Loeb, USF1, confirm contact
Posted by micky-cannonball
Ultra-successful world rally driver Sebastien Loeb has reportedly made an approach to the new-for-2010 USF1 team.
"Somebody representing Loeb called us but I won't give details of the conversation," sporting director Peter Windsor is quoted as telling the French sports daily L'Equipe.
Ever since Loeb, 35, tested Red Bull's F1 car over the winter, his rising interest in a more serious foray has been rumoured, including recently putting his name forward as Sebastien Bourdais' Toro Rosso replacement.
Windsor added: "He is an incredible talent and he would definitely make things interesting in F1. We are looking more on the American side but are going to take him seriously."
Loeb also confirmed the USF1 approach to L'Equipe.
"I wanted to know if a team was really interested in me for F1. Someone contacted this new team but I don't know what happened.
"I am enjoying myself in the WRC and am on the verge of extending my contract with Citroen. But if I get the opportunity to do a couple of races in 2010 when the calendars don't clash then why not?"
Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International
@topic
Not bad, i saw loeb how he performans during test day both at renault/redbull. never underestimate one's ability
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2009 08:33AM by micky-cannonball.
"Somebody representing Loeb called us but I won't give details of the conversation," sporting director Peter Windsor is quoted as telling the French sports daily L'Equipe.
Ever since Loeb, 35, tested Red Bull's F1 car over the winter, his rising interest in a more serious foray has been rumoured, including recently putting his name forward as Sebastien Bourdais' Toro Rosso replacement.
Windsor added: "He is an incredible talent and he would definitely make things interesting in F1. We are looking more on the American side but are going to take him seriously."
Loeb also confirmed the USF1 approach to L'Equipe.
"I wanted to know if a team was really interested in me for F1. Someone contacted this new team but I don't know what happened.
"I am enjoying myself in the WRC and am on the verge of extending my contract with Citroen. But if I get the opportunity to do a couple of races in 2010 when the calendars don't clash then why not?"
Source: GMM
© CAPSIS International
@topic
Not bad, i saw loeb how he performans during test day both at renault/redbull. never underestimate one's ability
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2009 08:33AM by micky-cannonball.
As much as it would be awesome I reckon with USF1 it wouldn't go. I reckon they will go for an experienced driver alongside say Marco Andretti?
A great idea though, would certainly get European attention but I doubt the yanks even have a clue who he is
!
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
A great idea though, would certainly get European attention but I doubt the yanks even have a clue who he is
!"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
He's not great no, but he's apparently interested, had testing experience, and of the drivers available/interested I reckon he's a good choice for a year or two.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
But your not American 
In the field of the American drivers, the only other likley candidates are Ryan Hunter-Raey and Graham Rahal. Danica has basically said no, thankgod. And the rest are not American. Helio would be a good choice, Kanaan and maybe Junqueira. But other than that what American drivers are available to fit the role?
Rossi, Summerton?
The rest just dont seem interested, its only F1 afterall.
IMO, Rahal and Andretti are probably the only one wanting to go, the rest are probably not bothered.
edit - If if were my choice, id try as hard as humanly possible to get AJ Allmendinger and Will Power/Hunter-Raey in the car.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2009 03:40PM by chet.
In the field of the American drivers, the only other likley candidates are Ryan Hunter-Raey and Graham Rahal. Danica has basically said no, thankgod. And the rest are not American. Helio would be a good choice, Kanaan and maybe Junqueira. But other than that what American drivers are available to fit the role?
Rossi, Summerton?
The rest just dont seem interested, its only F1 afterall.
IMO, Rahal and Andretti are probably the only one wanting to go, the rest are probably not bothered.
edit - If if were my choice, id try as hard as humanly possible to get AJ Allmendinger and Will Power/Hunter-Raey in the car.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2009 03:40PM by chet.
I will openly admit that I know very little about American racing, but how about someone like Dixon or Briscoe? They are both very well known in America, and are also have a good level of motorsport experience. Briscoe also has a lot of F1 testing experience with Jordan about 5 years ago.
X (@ed24f1)
X (@ed24f1)
DaveEllis Wrote:
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> In the field of the American drivers, the only
> other likley candidates are Ryan Hunter-Raey and
> Graham Rahal.
>
> Neither of which are suitable.
So will they abort the idea of an American lineup? Who do you think is suitable?
> At the end of the day, when they have the choice
> of being competitive, or looking like idiots, they
> will chose be competitive. Badoer is a wake up
> call for anyone considering putting a poor driver
> into any car right now.
Well we will find out wont we. I think Luca is an unfair comparison for anyone. The guy has hardly been in a racing situation for a long time.
