multi21

Danica makes a good living in the roundy round series where even start and park drivers can earn 6 figures, but in the dog eat dog world of F1.... it ain't going to be pretty....

Gene Haas says Danica Patrick would be his “dream driver” to be paired with a more experienced team-mate when his team enters F1.

Haas is set to enter F1 in 2016 after conceding that next season does not allow him to prepare the team fully, with talks ongoing about using Ferrari powertrains and getting Dallara to supply parts. Speaking to the official Formula One website, Haas said he had already been considering drivers and had an ideal candidate in mind.

“Danica Patrick in one of our cars would be the dream driver…” Haas said.

“The question was about the dream driver! But she surely fits the bill. She is a woman in a man's sport - that would attract a lot of attention. She weighs about 50 kilos - which these day sounds fantastic - so indeed she's got a lot of attributes that would be good to have.”

And when Haas was asked if he could look to put a female driver in one of the seats, he replied: “Definitely.

“But realistically the first driver is going to be a current F1 driver who knows the ins and outs of the sport, to help us sort out what we have to do and who can give a lot of feedback. In that mould would be driver number one. Driver number two would be American.”

Acknowledging how tough it will be to run a team from the US, Haas says it is still his aim but conceded it makes sense to have some form of factory also located in Europe.

“I think in this age of communication so much can be done on the Internet. Our base will always be Kannapolis, North Carolina. We plan to run a small shop in Europe where the cars come in and are refurbished and worked on, but the main facilities for building and design will be Kannapolis.”

PPo

It has nothing to do with being female, male, transgender, or whatever... IMHO There are many other drivers who should be offered a ride in a new F1 team before Danica. So many choices... I would bet Katherine Legge, or Simona De Silvestro may even be better choices considering their Euro heritage and familiarity with the tracks etc.

LuigiVampa

As much as I can't stand Danica (to put it mildly) there would be no better way to finance Haas' entry in F1. The sponsorship dollars she would bring would be enormous. She could share tampons with Massa as they seem to whine and complain about things equally.

Land Jet

She can't win anywhere, but she can bring the big sponsor money. Haas has sold his soul, if he hires her I hope his team fails.

The FIA can also mandate 2 cylinder engines with passenger car exhausts for her debut.

Kein_Ersatz

As Crashtor Maldonado proves every time he takes the track lately, it is all about the monies and DP will bring the money and the US hype for a US team. Haas knows what he is doing. A Haas team will be back of the pack for the first few years, so DP will get the coverage and sponsorship dollars like a front of the pack team from the underdeveloped US market. Especially for now, as the Ferrari powertrain is not the one to have.

PPo

Right... stupid me! I thought you would want a driver that could compete and develop the car.

I am not saying Danica is without skill, she is certainly faster then me, but I think there are better drivers our there to help a starting F1 team... if you ignore the $$$ they bring in... damn I always make that mistake...

Veloce Raptor

While all y'all are yammering and prattling away...

Land Jet

And that is totally unrelated to her ability to win races, so who is prattling?

baddogz28

Danica would generate huge $$$, but if it were me, I'd look at Hulkenberg as the 1 and Rossi as the two.

jakermc

Starting a team is all about the $$$, just ask Peter Windsor. The goal of a start-up F1 team is not to compete, its just make it to the grid! Competing and winning comes much later. DP is probably his best shot of of actually entering a race and and certainly a smart choice from a business perspective. Can't develop a car without $$$, no matter how good the driver is.

Us amateurs see racing as a hobby. Haas understand that F1 racing is a business. Expect him to make very different decisions than you would.

Land Jet

Then he's better off signing the driving son of some billionaire than Little Miss 23rd.

ZAPmobile

+1, could not have said it better!

Veloce Raptor

Says who?

You?

z06801

I think she was more at home driving the LMP2 car, had she stayed in sports car racing would everybody take her more serious?

NaroEscape

Completely agree. All us 'fans' lose site that, in reality, all of the sports we love are just a business venture. Some are done as a 'hobby' from some rich guy that wants to race (see Flying Lizard), some want it to be somewhat self financing and be a legitimate business (see TRG). Winning, while always a goal, is not always the IMMEDIATE goal.

As with any start-up business (which is exactly what the Haas F1 team is) the first goal is to be financially self sustaining, not necessarily to be 'the best' in the marketplace they are entering. Winning comes with time and experience. First...they need to get on the grid and that takes a lot of $$$$$