-Introduction
-USGPE, Git R Done!
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-2009 changes, aside from the ugly cars, F1 has a bright future.
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-Mclaren Merecedes has some work to do
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Great show guys, no fluff, quality comments and considered opinions.. Seriously, it was good. Really liked it which is why I took the time to comment.
BTW – Commenting as a Brit now in Aus but via the USA. Much of that was in San Francisco but I also spent a lot of time in Greensboro, NC…
BrawnGP (nee Honda)? Not surprised. Car has been developed since late 07. CFD etc really “can” help model things today. Not always mind…. They have some great guys though, at least in the Eng.Dept..
The Merc engine is reputedly to be much better than Honda. Obviously I have no direct experience of that but it seems to be a general view. F1 teams like Honda would have better idea from on-track analysis and noise (rpm) outputs.
Rubens? Known quantity, delivers consistently, great PR value. Senna? Not really proven yet, early results not spectacular. Has the name but maybe not the value at this time. Perhaps sign as reserve driver and made part of the team. 50/50 choice IMHO but not bad to keep Rubens. I see Bruno as a bit like Ralf Schumacher. The name but how much else? Hope he comes good, as I do Piquet.
USGPE (USF1)..? Hmm, I like your point about NASCAR engineers, being racers etc etc. Would certainly accept that 100% but I wonder about things like the aero, electronics, open wheel experience in general… Yeah, ok Indy but how much is there really? Track-side though I have no doubts.
Given it’s taken the mights of Toyota several years to get just a few podiums then what can we realistically expect from an all new team. If they’ve really been working in the background for years to get USF1 of the ground then why not just buy Super Aguri last year, re-badge it, and at least get a head start. Lets face it Renault are French but their F1 team is UK-based…. Only the engine is built in France. Ferrari had a design office in the UK for many years and where are Merc engines built? We’re part of a global economy now…. Toyota? Germany. BMW? Switzerland. Red Bull? Toro Rosso…?
I watched the presentation on Speed and can only conclude that it was pure fluff. I loved the comment about much of the technology coming from the US. Don’t get me wrong, I used to live in the US and love the place but…
Engines/Tires/Gearbox/Aero…? Explain the real US content, please…?
Team access? Most F1 Teams offer tours etc. E.g. I’ve been to Williams and McClaren. Both were organised through woks rec clubs. BUT, weekend access as events is a different matter.
Race distance? Personally I would love to see F1 adopt a format similar to World Super Bikes. E.g. 2 races separated by a support series in a single afternoon. E.g. have a 1hr F1 race based on qualifying with full tanks, then a GP2 race and finally a 1.5hr F1 race based on the result of race 1 but this time with tire stops/refuelling etc. Mix the format to suit but I do like the idea of 2 races in a day just to see how teams can pull things around.
Great show though, liked it…
PS – Classic dish. Shrimps on the BBQ would be one I guess. Honestly though, pretty much anything served outdoors on the deck with beer/wine…. Common food on the road? Meat pie with tomato sauce….
Sorry, but we also have KFC, McDonalds (Maccers) and Hungry Jacks (Burger King) in great numbers too……
Boz
Thanks for the comments Boz. You made a lot of great points and I’m sure we’ll address at least a couple of them on the show. Quickly though,
I completely agree that Bruno is an unknown at this point, however I feel that Rubens may be past his prime. I hope I am proven wrong. As for Piquet, he has to get his act together and fast!
In USGPE’s defense, they aren’t making any claims of expecting to be fast out of the gate and are aware that their concept of a small team may not work. They hope to gain broader interest in the U.S. public and having a team based here would help.
I also agree that there is a steep learning curve for anyone wanting to enter Formula 1 competition, however, most of the things you list: aero, electronics, etc. Sprint Cup engineers work on to the same level of detail as F1 engineers, just to a different application.
I am sure that USGPE will ultimately develop into a F1 team with partners across the globe, just like the others. Their only point is that you don’t have to be in Europe to run a sucessful team, time will tell if they’re correct.
F1 technology that comes from the U.S. isn’t the high level stuff like wings, but lower level, like my spark plug example. Also, some F1 teams have utilized U.S. wind tunnels. But I promise to look into this a bit more. It is a fair point.
Your idea of a superbike format is an interesting one. But, do you think that would improve the racing? Or is this to make for a more interesting championship battle?
And thanks for the food suggestions!
Cheers,
Robin