Careful guys! There is a lady coming to town...

[gloomyDAY]

LOL! (http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/162648-0/danica_%27dead_set%27_on_move_to_f1.html)

She has absolutely no merit to make these kind of comments.
Danica edged out Castroneves because of fuel at Motegi.

DP has NEVER won a race in the IRL while under pressure or on a road-course.

[Hondo]

So the IRL guys got whupped by a woman. No surprise there. I doubt, without huge money behind her, that she'll turn up in F1 anytime soon.

[PSfan]

LOL! (http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/162648-0/danica_%27dead_set%27_on_move_to_f1.html)

She has absolutely no merit to make these kind of comments.
Danica edged out Castroneves because of fuel at Motegi.

DP has NEVER won a race in the IRL while under pressure or on a road-course.

Well, I've already given my opinion on her "win" in the indycar forum.(compressed version, it stinks of Barichello letting schumacher by for a win. )

But, Had Rahal stuck it out in CART/Champcar for a few more years, and after a couple seasons in champcar, and if she was willing on a season or 2 in gp2, then she might have been able to make the F1 grid. Jumping into the oval series, and then try to muscle those "irl" cars around a street or road course doesn't help develop the skills required for F1.

She does say that she wants to contend for an IRL championship before considering F1, so I figure we have a long wait before its something to be concerned about :p :

[Tazio]

After learning she lived in England for three years, it's not surprising that she would want to compete in F1!
(maybe always has?) Being a woman may work to her advantage! I said "May"
She would probably get a test drive a lot faster than Bourdais did! Let’s say 2 Indy car championships!
Glue I think your right in the sense that her road racing experience is not much!
I don't think that she made any unrealistic claims since Montegi. He!! I'd like to race in F1 too!
She gets a lot of press! They ask a lot of questions! She answers them!
Realistically she's not even the best female open wheel candidate! ;)

[maxu05]

My only concern is, I would hate to see an up and coming talent miss out on a drive because of media interest, or that someone takes a better photo.

[Tazio]

My only concern is, I would hate to see an up and coming talent miss out on a drive because of media interest, or that someone takes a better photo.
Get used to disapointment ;)

[weeflyonthewall]

Get used to disapointment ;)

Always looking for another Legge up.

[janneppi]

I don't quite see what the big deal is, she would like to drive in F1 but would like to win it in another series first. If she makes it, good for her. If not, she's just like the rest 99% of drivers out there.

[janneppi]

My only concern is, I would hate to see an up and coming talent miss out on a drive because of media interest, or that someone takes a better photo.
Or has a bigger wallet.
That's F1 for you, a business. Unless you are super fast, you're likely going to be sidelined by someone in a stronger position.

[AndyRAC]

Let her come to F1 - She'll just show how slow she is.

Struggles on Road/Street courses, Wet/Damp races......

[Azumanga Davo]

Let her come to F1 - She'll just show how slow she is.

Struggles on Road/Street courses, Wet/Damp races......

I daresay that covers pretty much an entire F1 season then... :p :

[seppefan]

Always looking for another Legge up.

Love it !!

Well she had a F1 test as she was a woman. Bernie sent Danica a congrats message after Montegi so we know what he is thinking and yes he will find the cash. All he needs to do is find the team to give her a test, not difficult. To actually race will be more so but it will depend on the test an she is not a proven road race winner. I dont see her being able to make the transfer but could be wrong.

[seppefan]

I actually think the title of this thread is correct but that it will not be Danica. Simona De Silvestro is my bet , Ana Beatriz perhaps, Cindie Alleman I doubt but the situation is that more women are getting onto the grid and so it is only a matter of time care of the numbers increasing and the opportunity for talent to shine through. I have not mentioned others in the junior formula whi can also come through. Looking good.

[F1boat]

IMO for women F1 could be too tough. I am not speaking that women can not win and I congratulate Danica for winning in Japan, but F-1 cars are very tough and demanding machines.

[millencolin]

as i said in the Indycar forum, i think they hype surrounding Danica has gotten to her.

She struggles on road courses, street circuits, and in the rain. She hasn't won a single race (in any series) before that Motegi win. A lot of the Indycar field would do a better job than her in F1, yet she is the most likely to get a serious test.