I'd like to believe USF1 would decide logic over being patriotic... I'd like to believe they will make it to the grid.
> Good luck getting Will Power with a fractured
> spine into any sort of racing car btw.
Eeek didnt realize it was so bad!
!
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
-------------------------------------------------------
> In the field of the American drivers, the only
> other likley candidates are Ryan Hunter-Raey and
> Graham Rahal.
>
> Neither of which are suitable.
So will they abort the idea of an American lineup? Who do you think is suitable?
> At the end of the day, when they have the choice
> of being competitive, or looking like idiots, they
> will chose be competitive. Badoer is a wake up
> call for anyone considering putting a poor driver
> into any car right now.
Well we will find out wont we. I think Luca is an unfair comparison for anyone. The guy has hardly been in a racing situation for a long time.
I'd like to believe USF1 would decide logic over being patriotic... I'd like to believe they will make it to the grid.
> Good luck getting Will Power with a fractured
> spine into any sort of racing car btw.
Eeek didnt realize it was so bad!
!"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
*American steps into the room.....
Thanks for the heart attack there TS, nice misleading title that is.
Honestly Dave, there isn't any way that USF1 will NOT have an American driver on the grid in 2010. But, I do think that they will likely not have the original hoped for all american lineup. They seem to be VERY adamant about having one American on the grid. Now, who that could be no one seems to know. Who would be better in your opinion Dave?
The main problem is that all the guys who would've been worth a darn are already tied up in other things and with no way out. the business is two sided, and an IRL Car owner isn't going to let their driver go to F1 quite so easy.
Briscoe (He may not be an American, but he does have experience and I do think he has quite improved since his last foray into F1) is in a interesting position. Really, it depends on Will Power IMO. I think that if he makes it back for next year (Which I would hope for either way) Mr. Penske has another 2.5 Car team again, when he could just as easily have a solid 2 Car team and save money. (Not that he really needs to though). He could quite possibly be a good option should they not find an American driver.
AJ (Who would be awesome to have, though he seems to adapt quite slowly to the cars, but once he does, he's lightning) is already committed to NASCAR, ruled out a long time ago.
Marco, well.... Yea, an Andretti on the grid would be something, I don't think it'd happen. Over the past few years in the IRL something with him has just taken a step back (Could blame it on the equipment, BUT, Well, obviously if he cant win in the IRL with subpar equipment he probably shouldnt be in F1) Marco is just a name, heck, put Alex Gurney in there then if you want just a name
Rahal fits what they are looking for and could quite possibly be their choice (Given that AJ is a defo No, My choice IMHO.) I'm not sure of his contract situation, but I would think that if USF1 wants him that they could get him quite easily.
Summerton is probably the most likely given the fact that he would be the easiest to get a hold of and he is quite skilled - I wouldn't be shocked either way.
Rossi fits into the same position as Summerton.
Hunter-Reay is probably the last ditch option. Hopes were high for him when he originally broke into the major Open wheel scene here, but he's really never delivered on the hype. Again though, he's been in sub par equipment for far to long.
I really do feel that there is no way an American isn't driving for this team next year. Windsor has been constantly whining about the lack of American drivers for far to long to not have one. I think it's going to be between Rahal - Summerton - Rossi in all likelyhood, and not a single one of them are a bad choice. All 3 of them have great potential, just give them the chance.
The Flanker is gone.
Thanks for the heart attack there TS, nice misleading title that is.
Honestly Dave, there isn't any way that USF1 will NOT have an American driver on the grid in 2010. But, I do think that they will likely not have the original hoped for all american lineup. They seem to be VERY adamant about having one American on the grid. Now, who that could be no one seems to know. Who would be better in your opinion Dave?
The main problem is that all the guys who would've been worth a darn are already tied up in other things and with no way out. the business is two sided, and an IRL Car owner isn't going to let their driver go to F1 quite so easy.
Briscoe (He may not be an American, but he does have experience and I do think he has quite improved since his last foray into F1) is in a interesting position. Really, it depends on Will Power IMO. I think that if he makes it back for next year (Which I would hope for either way) Mr. Penske has another 2.5 Car team again, when he could just as easily have a solid 2 Car team and save money. (Not that he really needs to though). He could quite possibly be a good option should they not find an American driver.
AJ (Who would be awesome to have, though he seems to adapt quite slowly to the cars, but once he does, he's lightning) is already committed to NASCAR, ruled out a long time ago.
Marco, well.... Yea, an Andretti on the grid would be something, I don't think it'd happen. Over the past few years in the IRL something with him has just taken a step back (Could blame it on the equipment, BUT, Well, obviously if he cant win in the IRL with subpar equipment he probably shouldnt be in F1) Marco is just a name, heck, put Alex Gurney in there then if you want just a name
Rahal fits what they are looking for and could quite possibly be their choice (Given that AJ is a defo No, My choice IMHO.) I'm not sure of his contract situation, but I would think that if USF1 wants him that they could get him quite easily.
