All-American F1 Team to Be Based in North Carolina

The first all-American Formula 1 team that is likely to make its debut in the series from as early as 2010 will be based in North Carolina. The news was reported by the Charlotte Observer and ThatsRacin.com on Sunday, with the official announcement due to be made by the team management in a few days.

Part-owner Ken Anderson has already told the media via a telephone interview that he and partner Peter Windsor are looking at several buildings in Charlotte to use as headquarters for the soon-to-be-built team.

Not only Anderson revealed where the new team is likely to be based, but he also assured North American F1 fans that the team will start the 2010 campaign with 2 American racers. According to the aforementioned source, the team is to officially sign one of the two drivers in the weeks to come.

“We are looking at a couple of buildings in Charlotte, including one in the University (City) area,” said Anderson, who continued by lobbying for American drivers: “not many people here know much about it, but there are talented Americans in Europe doing very well right now.”

In terms of F1 technology, the future team will most likely use Anderson's co-owned Windshear Inc.'s wind tunnel (capable of testing cars at up to 180 mph), based on Concord, North Carolina. Also, most of the components that are to be used for building an F1 car are already manufactured in the US, so that could only help the team in terms of reducing costs.

Anderson insisted that the presence of a team that represents the US nation in Formula 1 is more than necessary, since the Great Circle has recently turned its head from the North American continent when axing both the US and Canada Grand Pris off its schedule.

“All of the teams' sponsors want a presence here and American companies are going global. Formula One is the biggest television show in the world, bar none,” concluded Anderson.