As i mentioned in Indycar, the top three guys who i believe would adapt to f1 best are Wilson, Power and Briscoe. yet these guys werent considered by f1/tossed out after a year. Briscoe tested for Toyota for years, for nothing. Power had one single test with Minardi, was quick, for nothing. Wilson had that year with Minardi and Jaguar, being the only other driver not named Mark Webber to bring the Jag team points that year, for nothing.

Danica has no chance in F1. She will be eaten alive

[Tazio]

She will be eaten alive
:up: :p :

[gloomyDAY]

I actually think the title of this thread is correct but that it will not be Danica. Simona De Silvestro is my bet....Simona? Definitely! She is a serious competitor and her win at the Long Beach GP raised my eyebrows. Not because she is a woman, but because it was a clear cut victory.


as i said in the Indycar forum, i think they hype surrounding Danica has gotten to her.Precisely. DP won one race in the IRL and she thinks that she is ontop of the world.


Danica has no chance in F1. She will be eaten aliveAwesome! :laugh:

[Vegasguy]

Simona? Definitely! She is a serious competitor and her win at the Long Beach GP raised my eyebrows. Not because she is a woman, but because it was a clear cut victory.

I agree, and had she not gotten spun out of the Lead in the 2nd ST Pete Race by her team mate, LB could have very well been her 2nd win.

I agree, and had she not gotten spun out of the Lead in the 2nd ST Pete Race by her team mate, LB could have very well been her 2nd win.

It was Ana Beatriz who was punted out of the lead in St Petersburg.

On the subject of Danica Patrick wanting to have a go in Formula One....I don't see anything wrong in any racing driver stating such an ambition.

I'd be more worried if they didn't.

Sure, there are better drivers in IndyCar (Dixon would not be out of place in F1 by any means) and there are young drivers with more potential in IndyCar (Graham Rahal possibly), but then there are and have been better drivers and young drivers with more potential than quite a few who have been in Formula One, so it's not going to set a dangerous precedent if Danica did get an F1 drive.

If she gets a chance and doesn't perform, she'll be out. Just like everybody else.

[Vegasguy]

It was Ana Beatriz who was punted out of the lead in St Petersburg.

Your correct, my bad. Got the names mixed up.

[JSH]

Precisely. DP won one race in the IRL and she thinks that she is ontop of the world.


Any proffessional racing driver who gets their first major win and doesn't feel on top of the world.... SHOULDN'T be a proffessional racing driver.

Hell!! I feel ontop of the world winning amateur league go-kart races. Even I reckon I could beat Kimi!!

[keysersoze]

She was commenting about what she thinking when she was racing in Europe years.

I'll say it more succintly: she was speaking in past tense.

When I was younger I wanted to be an astronaut, a baseball player, a football player, and a movie star.

The difference was that I never had a whiff of success, while she has been successful. That's why I'm a school teacher who just started, at 44, to race karts (and footing my own bills), and she is in a top ride getting paid a lot of clams, with a chance to win races to boot.

We all know that she's not talented enough, but she's working on her craft as she figures it out. She should be given props.

[jso1985]

LOL! (http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/162648-0/danica_%27dead_set%27_on_move_to_f1.html)

She has absolutely no merit to make these kind of comments.
Danica edged out Castroneves because of fuel at Motegi.

DP has NEVER won a race in the IRL while under pressure or on a road-course.

If I recall correctly one of the greatest names in IndyCar racing Al Unser jr. was a master when it came to fuel-wins, do you think it's easy to win that way? it requires patience and smart timing... but hey let's leave that to the IRL forum.

But I'm also quite suer Patrick ain't good enough for F1


As i mentioned in Indycar, the top three guys who i believe would adapt to f1 best are Wilson, Power and Briscoe. yet these guys werent considered by f1/tossed out after a year. Briscoe tested for Toyota for years, for nothing. Power had one single test with Minardi, was quick, for nothing. Wilson had that year with Minardi and Jaguar, being the only other driver not named Mark Webber to bring the Jag team points that year, for nothing.