Summerton is probably the most likely given the fact that he would be the easiest to get a hold of and he is quite skilled - I wouldn't be shocked either way.
Rossi fits into the same position as Summerton.
Hunter-Reay is probably the last ditch option. Hopes were high for him when he originally broke into the major Open wheel scene here, but he's really never delivered on the hype. Again though, he's been in sub par equipment for far to long.
I really do feel that there is no way an American isn't driving for this team next year. Windsor has been constantly whining about the lack of American drivers for far to long to not have one. I think it's going to be between Rahal - Summerton - Rossi in all likelyhood, and not a single one of them are a bad choice. All 3 of them have great potential, just give them the chance.
The Flanker is gone.
DaveEllis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey, we've forgotten about Scott Speed. Red Bull
> were quick to sack AJ, despite doing far better
> than Speed is managing to do. So I don't expect
> him to last much longer than AJ did.
NASCAR, again. He's mentioned that he isn't to terribly interested in going back several times. Chances are if he's sacked he'll likely get another ride in NASCAR, be it Sprint cup or CWTS. Not to mention he's a road course guy by their standards, so atleast twice a year he has a ride
The Flanker is gone.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey, we've forgotten about Scott Speed. Red Bull
> were quick to sack AJ, despite doing far better
> than Speed is managing to do. So I don't expect
> him to last much longer than AJ did.
NASCAR, again. He's mentioned that he isn't to terribly interested in going back several times. Chances are if he's sacked he'll likely get another ride in NASCAR, be it Sprint cup or CWTS. Not to mention he's a road course guy by their standards, so atleast twice a year he has a ride
The Flanker is gone.
Im supprised we have no announcement of a US Grand Prix yet. Will they struggle for popularity without a home GP?
edit - one thing at supprises me is that if USF1 has been in the planning for years, im supprised they will not take addvantage of being allowed to test 24/7 right now.
okay, they had to wait for the final tech regs to come to light, and the concorde, but for quite a while we have known the basis for next years regs, and you would have thought with years of planning, already the sponsorhip and infrastructure would be there to design and build a car, even a very 'rough' one just to get out and get data.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2009 07:11PM by chet.
edit - one thing at supprises me is that if USF1 has been in the planning for years, im supprised they will not take addvantage of being allowed to test 24/7 right now.
okay, they had to wait for the final tech regs to come to light, and the concorde, but for quite a while we have known the basis for next years regs, and you would have thought with years of planning, already the sponsorhip and infrastructure would be there to design and build a car, even a very 'rough' one just to get out and get data.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2009 07:11PM by chet.
F1 in the States is about as popular as say...... IRL in Britain. While the vast majority may not care at all about it, your vast majority of racing fanatics are diehard enough to make it almost irrelevant. Speed channel has been subtly reminding us that there is a US F1 team coming every now and then. Though, we do need a GP, but thats another story!
There is a fundamental issue with their location though regarding testing. (I do believe that they are going to be spending less time on track and more time on the computers and in the wind tunnel (They REALLY seem to like their wind tunnel down there. In the original press conference that was all them mentioned). But, where is there to test a Formula 1 car in the Charlotte region? Closest thing I could think of would be VIR, which, isn't exactly in their backyard.
And, how are they going to get an engine? I would assume that would be borderline impossible, and testing a whole different package than you could run rules wise would be a waste of time and money.
The Flanker is gone.
There is a fundamental issue with their location though regarding testing. (I do believe that they are going to be spending less time on track and more time on the computers and in the wind tunnel (They REALLY seem to like their wind tunnel down there. In the original press conference that was all them mentioned
). But, where is there to test a Formula 1 car in the Charlotte region? Closest thing I could think of would be VIR, which, isn't exactly in their backyard.And, how are they going to get an engine? I would assume that would be borderline impossible, and testing a whole different package than you could run rules wise would be a waste of time and money.
The Flanker is gone.
I dont really know much about their location, but what do they have for their apparent "years of planning". I expected at least an old cossy in the back?
Years of planning a management structure, team resources is all good, but what matters is on track performance. "years of planning" to me seems like Peter Windsors been lying in bed at night for years thinking about a crazy venture of a US f1 team. People rumoured to who ahve visited the factory (?) have said its looking rather bare.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
Years of planning a management structure, team resources is all good, but what matters is on track performance. "years of planning" to me seems like Peter Windsors been lying in bed at night for years thinking about a crazy venture of a US f1 team. People rumoured to who ahve visited the factory (?) have said its looking rather bare.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
First of all, it wasn't "years of planning" so much as Ken Anderson (Who you've seem to forgotten about) and Windsor who have apparently been wanting to do this for years, not PLANNING it. They decided that this was the time - given that the rule book has closed the field considerably.
