Danica's coming to F1, boys & girls!

[Jag_Warrior]

Oh happy day! A driver with one lifetime professional motor racing victory is going to test an F1 car (is the Honda slug technically an F1 car?) later this year. Paris Hilton will be the test engineer.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/100620...k-f1-test.html

My prediction is that her times will either not be posted, or they'll be spoken of in very vague terms. I think Honda should put both Micro Andretti and Girl Power Patrick in their F1 cars next season. Between Marco hitting everything but the safety car, and Danica throwing those foot-stomping temper tantrums whenever the Ferraris and McLarens (and BMW's and Toyotas and Williams and Renaults and Red Bulls and Force Indias and STR's) don't let her win, 2009 would be the funniest season in Formula One history.

[pits4me]

Test her on Vallelunga in Italy, the same track as Legge did her stint. Followed by an A1-GP test with Team USA in Dubai Autodrome.

[Hawkmoon]

Hey, when your F1 cars stink as badly as Honda's do, you've got to do something to get some attention. May as well stick Patrick in the car. Worst she can do is destroy it on a wall somewhere, which is a fitting fate for those dumbo-eared monstrocities Honda call F1 cars.

[winer]

C'mon guys - this test is all about the "optics"! Nobody expects her to do well, but anytime anyone as attractive and talented (okay, attractive) as her gets a shot at an F1 ride, of course it is going to generate a huge press. That's all it is - publicity for the sport.

[gloomyDAY]

Can't anyone see how this will be a disaster?
If Danica fails to meet expectations the entire test will be a joke!

I'm not sure there's much of a benefit from having Danica out there in an F1 car. Seems to me as if Honda is trying really hard for those last 2 grid spots.

[cy bais]

Honda's desperation is amazingly pathetic.

[Jag_Warrior]

Can't anyone see how this will be a disaster?
If Danica fails to meet expectations the entire test will be a joke!

I'm not sure there's much of a benefit from having Danica out there in an F1 car. Seems to me as if Honda is trying really hard for those last 2 grid spots.

What expectations? Unless she misses the plane or can't find the track, all she has to do is show up and putt around for a few laps. If she's painfully slow or stuffs the car, Honda will gloss over that by saying, "she greatly improved from lap X to lap Y... and she's welcome to do a followup test at any time." Then they'll take loads of pictures, buy ads in Teen Beat and Cosmopolitan, have her talk about how great the new Civic is... and that ladies & gents will be a success.

[harvick#1]

the US drivers are now just taken another step back in trying to get into the sport.

without TC and driver aids, she won't even put a lap down

she'll spin it and blame it was the gearbox :

[wmcot]

Oh happy day! A driver with one lifetime professional motor racing victory...

Like Jenson Button, Jarno Trulli, Jean Alesi,...

[xtlm]

but what if she runs a time faster than Button!
...
...
<_<