USF1 Driver Candidates

At yesterday's press conference, Peter Windsor, who is one-half of the USF1 leadership, listed a number of possible American drivers for the team in 2010. Here they are, in the order in which Windsor listed them.

The young upstarts (read: not quite ready for prime time):
1. Alexander Rossi: Born in 1991. Formula BMW America and World winner, 2008.
2. Conor Daly: Age 17. Derek Daly's son.
3. Josef Newgarden: Born in 1990. About equal in skill to Daly.
4. Gabby Chaves: This kid looks like he's 14. Parents are from Colombia. Another JP Montoya in the making? Let's hope not.

These kids, even if they have the talent, need at least another two to four years before they are ready for Formula One. USF1 can take them under its wings like McLaren did with Hamilton, but they will not be ready to drive in 2010.

The maybes:
5. Jonathan Summerton: Moderately successful in A1 racing for Team USA. He would finish behind a Super Aguri car, if it still existed.
6. Scott Speed: The only thing he's got going is that he has relatively recent F1 experience. And that is the ONLY thing. Still, it may be enough to get a shot at a seat.
7. Kyle Busch: A young and talented NASCAR driver. I know nothing about NASCAR so I can't comment on his skills or chances of success in F1.
8. Danica Patrick: As a race fan and a feminist, I can't take her seriously when 80% of the pictures out there of her have her in a bikini or a towel. She'll get plenty of attention if she's hired, but not because she's talented at driving. As a publicity stunt, hiring her would only mean the loss of all credibility for USF1.
9. Marco Andretti: (Actually, it was Bob Varsha who mentioned Marco while interviewing Mario at the press conference, so I don't think Marco technically belongs on this list.)
10. Graham Rahal: Windsor mentioned his name much later in the press conference. I think this kid has a shot.

Apparently, Windsor will be holding interviews at a Charlotte area Starbucks. So get your camera phones ready, North Carolinians!

Update: It looks like the team may go for F1 experience after all. Top on the list is Alex Wurz. Less likely is Jacques Villeneuve.