Last week I blogged about the USF1 team, a Charlotte-based team fronted by Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor with the goal of being a team that utilizes American technology and American drivers.
In the post I said:
If the USF1 team wants to do it right -- right meaning making a move that captures interest quickly -- it will lure two of the five best NASCAR drivers on the circuit. It doesn't matter who of the top 5 they grab, because any of these drivers will have enough cache with American racing fans to generate a lot of buzz and interest. Who cares if they're not the best in the world? That's not so much the point now. This team needs a following more than it needs a driver that cut his teeth in Europe.
I guess I was right about the splash, but wrong about the gender and discipline. Apparently Windsor and Anderson have the IRL's Danica Patrick on their short list of drivers to test for one of the two available seats in 2010.
Danica will certainly make an impact.
But the question I've wrestled with since this piece of news broke on Sunday is if Danica will make the right impact for the USF1 team. I'm sure all American racing fans have an opinion or an idea about Danica, one way or the other. This is what I think of when I think about Danica:
I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that. In fact, as an MBA with a marketing major, I can appreciate how she's used the resources she has available to make a nice living for herself. But what I am saying, though, is that I can't really take her seriously as a race driver when this is the image that comes to mind at the mention of her name. I'm not alone. I found these pictures using the search "Danica Patrick" in Google Images, and I made it all the way to page 3 before I found the picture of her below actually doing her day job.
My off-the-cuff argument is that USF1 should test a driver that's legitimate, and not bother with someone who's more interested in their image. But that's where the argument gets tough, because her resume isn't that bad. Here's a snippet:
- She's got an IRL win ... first woman ever to win a major race
- She's won several pole positions
- She finished 4th in the 2005 Indy 500
- She spent several years racing in developmental series in Europe
- She finished 6th in the IRL points standings in 2008
Danica Patrick raises a tough issue for me because I know she has talent, but I worry that her presence in Formula One would make some sort of mockery of America. If she wins the job and can't compete, she'll make herself and the team look foolish and perhaps undermine any effort to lure a competitive driver from America or otherwise.
On the other hand, if she goes to F1 and competes with big boys, it's hard telling how the Danica Marketing Machine will grip the world.
I still think that USF1 should try to lure drivers like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards or even Marco Andretti before they test Danica. I don't think she's got the talent to be competitive in Formula One.
However, she could be an intriguing option. And like I said before, the USF1 team should look to make a splash with its first hire in an attempt to win fans quickly. Danica would do just that.
6 comments:
Thankfully I've missed most of the Patrick marketing machine - the first thing that comes to my head is watching her come third in a race in a location I don't remember at 5:20am prior to a disastrous graduation ceremony.
Danica isn't ready for F1 yet, but maybe with a year in a mid-level European series like F2 or GP2, she could do it. Though I can't see her doing that unless she got paid for it - she declined A1GP for that reason.
I agree that she's not ready, but I'm not sure that will be in consideration. She gets a ton of press because her looks and her willingness to "look the part" in magazines and TV commercials. When the USF1 team hires a marketing department, she will be tops on the department's list.
Today on www.indystar.com she says that she is willing to talk.
Unfortunately I think you may be right, Bryan. I'd like to think that an American driver could get in on talent from the beginning, but that may have to come after USF1's finances have stabilised.
I think the strategy will be to take a driver with an established name that also has an upside. Even though I've brought them up in my blog, the older NASCAR drivers like Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon haven't been mentioned. Kyle Busch, who's probably the best name being dropped right now, already has a following built up among NASCAR fans but is young enough to have time to grow into an F1 ride before he hits his prime.
And that gets me to another point -- where I think USF1 will differ is that you won't see the typical F1 talent evaluation mentality of score a point now or else. I think Windsor and Anderson are taking a completely different view, and because of that, any driver that gets brought in will be in a circumstance unique to F1. I don't get the sense the driver positions will be a revolving door until they find a driver that works ... they will take a much longer and strategic view. Which is why I think they'll take a driver with a name and upside, and then one of the youngsters over in Europe.
Regardless of the media and marketing hype that would surround Patrick there are several other things to consider:
1. The object is to be competitive, not to just show up and field a team. That is what will make fans interested. If Tony Stewart or Kyle Busch are consistant back markers their notoriety will wear off quickly indeed.
2.No offense is meant toward NASCAR drivers, they are, in fact, great at what they do. However, what they do is drive in a counter-clockwise ovoid, rarely if ever shift gears, and brake primarilly only when entering the pits. Now while it is true that they race a few road tracks (like Infineon) if you've ever watched NASCAR road races it is patently obvious that the drivers are in no way whatsoever qualified to drive an 850bhp open wheeled car which requires more gear shifts and braking in the first lap of the race (pick one; Monaco, Hungaroring, Spa etc) than the entire Coca-Cola 500.
3. At least Patrick has raced in European open-wheel feeder series; been competitive in the Indy Car circuit, and is more familiar with the types of tracks you find in Formula 1.
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