Don't forget CastroNeves, Dixon, Wheldon and Kannan!

[call_me_andrew]

She struggles on road courses, street circuits, and in the rain. She hasn't won a single race (in any series) before that Motegi win. A lot of the Indycar field would do a better job than her in F1, yet she is the most likely to get a serious test.

I've noticed she's usually better on road courses than ovals.

Her main problem is cold tires, and cold tires are seldom an issue in a series with tire warmers.

But there are times when I wonder if Ashley Force would get to F1 before her.

[gloomyDAY]

If I recall correctly one of the greatest names in IndyCar racing Al Unser jr. was a master when it came to fuel-wins, do you think it's easy to win that way? it requires patience and smart timing... but hey let's leave that to the IRL forum.You've missed my point. She deserves the win, but the way it is portrayed here in America is like an epic event. While a great milestone for DP and women in motorsports, it is blown out of proportion and definitely not worth the commotion, let alone the comments about crossing the pond and joining F1.


I've noticed she's usually better on road courses than ovals.

Her main problem is cold tires, and cold tires are seldom an issue in a series with tire warmers.

But there are times when I wonder if Ashley Force would get to F1 before her.Better on road-courses? Really...? I need to look up some races and see what you're talking about Andrew. If cold tires are a problem for DP, then F1 is NOT going to be the place for her to reside. Didn't you hear that tire blankets are going to be banned next year? Even more reason to keep her out of the pinnacle of motorsports.

Ashley Force, so hot! *drool*
Does she have any experience outside dragsters?

[xtlm]

"Does she have any experience outside dragsters?"

I dont think so....I think I heard her saw during an interview that "she would kill danica on a quarter mile, but crash on the first lap of an indycar race"..............or something like that yea....

[Garry Walker]

I hope Danica won`t get a seat in F1, because it would be detrimental to all women racers. Why? Because she simply is nothing special and would be completely destroyed in F1, and everyone would know that she got the seat only due to her sex. It would make people suspicious of other Female racers.

[Les]

well I used to watch Danica in Formula Vauxhall in the UK a few years ago. An absolutley lovely girl but not that good a racer.

[ArrowsFA1]

Why? Because she simply is nothing special and would be completely destroyed in F1, and everyone would know that she got the seat only due to her sex. It would make people suspicious of other Female racers.
Giovanni Amati anyone :)

More seriously, it's great that Danica Patrick has got her first IRL win because she's now a winner, but I don't see that leading to an F1 drive.

[Daniel]

Michele Mouton is 10x the driver Danica is.

[markabilly]

.

When I was younger I wanted to be an astronaut, a baseball player, a football player, and a movie star.
.
when I was younger I wanted to be a sports announcer for the old wide world of sports ala jim mcKay, jet pilot or a photographer for playboy or all three.

Could not see good enough for the pilot job, could not talk good enough for the sports job and could not find any nakked girls who would pose.....but what does DP have that i do not have....weeelll enough PR will get you a drive in F1, if the car maker thinks it will pay off......just look at Marco, Ralfie, a certain japense driver for Williams.......

almost forgot Alex Yoong ........then there is nelson. jr.

[call_me_andrew]

Better on road-courses? Really...? I need to look up some races and see what you're talking about Andrew. If cold tires are a problem for DP, then F1 is NOT going to be the place for her to reside. Didn't you hear that tire blankets are going to be banned next year? Even more reason to keep her out of the pinnacle of motorsports.

Ashley Force, so hot! *drool*
Does she have any experience outside dragsters?

I think driver protesting will make for the continued use of tire warmers.

Well her best finish before winning at Motegi was 2nd at Detroit last year.

I mostly being rhetorical with Ashley Force, but it would be an interesting crossover.

And there's something that a lot of people here need to realize. Just because a person is considering doing something, or would like to do something, it doesn't mean that it will happen. She's also said that she's considering moving to NASCAR someday.

If I made the statement, "I'd like to have one billion dollars," would you drone on and on about how I'm not ready to handle one billion dollars?

http://sts.synflood.de/dump/fun/Stfu.jpg

[Tazio]

:p : or :rolleyes: !

