At the risk of descending into fatuousness at a far earlier stage than usual in my blogs, and in the interests of trying to create a link over the recent cancellation of America's manned space programme, let's remind ourselves of President Kennedy's words to the assembled crowd at Rice University in Texas back in September 1962. "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard," the perma-popular president rumbled to his captive audience. It was a speech that seemed to sum up the no-limits ideal of the American dream. No step was to high, no challenge was too impossible as to not be attempted, and completed.
And when the plans for USF1 were announced in February 2009, a similar sort of insufferable American-led can-do attitude seemed to permeate through the whole venture. An all-American team (with a bit of help from Peter Windsor) were on their way to Formula One in 2010, and they were on their way to eventually compete at the very top level in the sport.
This announcement, remember, was well before any word of budget caps, spec-Cosworth engine units, YouTube buy-ins or FIA-led financial assistance for new teams, and it was well after the start of the global financial meltdown, which saw sponsors and manufacturers fleeing F1 dabbing their tear-filled eyes with with their newly-empty wallets. And yet one year on from the announcement of the USF1 project, and one month before the team is planning to make it's F1 debut, no car has appeared, one fairly awful-sounding pay driver has been signed, and the internet is awash with scurrilous rumours revolving around the team being, in essence, all mouth and no trousers.
They are not the only team struggling to make the grid in Bahrain, and the Campos Meta outfit have somewhat dominated the doom-mongering headlines over the last month or so, with buyouts, missed payments and the prospect of being metaphorically castrated by Stefan GP stealing their chassis design all causing concern, the Spanish team's issue is rather straightforward. Namely that the team is missing a chunk of their budget, apparently the fault of the Meta Image company the team is partnered with, and a fact which Adrian Campos has been happy (well, happy-ish) to confirm.
But although they are currently in dire straits, all they really need to do is to tie up some extra funds and they are good to go. Their chassis is built, their Cosworth engines are awaiting collection, and in effect the team could even afford to secure a last-second deal and assemble their 2010 car in the Bahrain pit lane like some massive unnecessary Meccano set for the world's most spoilt child. They'll be slower than futility itself, but at least they'll be there, and with the FIA itself refusing to rule out taking sanctions against teams that follow the letter of the new Concorde Agreement and skip the odd race, it's likely that they won't really be able to afford to not be there.
But the situation at USF1 seems slightly less well-defined. True, the team hasn't exactly been quiet about it's money worries, and the prospect of two pay drivers has been on the cards for some time (although Adrian Valles, the latest driver to be linked with the seat alongside Jose Maria Lopez, is not particularly renowned for being well-backed sponsor-wise). But aside from a couple of CAD images and a dodgy shot of an incomplete monocoque, there is no evidence of their 'Type 1' car being anywhere close to ready for the start of the season.
Just today, J-Lo's manager confirmed that the team was preparing to start crash testing next week. Starting crash testing. Next week. The final test session before the start of the season is only a few days after that, for crying out loud. While Stefan GP are busily poking the carcass of Campos, maybe they'd actually be better spending their time looking across to the other side of the Atlantic.
While some of the internet rumour-mongering might be a little mendacious, for example a recent Tweet from a USF1 employee saying "Working on the tooling for the floor. Double diffuser is aggressive but the next one is crazy." was jumped on as evidence that the team was still working on the floor of their car, but could easily be read as him saying that they are working on an upgrade to the original design, the general idea seems to be that if USF1 are on the Bahrain grid, it will be by the thinnest of skin of their shiniest of teeth.
While all these rumours over their ability to get to Bahrain on time might well prove to be little more than modern-day scaremongering, born out of nothing more than the fact that rumours spread like dubious rashes across your groin in these postmodern tweet-filled, bloggy times that we live in, the team isn't really doing itself any favours by being so silent on the whole issue, and carrying on as they have always done, randomly issuing press releases full of big ambitions, vague promises and polished smiles.
Anything would do. A blurry picture of the car, a sneak preview of the livery, evidence that they've actually bunged it into the wind tunnel that they said they'd use at some point over the winter, even a teaser shot of the nosecone poking out from under the seat, any sort of evidence that they're not even halfway to being as ill-prepared as the rumours suggest would be nice, not to mention reassuring for all the American F1 fans currently poised on the verge of a facepalm as their bold national team collapses before they've even had the chance to see what the back row of the grid looks like.
The confusion over whether or not there really will be any sort of chastisement for the team from the FIA should they skip a couple of races at the start of the season should, largely, be irrelevant. The FIA are paying the freight costs for the little teams this season anyway, so why not at least bung something resembling a car together and use the whole weekend as an extended test session? Yes, it will be hideously embarrassing, but to be honest, it's not as if not even turning up is a particularly embarrassment-free option, is it?
How and why the team got into this mess in the first place is doubtless something that could be, will be and to some extent has been discussed at great length, and certainly issues like the bold announcement of the partnership with YouTube which seemed to actually be little more than a money-less consultation role have proved to be odd decisions, and the fact that no less than two of the FIA's chosen teams could potentially fall on their arses before the season even starts will be of some amusement, and then there was the announcement last July that their 2010 car would be running in October 2009, but the fallout will come later.
Or maybe this was all planned to be just a microcosm of the American dream as played out in the space race, cutting out all the actual success and going from lofty idea to cancelled failure in 12 short months. A feeble ambition by a group of dreamers who never had the resources to succeed in the long term. It will probably all become clear very soon.
Right now though, the dream could be kept on track if they just showed us an actual car.
Trackback(0)
TrackBack URI for this entryComments (4)
Subscribe to this comment's feedGive 'em a break!
And is it a surprise that USF1 is having trouble finding money? Look at BMW Sauber, no sponsorship decals on the car. Lotus, Force India all having to fend off rumors. As far as getting things done on time, Ferrari debuted with the 2009 front wing. and Mercedes had to paint the old car for the roll out. Red Bull missed the first test session.
Now, clearly USF1 are behind schedule, and will have a hard time getting the car to the grid. But you've got people showing up everyday, and lots of carbon parts to make, so just keep going. They also have so many sub-contractors, it only takes one to gum up the works. Why show pictures of a big pile of parts waiting for one key component. Several weeks ago, Ingram said the suspension was done, but waiting for some parts. They obviously had trouble paying for the engines, until j-Lomshowed up with cash.
Unless the Dallara is an absolutely turn-key car, with brakes, wheels, suspension, transmission, differential, steering wheel, radiators, hydraulics and electrics all wired an plumbed, it would be really stupid for USF1 to switch now. However, if it is, and Campos is dead, it might make sense to just get the team up and running as a race team. But you'd have an Italian car, with an English engine, and South American drivers, and an Ozzy front man ... Oh well!
-
- +0
-
-
And the band played on...
How USF1 & Campos were chosen over Lola, Prodrive or Epsilon Eu, beggars belief.
FIA? Due dilligence? Ha!
Clearly the FIA chose the teams that would use Cosworth engines, the whole thing stinks.
Of course I support the entry of Cosworth, but Campos & USF1 are making a mockery of F1, something F1 is more than capable of doing without them.
Can we watch some racing now please.
Mike
Brighton Bored and bred.
-
- +0
-
-
Minor corrections
-
- +0
-
-
...
@DDT I can understand them not wanting to release too many details about the car (though they don't seem to have an issue with throwing computer images of their car around the media). But as I said, I'm not asking them to come out with a chassis and point out all the clever bits, just give some sort of indication that they're not as screwed as the rumours suggest they are.
@Mike Lola don't have a great history of turning up to F1 seasons fully prepared, to be fair.
-
- +0
-
-
Write comment
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
