Apparently, the Cypher Group is not the only bunch of former USF1 folks with their eyes still on Formula 1.
Cypher might not even be the big one.
Autosport today is reporting that the man behind Chad Hurley’s efforts to salvage USF1, Parris Mullins, is still looking at a variety of ways to get into F1.
Mullins, according to him, would have become team principal of USF1 if the last-ditch effort to save the team had succeeded.
And, amazingly, that experience didn’t sour him on F1:
“I am part of a project right now that is trying to enter the sport,” Mullins told AUTOSPORT, in his first full-length interview since the end of US F1. “I can’t give away any specifics right now, but I can say I don’t believe a start-up team is possible.
“That is definitely a topic that will be debated for some time until a practical solution is found, but I think personally, given the current state of the sport and its rules, then a competitive start-up team simply isn’t possible.
“This sport is all about knowledge and you need to apply the experience gained from the previous years of competing in the sport, and the team needs to be operating in a cohesive environment.
“I think a great example is the Honda/Brawn situation last year. Here was an existing team that was taken over, the necessary changes were made and it was turned into a championship-winning team the following year. And that is no different from what we have seen in the past – with Red Bull Racing, Force India and Toro Rosso.”
This next quote is key, I think. Three reasons why. 1. Mullins claims USF1 didn’t damage attempts to get F1 into the U.S., a storyline we’ve seen just about everywhere. 2. The fact he says he’s got investors close. And 3, the biggie: It still sounds like he’s singing Peter Windsor’s tune about bringing America to F1, not the other way around.
“We got pretty far along with a lot of different companies and I think there are a great deal of people this side of the pond who want to be involved in F1. And frankly, they are all thinking global – so why not do it in a global sport like this? It reaches so many people all over the world.
“My background is being based in the Silicon Valley area, and I think every major company in Silicon Valley should somehow be involved in F1. It’s not just a sport; it’s a TV show and a lifestyle. I think most companies can find relevant placing within the sport. ”
When asked if his plans have gone as far as getting investors close to committing he said: “I do. The nice thing is that US F1, even though it is such a tragic story, I don’t think it really hurt any attempt from the US to get into F1. There is still talk of having a US Grand Prix, and that can only help. But I think it is really coming down to education.”
At the very least, there apparently is still interest in America in getting Formula 1 here, in a few different ways.
The big question is: Can any of these attempts succeed?
We’ll keep our eyes on this.