[Tazio]

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/080502102011.shtml

[ArrowsFA1]

Isn't it funny how these stories get presented :crazy: The original story appeared in Autosport magazine, then on Autosport (http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/67043) where the headline is "Patrick interested in F1 test run". Autosport's story is then presented by F1Live as "Honda open to F1 test for Danica Patrick".

So Patrick would like a proper test, and the Honda F1 team would be happy to talk with her about a test. Given that Honda are such big players in the IRL my guess is this will happen at some point. If it does, it'll give us a chance to see how she does in an F1 car. Whether that will be enough to judge how she would go in F1 is doubtful.

[BDunnell]

I hope Danica won`t get a seat in F1, because it would be detrimental to all women racers. Why? Because she simply is nothing special and would be completely destroyed in F1, and everyone would know that she got the seat only due to her sex. It would make people suspicious of other Female racers.

I agree, though I see nothing wrong with giving her a test to see how she does.

[BDunnell]

Michele Mouton is 10x the driver Danica is.

It was a shame her Audi career rather tailed off into nothing from 1983 onwards, not helped by unreliability. Before that she was superb.

It's slightly off topic, I know, but rallying is one branch of motorsport where women have succeeded on merit, including one who did only get her original break as a result of being a woman. Louise Aitken-Walker won the Ford 'Find A Lady Rally Driver' contest, which started her career, but no-one who saw her handling the Group A Peugeot 205 GTi, especially on the 1987 RAC Rally when she was running a spectacular eighth before an off, could have doubted her ability.

I suppose the benchmark in post-war circuit racing has to be Desire Wilson, who was very highly regarded by her regular sportscar team-mate Alain de Cadenet, and of course won a British F1 round. She's still a very fast driver, and bloody aggressive, as demonstrated by her outings at the Goodwood Revival.

All a far cry from the pre-war ladies' races at Brooklands, called things like the 'Powder Puff Handicap' and the 'Ladies' Bracelet Handicap'. The latter was won by Muriel Thompson driving the Austin 'Pobble', incidentally.

[MAX_THRUST]

Honda knows how to grab headlines,

AGR do too

So does little Miss Danica

What sells magazines papers and gets people reading stuff they might not normally?????

Usally a wild headline, or Sex. Danica kinda had the two going for her there, but sadly two weeks later its is often forgotten, A good showing in MAy would be a huge help.

A test in an F1 car just seems to be an award that Honda give if you do well for them, its no garantee.

[Koz]

I have a question...

Driving is a male dominated sport. But in any form of driving, other than the bicycles, does not require all that physical toughness associated with men... So why are there so few women in racing?

And suddenly when a woman does come along, even if she is slower than most male drivers, she is hailed as a great star?
I obviously do not mean Michele Mouton, in any way shape or form, she was great.

I wouldnt be too surprised if a team like SA hired her, I am sure she would generate alot of publicity and pictures, which = $$$ for the team. Just imagine the headlines "Only female in F1, finishes top 15".
I would hate to see that. Now if she did get good results, then its great.

And sure its good that she has aspirations to be in F1, I am sure 90% of the drivers do. (Other 5% in WRC :p ) But she aint coming, and if she does, and it is based on her being a female, and not her driving talent. Then the world will prove again what affermative action is.
However if she gets here on merits like her win in Japan, then its great. But if she or anyone else come to any sport for being a woman or for being of a minority race or anything like that, its absolute crap. I'd much rather see daddy's son here than someone there because of gender or race.

No offence intended to anyone by this post. Sorry if it offends you.

[bontebempo]

is she fit and does she have big tits? Thats whats important!

[Dzeidzei]

is she fit and does she have big tits? Thats whats important!

Well, one very wise man once said: letting women drive is like letting monkeys fly airplanes.

Enough said!


Altho sometimes you get the feeling monkeys are flying the planes... or at least working in the cabin.

[truefan72]

I don't quite see what the big deal is, she would like to drive in F1 but would like to win it in another series first. If she makes it, good for her. If not, she's just like the rest 99% of drivers out there.

My thoughts exactly.

I take nothing away from her well deserved win in Motegi. She played her strategy and won. I remind folks that she's circiling at 218mph around the track just like the other guys for 2 hours.