It wasn't planned to start testing this year, but it seems like November MAY be the time. Quite frankly, that would've been crazy. Given the amount that track time would cost coupled with how little you would get out of it (Unless they have the EXACT engine they would run next year, which I wouldn't think the case), seems like a waste. Considering they haven't announced a driver yet, why should they have a car built?
Perhaps This - [sportsillustrated.cnn.com] - can shed some light on what your talking about. Its a little old, but since then they've apparently found sponsor ship, which would lead one to believe they are beginning work on the car.
I think really there is to much surrounding this team to some. It really seems as if it was made out in the European media as if they had a team ready to go, cars built in waiting, and one tremendous building already done, when really, its just a different take on the current F1 team.
The Flanker is gone.
It wasn't planned to start testing this year, but it seems like November MAY be the time. Quite frankly, that would've been crazy. Given the amount that track time would cost coupled with how little you would get out of it (Unless they have the EXACT engine they would run next year, which I wouldn't think the case), seems like a waste. Considering they haven't announced a driver yet, why should they have a car built?
Perhaps This - [sportsillustrated.cnn.com] - can shed some light on what your talking about. Its a little old, but since then they've apparently found sponsor ship, which would lead one to believe they are beginning work on the car.
I think really there is to much surrounding this team to some. It really seems as if it was made out in the European media as if they had a team ready to go, cars built in waiting, and one tremendous building already done, when really, its just a different take on the current F1 team.
The Flanker is gone.
Thats quite a nice article thanks!!!
I think its the way the team kinda came out of nowhere, then all of a sudden there was lots of talk, announcements and a website so alot of people assumed there was some meat to their talk. Seems like a total opposite apprach compared to Manor and Campos... Also them sayinng they were happy to run without a budget cap, to me suggested they had money already in place and a good amount of it.
tbh I wouldnt call any running a waste. Toyota ran with a v12 ready to debut in 01, but the rules were changed, so halted their debut for another year... A good job too because they were off the pace, thanks to some good running they were pretty respectable when they did make their debut.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
I think its the way the team kinda came out of nowhere, then all of a sudden there was lots of talk, announcements and a website so alot of people assumed there was some meat to their talk. Seems like a total opposite apprach compared to Manor and Campos... Also them sayinng they were happy to run without a budget cap, to me suggested they had money already in place and a good amount of it.
tbh I wouldnt call any running a waste. Toyota ran with a v12 ready to debut in 01, but the rules were changed, so halted their debut for another year... A good job too because they were off the pace, thanks to some good running they were pretty respectable when they did make their debut.
"Trulli was slowing down like he wanted to have a picnic" LOL
But Toyota has BILLIONS of dollars to throw at their car, USF1 doesn't (Or didn't...) have that kind of money to just throw at the car. Considering they just acquired (Supposedly) sponsorship, I would think NOW they can begin testing. No need to waste money you didn't have testing something your not even going to get to use, right?
If memory serves me right they (Ken and Peter) were aiming for around $30 a year budget (Originally, that figure was before supposed sponsorship (I'll wait until we get something said about it here )- which, doesn't leave to terribly much room for testing a car with parts you don't intend/can't run. So naturally, seeing how they just now acquired (Supposedly is my catch phrase) sponsorship, Perhaps. They never planned on being a big budget team - I believe they actually used the phrase "Spec Ops" to describe it. Far cry from anything else out there.
The Flanker is gone.
If memory serves me right they (Ken and Peter) were aiming for around $30 a year budget (Originally, that figure was before supposed sponsorship (I'll wait until we get something said about it here )- which, doesn't leave to terribly much room for testing a car with parts you don't intend/can't run. So naturally, seeing how they just now acquired (Supposedly is my catch phrase
) sponsorship, Perhaps. They never planned on being a big budget team - I believe they actually used the phrase "Spec Ops" to describe it. Far cry from anything else out there.The Flanker is gone.
If Sebastien Bourdais still wants a drive in F1 next year, I think he'd be pretty close to the top of a list of non-US drivers for USF1 next year. He's highly regarded in US motorsport (for his achievements, if not his driving style) and he's had two years of F1 experience. Granted, he was pretty poor by the end of it, but some experience is better than none whatsoever.
Having Bourdais' name on the team roster would appeal to the casual American fan, surely?
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Having Bourdais' name on the team roster would appeal to the casual American fan, surely?
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