Oliver WhiteDanica Patrick has finally spoken some more about the USF1 project, made official by Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor last week on Speed TV. Danica, who has been put on USF1’s list of possible candidates for one of the drives, said that although she is still yet to receive a communication from the new team, a move from IndyCar to Formula One would require very careful consideration. Something many of BlogF1’s readers felt last week when USF1’s Anderson commented about the American racer.
Despite only winning one race in IndyCar so far and having been soundly beaten by her team mates, Patrick is still an interesting driver for many teams because of the marketability of the young lady. Being one only a few female drivers, and not afraid to speak her mind, Patrick brings a lot of interest wherever she goes. The photographs published in Sports Illustrated recently do little to discourage attention.
However, Danica is very aware of what a move from one discipline to another may do to her career, and while she is performing okay in IndyCar, a move to Formula One could very easily be disastrous as it could be spectacular. Patrick is concerned of making the move only to find the car she is in is hopelessly off the pace, leading to criticism and possible embarrassment.
I don’t believe that it’s very productive to lead people on if it’s not something that I’m interested in because you’re really opening yourself up then.
What if you go and do it and it doesn’t go ideally or perfect and you don’t set the world on fire? Then all of a sudden all you did was just open yourself up to criticism.
So I would think about it and I would check the schedule, and we’ll cross that bridge if it ever comes. Danica Patrick.
Danica Patrick’s contract with her current emplyer, Andretti Green Racing, ends at the close of the 2009 season, meaning that at the moment, Danica is free to move for 2010, the proposed entry year for USF1. It is probably likely that Patrick will test a USF1 car when one has been built, but thinking about the competitiveness of all previous new teams in Formula One, Danica may very well decide not to join (if a drive is offered). At least, not in the team’s first season anyway.
So she is saying she is interested but would have to be paid plenty in case she is not up to the job or the car is so bad it affects her reputation and earning potential.
Either way, I think it always boils down to money. Money that I think was generally agreed upon in the previous post that Danica doesn’t necessarily deserve given her results so far.
Is anyone really interested in Danica apart from her ability to draw page hits?
If it’s page hits I was after, I would talk about a more obscure driver – the competition on Google would be less fierce.
Actually I am interested in Danica because of her attitude towards Formula One in comparison to others. I’m not saying anyone is right or wrong, but comparing her to someone like Sebastien Bourdais is interesting.
Bourdais saw Formula One as his sort of top-rung on the motor sporting ladder. The Frenchman tested previously, and eventually found his way into the series. Sebastien gave up an awful lot by coming into Formula One, especially as the team he signed for were pretty much nowhere at the time, and may not be anywhere this year. His Champ Car team was obviously quite successful!
Danica, on the other hand, is hesitant about F1 and doesn’t see the series as the sort of mecca that others see it as. Danica appears to want to stay in IndyCars, do her thing there and be safe in the knowledge that her career will probably be a successful and long one.
No one is right, no one is wrong, but the attitudes between the pair are interesting to me. Therefore, I will speak about them as I just did. 🙂
This article shows that Ollie, and most of the rest of you, are getting to the thing about Danica that everyone forgets- she’s quite happy in the IndyCar series.
Indeed, for most drivers, getting to F1 is the best. But Danica is so big on showmanship outside the car, F1 would probably be more aggrivation than anything else for her. She’s quite happy running around in the middle of the pack in an IndyCar, as long as she’s still doing Godaddy.com ads and appearing in the Sports Illistrated Swimsuit Edition.
One of the big differences between Danica and Bourdais is country of origin. Fact is that in the USA, F1 isn’t as big as Indy Car. If Danica wants to continue to make a name for herself as a marketable property, she would be best to stay in America, and probably make the jump to NASCAR at some point, the undisputed heavy-weight champion of American car racing.
I think she is being quite sensible. I’ve written before about my thoughts re Patrick moving to F1, and the fact remains that it has the potential to blow up in her face far more than for any other (male) driver.
It’s not a decision to take lightly, and seems as though she will only make the move if and when the timing is right.
Danica Patrick is at best a second rate Indycar driver. Her only claims to fame have come from being in the right place at the right time. I call that “luck” and not “skill”. For her to even be considered for an F1 ride reflects more about the novelty of her presence than the level of her abilities. The only young American driver who is worthy of F1 consideration is Kyle Busch. He is winning and more importantly dominating all who he races against. I would be curious to see what he could do with a current F1 car. Young Andretti, young Rahal and Danica Patirck have barely made their mark in Indycar racing so what justifies them even being considered for something like Formula One. Prove you can win regularly and wait for the call.
Basically, what Ollie is saying is, is that he wants someone better than Louise Goodman to look at when he watches F1 on the TV. No disrespect to Louise, of course, a fine figure of a lady she is. But I hear DC has already sewn that one up. (Ollie apologises to girlfriend of DC and mother of their child.)
True. I’m sure money has already come into it. And if it hasn’t, it certainly will. America is Danica’s market. Although there would arguably be less competition in Europe (if you consider F1 to be European as IRL is American), the actual markets are very different. And I’m sure Patrick is well aware of that.
Indeed. You said something similar in a previous post and I agree. The knock-on effects of Danica driving an uncompetitive car will have consequences not just on Patrick’s career.
I like that. I like that comment. Thank you Steven. 🙂
Thing is, if USF1 are going to go down the route of an all-American line-up for their first season (which they have since hinted at as something they might not do), who do you pick? Kyle Busch, as you say, is someone who might fit the bill. But who else would do well in Formula One. The choices are somewhat limited.