I remember many victories by other drivers because competitors ran out of fuel or yellow flags were waved ore others crashed out leaving a depleted field. People will make all sorts of excuses to not deal with the reality.

I treat her as an IRL driver and she's finally proven her merit. All this gender bias has more to do with one owns insecurities than the reality of the situation.

[dc10]

My thoughts exactly.

I take nothing away from her well deserved win in Motegi. She played her strategy and won. I remind folks that she's circiling at 218mph around the track just like the other guys for 2 hours.

I remember many victories by other drivers because competitors ran out of fuel or yellow flags were waved ore others crashed out leaving a depleted field. People will make all sorts of excuses to not deal with the reality.

I treat her as an IRL driver and she's finally proven her merit. All this gender bias has more to do with one owns insecurities than the reality of the situation.

Well said.

If they have the talent, why deny female drivers the opportunity to prove it in whatever way they wish. If they dont have what it takes, they wont get into F1, simple as that.

IMO the negative remarks smack of male chauvenism.

[BDunnell]

Well said.

If they have the talent, why deny female drivers the opportunity to prove it in whatever way they wish. If they dont have what it takes, they wont get into F1, simple as that.

IMO the negative remarks smack of male chauvenism.

That's why I said that there's no harm at all in giving her an F1 test.

[Garry Walker]

IMO the negative remarks smack of male chauvenism.

LOL!!!!
Some call it reality.
If you want to set the success women racers back by 10 years, then I am all for it, give Danica a test. She will completely fail and everyone will say she only got it because of her sex, not abilities.

But I would prefer to wait for a woman racer who is actually talented and worthy of an f1 test.

[Tazio]

LOL!!!!
Some call it reality.
If you want to set the success women racers back by 10 years, then I am all for it, give Danica a test. She will completely fail and everyone will say she only got it because of her sex, not abilities.

But I would prefer to wait for a woman racer who is actually talented and worthy of an f1 test. Garry you really hit the nail on the head!
Danica will really have to raise her game to be worth of an n F1 test. I was watching an interview with Justine Wilson Regarding the Indy 500! He was saying it was difficult to adjust from road racing to oval. The other way around is got to be much more difficult. Until Danica can show she can dominate a legit roadracing series why should she be considered for an F1 seat. I find the whole thing silly. I will say in DP defense that she said she knows this. She also said she would like to drive in F1. Not that she is ready!

[BDunnell]

To give an F1 drive to a woman on the basis of anything other than genuine ability would, in my view, be patronising towards women in motorsport. Those who have succeeded in other formulae in the past such as Michele Mouton, Louise Aitken-Walker, Pat Moss and Desire Wilson have done so on the basis of their being every bit as competitive as the men they were up against. If Danica Patrick can prove that, then fine. If not, she shouldn't be allowed into F1, just as men of lesser ability shouldn't be allowed into F1, and increasingly aren't.

[dc10]

To give an F1 drive to a woman on the basis of anything other than genuine ability would, in my view, be patronising towards women in motorsport. Those who have succeeded in other formulae in the past such as Michele Mouton, Louise Aitken-Walker, Pat Moss and Desire Wilson have done so on the basis of their being every bit as competitive as the men they were up against. If Danica Patrick can prove that, then fine. If not, she shouldn't be allowed into F1, just as men of lesser ability shouldn't be allowed into F1, and increasingly aren't.

Agreed :up:

[gloomyDAY]

IMO the negative remarks smack of male chauvenism.Chauvinism? Try mediocrity getting into the ranks of F1.

Let her take a ride. Another gimic is what F1 needs.

[Jag_Warrior]

Paris Hilton and Danica Patrick. There's two people I just cannot hear enough about... :dozey:

[Tazio]

Paris Hilton and Danica Patrick. There's two people I just cannot hear enough about... :dozey: At least Danica has a little talent :dozey:

[Garry Walker]

To give an F1 drive to a woman on the basis of anything other than genuine ability would, in my view, be patronising towards women in motorsport

Reminds me of the so-called "positive discrimination" in USA, which the "minorities" there are quick to support and want

[Tazio]

I wish this story would end. But since it's all over the internet. Fresh faces with basically the same qualified opinion. I just have one problem!
Danica is lightyears away from earning an F1 seat!

