The USF1 team entered the competition this year.  When I heard an American team wanted to enter, I had a lot of questions. Do Americans know that F1 isn’t just driving in circles? That the cars are really light, fragile and fast? That a Grand Prix can’t be won on American muscle alone, but you have to have good strategy and technology?  And that Formula 1 has a certain class to it?

I didn’t know the answers, so I did some research...

It seems that America does in fact have a history in Formula 1. Right from the start there were American F1 drivers. In 1960, Phil Hill was the first American to win a World Championship Grand Prix in Italy. A year later Hill became the first American World Champion. In 1978 Mario Andrettie became the second American World Champion. After Andrettie left F1 in 1993 it took 12 years for another US driver to enter Formula 1. That was Scott Speed and he just spent a year and a half at Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2006 and 2007. So you could say that Americans are a bit known with F1, but not that successful.

The USF1 website talks proudly about the technology that America provided to Formula 1.  The American tire companies Goodyear and Firestone led the way in tire technology, and European engine designer Bernard Dudot even went to America to learn about turbo charging. After that he designed the first F1 turbo. Although these facts are significant in F1 history, this was all along time ago. Especially in the terms of F1, where technology improves day to day.

For a few years now tires are provided by Bridgestone, a Japanese company, and Dudot still made the first F1 turbo, not the Americans.

In the history of F1 there were only a few American teams. There were two beautiful street circuits. One in Long Beach and the other one in Detroit. But that to was also a long time ago.

So if you count all these facts up, America only had a small influence on the sport. The reason for that is that Americans are stuck on the idea that more power equals a faster car. That is true to a certain level.  So the cars American’s generally race can’t make fast turns and they are forced to drive in large circles – like the most popular race game in the US – NASCAR. 

That brings me to the class that Formula 1 has. Monaco, Valencia, Sinpagore, Spa Francorchamps and Dubai, to name a few, are cities where the Grand Prixs are held. You only have to mention one off these places to sound that you have class. Why do you think all the rap stars rap about the South of France? Nascar is founded and most popular in the south of America, and that DOES NOT even come close to the south of France...you know what I mean!

If you look at USF1 there are three people on top.  Ken Anderson, Chad Hurley and Peter Windsor. Ken Anderson has 30 years experience in the motorsport industry. Especially in Nascar. Chad Hurely is co founder of Youtube and a big sponsor. Peter Windsor has experience in Formula 1. But he is a person from Europe. It is actually two big American sponsors and one guy from Europe that runs the team.

I actually do not know what to expect from them. So we have to see in 31 day’s!!