Team Principal by quipping in a blog entry "Such are the demands of modern media, however, that every passing minute is another step into history - if you’re not saying something, you’re not doing anything."

With still little information indicated about the team's livery and driver, the USF1 Team has made their first significant move early next month. At the Barber Motorsport Park located in Birmingham, Alabama, the team plans to test their race car for the very first time. As the US F1 car prepared to lap the 2.3 mile road course, the question of who will be driving the competition cars remains. The only Formula 1 team destined for the 2010 grid yet to officially name a driver, Jose Maria Lopez continues to be mentioned for one of the two spots. However, with Lopez's hiring speculated to be based greatly on a multi-million dollar sponsorship the Argentinian is reportedly bringing to US F1, Peter Windsor is quoted in saying in response to this rumour "There is no way that we would sign a driver unless we felt confident that he could do an excellent job." Windsor added that a driver lineup will be announced in short time as the US F1 Team prepares for testing in Europe in February.

As presented earlier in this posting, the US F1 website is now completely operational providing a full accounting to the team's corporate partnerships as well as their relationship with Chad Hurley, the co-founder of YouTube. Hurley role in the US F1 Team appears to revolve around sponsorship as well as enhancing public relations with Formula 1's only North American-based team.

With their first race car built, the Charlotte-based US F1 Team is clearly on the course for joining the 2010 Formula 1 field.

Where is the Exhaust Notes for the US F1 racing team?

On the team's official website, the US F1 Team proclaims "America's Formula One Team... On Track in 2010!". However, judging by the amount of information provided into the media, these words have yet to be verified. As committed as the other 3 new teams to the Formula 1 grid for 2010, the US F1 Team appears to be starting later into the session for planning their upcoming grand prix season. Headed by Speed channel F1 journalist/reporter Peter Windsor and a former NASCAR director Ken Anderson, we're assuming that one of the newest Formula 1 racing teams is being assembled behind closed doors.

The US F1 team remains the only team yet to officially declare even one of their drivers for their maiden voyage in 2010. Initially stating intentions of running American drivers (early wild speculation mentioned Danica Patrick and AJ Allmendinger received team courtship), the US F1 Team principal Peter Windsor has said the team will be looking more outside of their country's home base for the driver lineup. 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve and recently long-time F1 racer Alexander Wurz have been linked to the US F1 operations. Argentinian Jose Maria Lopez was reported as being the team's first addition to the US F1 driver roster in late November, but the former Renault F1 test driver's deal is contingent on securing sponsorship (allegedly totaling 8 million dollars).

Though the driver lineup is unsettled as 2009 comes near an end, this situation is not new to Formula 1. While recently F1 teams have been solidifying plans prior to the new year, previous off-seasons had often left spots vacant until late January. As engines supplier were once a massive news-making decision, the new Cosworth spec engine took one major decision out of the typical Formula 1 team building. In other race car-related news, US F1 Team announced the fabricators for their Formula 1 racing machine will be handled by the Advanced Composites Group. "The team faces a tremendous challenge to design and produce the first American-based Formula One car in more than 40 years, and ACG's composites expertise will be critical for us to meet our goals and expectations in 2010 and beyond." co-team principal Ken Anderson was quoted in a recent release.

With FIA approval, efforts of the US F1 Team remains earnest to their inclusion within the 2010 grand prix field.