Honda team principal Ross Brawn agreed: "We can all see the commercial attraction, how exciting it would be to have a female driver in Formula One," he said.

"I think the key thing is that they can be competitive, because it would be a shame if purely because they were a female driver they got put in the car and couldn't compete properly. If they could compete properly, it would be great."

http://news.sbs.com.au/worldnewsaustralia/patrick_success_could_boost_women_in_f1_546599

Yea' like never! IMHO

[PSfan]

Why can't I shake this feeling/notion, that had Danica's career been nurtured the same way Hamilton's was, that she may not have been in contention for a title her first year, she would have most likely scored a win.

Its a real shame Rahal jumped ship when he did, Champcar would have been a much better proving ground for DP then IRL if the goal was F1. As it stands, I think unless IRL's technical package isn't very similar to F1's come the new car in 2010, then any driver coming from Indycars would probably be better served running a full year as a test driver prior to racing in F1. Also, if she really is serious about F1, then maybe running some A1 races for team USA when there is no conflict with any of her other "commitments" might also help get any road racing rust off cause by running in circles for to long.

[woody2goody]

Danica's on a hiding to nothing. If, for example, she got a race seat in a Honda (alongside Button, LOL), or a Toro Rosso, no doubt the American mass-media and people uneducated about F1, would snigger at her even if she finishes every race and competes well.

If she finished 8th for a point, some people would say 'Oh, look, the woman driver can only get one point'.

If she got into a top car (unlikely), people would say she only got the seat for her gender, regardless of who her teammate is.

I've seen a few IRL races over the last couple of years, but in those ones, especially the road courses, Danica has been roughly 0.3/0.4 behind her team-mates (Castroneves is one I think). She is good, no doubt, but she is in a good team and doesn't seem to be an elite IRL driver.

There is no way that transfers to even a midfield F1 driver. When drivers like Webber, DC, Rubens and Bourdais aren't even in the top 10 F1 drivers, I doubt she could compete right on their level.

To put it in 2008 terms, if she was in the Williams, she would probably qualify behind, maybe infront of Sutil in the Force India. As in good, but not quite good enough. She could be good in GP2, but she would never step back from the limelight. Can you imagine how pissed off some of the GP2 drivers would be if she arrived there, with all the cameras and such.

As much attention wouldn't be lavished on a certain M. Schumacher if he raced GP2!

It's great that Danica has won a race, and fair play to her, but an IndyCar title is her best (albeit unlikely) hope of a championship.

[Tazio]

Why can't I shake this feeling/notion, that had Danica's career been nurtured the same way Hamilton's was, that she may not have been in contention for a title her first year, she would have most likely scored a win.
I agree!


Its a real shame Rahal jumped ship when he did, Champcar would have been a much better proving ground for DP then IRL if the goal was F1. As it stands, I think unless IRL's technical package isn't very similar to F1's come the new car in 2010, then any driver coming from Indycars would probably be better served running a full year as a test driver prior to racing in F1. Also, if she really is serious about F1, then maybe running some A1 races for team USA when there is no conflict with any of her other "commitments" might also help get any road racing rust off cause by running in circles for to long.I think her window for f1 has already passed her by!
If she was a he, she wouldn't get a sniff! But I could be wrong ;)

[Jag_Warrior]

Why can't I shake this feeling/notion, that had Danica's career been nurtured the same way Hamilton's was, that she may not have been in contention for a title her first year, she would have most likely scored a win.

Scored a win where? Rahal "nurtured" her from Barber-Dodge to Atlantics to the IRL. She never scored a win for him. In Atlantics, she had the best of the best equipment. She has won poles and been on the podium from time to time. But what else could have been done to help Danica get a win? She was even given a double super secret assisted steering system to help her win last year. Still no dice. Hamilton has been scoring wins (and winning championships) from the time he raced R/C cars. The only thing that sets Danica apart in the world of racing is that she is Danica and not Daniel.

