THE FORMULA 1 THREAD

[soze]

it doesn't look good for them. What a mess...

 

[I Am The Stig]

http://rumors.automobilemag.com/664...es-could-merge-with-stefan-gp-team/index.html

With the opening race at Bahrain quickly approaching, USF1 still has not shown a car. Despite the American team’s lack of progress, there may still be hope for the team as it is trying to put together a merger with the Stefan GP team.

Stefan GP has been lurking around the corner, waiting for either USF1 or Campos to fail so that it can take their spot on the grid. Unlike the other two teams that have yet to even show mockups of cars, Stefan GP has a fully completed car set for testing, as it bought Toyota’s fully developed 2010 F1 entrant when the automaker withdrew from the series. The combination of a team with no car and a team with no entry seem, on paper at least, to make this an ideal marriage.

 

[turboed]

I hope they get to the grid some way or the other.

 

[Myfast_GTI]

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG F1 Safety Car unveiled

Few more pics and full article: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/26/mercedes-benz-sls-amg-f1-safety-car-unveiled/


God, I love this car! :wub:

 

[turboed]

 

[soze]

http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/formula-1-news/229080/stefan-gp-us-f1-merger-talks-failed/

Stefan GP: US F1 merger talks failed
28 February 2010

Zoran Stefanovic, owner of the Serbian Stefan GP team whose chances of being on this year's grid appear to be fading, has admitted that his Belgrade-based outfit attempted to merge with the struggling US F1 outfit, with no agreement eventually being reached.

With Charlotte's US F1 having questioned F1 governing body the FIA over skipping this season's first four races in order to gain more preparation time, Stefan has explained that talks with the squad founded by Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor did not prove successful.

"It is true that we had some discussions stretching over many days but these broke down completely on Thursday afternoon due to the inflexibility of certain players," businessman Stefanovic (top) explained to Autosport.

"I stress it was not Chad Hurley (YouTube founder and a major investor in US F1), who was open to discussions with us, but some of the other stakeholders who sabotaged the talks."

Having already said that ex Williams driver Kazuki Nakajima has been signed at Stefan, due to the team's close working relationship with Japan's Toyota, Stefanovic has also confirmed that 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve is due to travel to Cologne for a seat fitting on Monday.

 

[turboed]

SPEEDtv.com has learned that the struggling start-up USF1 Formula 1 team has formally petitioned the FIA to defer the team's entry into the sport until 2011.

Team principals Ken Anderson and Chad Hurley have offered to post a “substantial, seven-figure” surety bond as proof of their intentions to race next year.

The request for a deferment follows a breakdown in merger discussions between USF1 and the Spanish Campos Meta team. The Serbian-based Stefan GP team also had made overtures about working with USF1, but those talks also failed to yield anything substantive.

It now appears that neither USF1 nor Campos will be on the grid for the season-opener at Bahrain.

Contrary to media speculation elsewhere, Hurley is still very much involved in the USF1 effort.

SPEEDtv.com will continue to follow this story as it develops.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-usf1-asks-for-delay-until-2011/

 

[turboed]

I was hoping it wasn't Peter, but he is still in hiding.

The familiar faces of Bob Varsha, David Hobbs and Steve Matchett once again will lead the SPEED/FOX Sports Formula One broadcast team as SPEED rolls into its 15th year as the exclusive U.S. cable broadcaster of the FIA Formula One World Championship, beginning with live coverage of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on March 14 at 7:30 a.m. ET. One face, however, will be new to the U.S. viewing audience.

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/speed-fox-team-for-2010-f1-new-grid-reporter-introduced/

 

[soze]

12 days and counting..... Life will be good this year in F1.

 

[turboed]

Ron Dennis lives on...



Everyone says Ferrari's diffuser will give the pace straight away, guess McLaren thinks so as well.

 

[Myfast_GTI]

LOL!

 

[GTICrazy90]

Dude cant wait for F1 to start!! Gonna be an amazing year

 

[turboed]

Fffffffffffuuuuuu!

Team US F1 shuts down operation

Team US F1's Formula 1 hopes appeared to be over on Tuesday, with high level sources revealing to AUTOSPORT that the outfit has now effectively closed down.

Against the backdrop of weeks of uncertainty about the future of the American team, which had been struggling to get a car ready for the start of the season, sources have revealed team personnel have now been informed they are no longer required as the operation was not continuing.

AUTOSPORT understands that shortly before lunchtime, production manager Dave Skog informed those staff who had remained at the team during its recent troubles that they were being put on unpaid leave - even though they remain technically employed.

That move, which has not yet been officially confirmed, effectively brings an end to the F1 dreams of team principal Ken Anderson and sporting director Peter Windsor who had hoped to create a genuine American grand prix team.

It is understood that neither Anderson nor Windsor were present at the factory while the announcement was made, and neither was available for comment about the latest situation.

Calls to the factory switchboard have also gone unanswered, with a message stating that the number is temporarily not working.

The failure of Team US F1 to make it onto the grid means that there is now a vacancy for the Serbian outfit Stefan Grand Prix, which has been sitting on the sidelines for several months.

US F1 will need to be officially withdrawn from the championship if Stefan GP is going to have a chance of getting a late entry - although such a situation may be possible if FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting's inspection visit to the American team's factory last week showed that the outfit was not capable of competing.

It is also not clear what US F1 investor Chad Hurley will now do. The American YouTube co-founder, who had invested in the team, has been linked with potential deals with both Stefan GP and Campos Meta in recent weeks - and it is possible he may choose to remain in F1 through involvement with another team.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81819

 

[turboed]

Exclusive interview with Ken Anderson

The saga that has surrounded Team US F1 has moved forward a great deal in the last 24 hours - with the American outfit and the FIA finally confirming that the team will not be on the grid in 2010.

While there remains uncertainty about its 2011 plans, with the FIA due to re-open the Formula 1 entry process in the next few days, team boss Ken Anderson remains in a state of flux about what the future holds for the Charlotte-based operation.

Although Anderson has kept deliberately silent about the situation at the team over recent weeks, he finally broke his silence today to explain what went wrong from his perspective.

In a lengthy interview with AUTOSPORT, Anderson reveals how the political turmoil in F1 last season allied to sponsorship problems in January were the main factors behind its troubles - as he cleared up speculation about links with Campos, Stefan GP and Toyota.

Full interview click here.

 

[GTICrazy90]

I had a feeling USF1 wasnt gonna make it after those first rumors. Ohh well, i doubt they would have done good anyway. Only if an american manufacturer pics up in F1 that would be pretty cool, but Im still Ferrari!!