News expected on U.S.-based F1 team

Hoping to learn more about the new Charlotte-based Formula One team, this is what I found initially: USF1 is upstream transcription factor 1, a human gene.

Not much, but at least it’s a start. And Danica Patrick still could drive, right?

There’s been more media coverage so far about a potential role for Patrick, a one-race winner in the IndyCar Series, than the fact that USF1 hopes to put the first U.S.-built cars on a grand prix grid in two decades.

Social significance 1, historical perspective 0.

USF1 plans to begin racing in 2010. The principals are former Haas CNC Racing technical director Ken Anderson and journalist Peter Windsor. Haas CNC was the NASCAR team that morphed into Stewart-Hass racing with the arrival of former Cup champion Tony Stewart. Windsor is perhaps best-known for his work with Speed TV's F1 coverage.

Windsor has told several reporters the team would prefer to have American drivers and interest in testing with Patrick has been voiced. However, the popular driver said she is happy in IndyCar and – as of late last week – had not spoken with USF1 principals.

Motorauthority.com early Tuesday cited a Toronto Star report that NASCAR standout Kyle Busch would be "a shoo-in" for a USF1 seat. Scott Speed, a NACAR rookie with 28 starts in Formula One, has also been mentioned, as has Marco Andretti, grandson of the last American world champion, Mario Andretti.

Windsor told The Independent that decisions on engines and drivers are still some distance down the road.

Autoblog has reported that the team will promote American technology and its cars will be designed and built in Charlotte. It will have a European annex at Azkoitia, Spain, sharing facilities with the Epsilon Euskadi Racing Team.

“We finally achieved our investment goals … and have the money to do what we want to do,” Windsor told The Independent.

“We will be a lean and mean operation and will viciously control the head count. We always said that we would officially go public once we started to hire people. That moment has arrived.”

Windsor has said an aim is to market the operation as an alternative to NASCAR. The headquarters of Speed TV in Charlotte – where considerable NASCAR programming originates – was scheduled to host USF1’s formal announcement and news conference at noon Tuesday.