Unlike other drivers who rise to the top and are spoken of often in F1 circles, Danica has never shown the flashes of racing brilliance that would lead one to think of putting her in an F1 car... except for some sort of feel-good, affirmative action PR spin.

I agree with the last part of your post. But I think Danica believes her own press. At this stage, she would probably think that she's as ready for F1 as she'll ever be, and she shouldnt have to "drop down" to GP2 or A1GP to develop her (lacking) road racing skills. But IMO, from what I've seen of the IRL's current level of talent, GP2 would be a major step up for her. If she can't win against IRL drivers on road courses, GP2 wins would be out of the question, and in F1 (especially with Honda), she'd be downright pitiful.

My WAG is, she'll test the Honda F1 slug. And no matter how bad her times are vs. other drivers (closed private test?), the media will play it up... like with Paris Hilton correctly spelling a word. Then it won't be spoken of again, except to say that she did it.

[Jag_Warrior]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jag_Warrior http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=469768#post469768)
Paris Hilton and Danica Patrick. There's two people I just cannot hear enough about... :dozey:



At least Danica has a little talent :dozey:

Well, Paris has talent too. I'm surprised that the Hoover vacuum cleaner company doesn't stick a decal on her narrow backside.

[BDunnell]

She'll test a Honda F1 slug. No matter how bad her times are vs. other drivers (closed private test?), the media will play it up... like with Paris Hilton correctly spelling a word. And then it won't be spoken of again, except to say that she did it.

Along with the other American drivers who have done F1 tests, and indeed those who have been offered them and not taken them up. And who, frankly, can blame them? It's not as if they haven't had their own opportunities for meaningful success back home.

[Jag_Warrior]

Along with the other American drivers who have done F1 tests, and indeed those who have been offered them and not taken them up. And who, frankly, can blame them? It's not as if they haven't had their own opportunities for meaningful success back home.

I'm trying to think of the American drivers who've had F1 tests and turned a drive down. Not that many have even had tests in the past 10 or 15 years. Al Unser, Jr. did a test with Williams in the early 90's. But he was asked to do at least a partial season of F3000. I believe Jimmy Vasser (in his CART glory days) either had an F1 test or was scheduled to do one, but I don't recall much more than that. We all know what happened to Michael Andretti. Paul Tracy isn't an American, but no matter, since he wasn't offered the Benetton seat anyway (thanks, Herr Schumacher). Marco did a test. No seat was offered. If not for his name, he probably wouldn't even be in the IRL, much less F1.

The only American driver to say that he wouldn't go to F1 after a "test" (PR stunt), that I can think of, is Jeff Gordon. And he wasn't really made a formal offer by Williams or anyone else in F1. Who are the others?

[BDunnell]

More correctly, I suppose, I should have referred to the many American drivers who have felt little or no need to compete in F1. AJ Foyt is the classic example — I don't have my references to hand, but am I correct in thinking that he was entered for a GP in a second Eagle in 1967, possibly the Belgian GP that Gurney ended up winning for the team? Apart from that, I was certainly referring in terms of having tests to Paul Tracy in the North American sense, as well as Al Unser Jr, Jeff Gordon and Rick Mears, and was stupidly forgetting about Bobby Rahal's brief F1 career (which, of course, he chose not to continue when given a chance). I'm sure there's one I've missed, but just can't think of him at this time of night.

[woody2goody]

A lot of this is down to the pound, or the good old fashioned American dollar.

Jeff Gordon, at his peak of winning titles, was courted by a couple of F1 teams, but at the end of the day he can earn two or three times as much in NASCAR, just from prize money. On top of that he will no doubt get sponsorship, and a salary from Hendrick Motorsports.

Back in 01, 02 when he was being considered for/offered an F1 drive, he may have gone straight into a top team, probably Williams. They wouldn't have been able to pay him much more than about £4 or 5 million. In NASCAR he could earn 20m a season.

He wasn't going to give up the most lucrative years of his career in terms of earning power to drive an F1 car, which may not work out for him (admittely a good one).

Even giving him number one driver status wouldn't have probably worked, as the chances are he wouldn't have been as quick out of the box as his team-mate, and that would no doubt have caused friction. Especially with R Schumacher or Montoya as a team-mate.