Nov 23, 2009

Do you know the way Jose?

A couple of months ago, Us F1 co-founder Peter Windsor criticized Formula One for not taking the time to nurture great young U.S. drivers and to give them more opportunity.

It seems that Windsor only took a few weeks to change gears and become part of the F1 establishment he so quickly admonished in August in the pages of Sports Illustrated magazine.

It's funny how $8-million can make those principles more flexible.

News that Argentine driver Jose Maria Lopez has a deal to race with US F1 have been making the rounds over the weekend.

He's a former Renault F1 test driver who raced a couple of years in GP2. His time in the F1 feeder series ended in 2006 after he failed to show that he could win on a regular basis. Lately, he's been driving touring cars in relative obscurity.

One could assume Lopez is one of the drivers with GP2 experience and lots of money that Windsor said they would not hire because they wanted to remain true to their convictions.

Apparently, Lopez needs to find another couple million dollars to secure the seat and, one assumes, diminish the influence of convictions in the driver selection process.

So, it seem that all the U.S. drivers out there that were hoping for a break from US F1 will have to keep hoping. Or pull together $8-million to buy a ride with US F1.

The team plans to make its F1 debut at the March 2010 season opener in Australia.

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