Report: USF1 future in doubt?
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
Founders of the new USF1 team (Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson) insist that they will be at the starting grid at Bahrain despite reports that state that the team may have trouble participating at any F1 event in the 2010 season.
According to Argentinean media sources, the USF1, which is the first American based Formula 1 team since the 1970s, has already closed down after sponsorship funds failed to come in. There‚ speculation that Windsor has informed Argentinean driver Jose Maria Lopez that the team won‚Äôt race until the fourth race of the season. If this report has any truth in it, then there‚ really no point in joining this year‚ F1 races as teams are required to take part in each one. Continued after the jump!
Adding weight to this rumor is the fact that the USF1 is the only team that has yet to unveil a car for the 2010 season. It had also cancelled crash tests set for this week in England and has so far, not confirmed a date for testing. Initially, the team had wanted to test at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama before the car is shipped off to Europe to join competing teams before the season opens.
If the team is unable to make it to the season opener, there is another team patiently waiting that had purchased the rights to Toyota‚ fully developed 2010 cars and is prepared to step in. The problem is said to stem from YouTube founder and USF1 sponsor Chad Hurley who backed out from sponsoring the team due to a lack of progress. Reports say that if sponsorship won‚Äôt arrive as planned, even the payroll would go unfunded. ‚ÄúThe bottom line is really simple: Sponsor money didn‚Äôt come through the way it was supposed to and it has grinded the company down to a halt. They‚Äôre having trouble making payroll; they‚Äôre having trouble paying suppliers; and that‚ the situation they find themselves in.‚Äù said a New York Times source.
[via automobilemag]
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