USF1 -- F1's All-American Challenger

[spacepig]

Bernie sure does know how to --- in a punchbowl. Why is he still around again?

[vasia]

So with the rumor that USF1 may choose Ferrari or Toyota engines, it will be interesting to see what they go with. Word is that they are leaning towards Toyota engines for the sponsorship and marketing benefits in the US.

[Conceptual]

I have to say that if USF1 happens to pick up all of the disgruntled Junior F1 engineers that left their jobs because they weren't allowed to participate in the design of upgrades (the test-only guys that know more than anyone else), and USF1 lets them run their own space, you could see the best of each car on the USF1 challenger next year.

the ones which lost their jobs just were not good enough.

with all respect to test guys (I worked with quite a few, not in F1 for clarity, and I respect them as they are important part of the development team) they are not the ones who know more than anybody else. the fact that you can run the tests does not mean you know how to create successful design.

usually its design engineer (the one who signs the drawings) job to define tests requirements, and to interpret the results.

From what I have learned from one of these employees, is that it is not that they are not good enough, it is that you are not allowed to make your boss look bad by finding a solution before he does. I have held several positions like this myself (none for very long), and I honestly believe that there is deffinately a culture of job protectionism in the staff-cutting phase that F1 is currently in.

Give me the misfits that are loud, in your face, cocky and brilliant any day. I have a knack of synergizing them with their task and making mountains out of ashes.

There are several instances of that on my resume, too bad that there is just no place willing to let it happen.

I hate corporate micromanagement.........*puke*

[xpensive]

Interesting that, my xperience from doing engineering work on both sides of the Atlantic is that said attitude, seeing threats rather than possibilities, is very much an American speciality. Not in any way unknown here either, but I never seen such blatant xamples of management "Cover your ass" and "Stealing credit" as in the US.

As for Toyota being the engine supplier, I doubt it when I think Cosworth was a pre-condition for the new teams?

[jon-mullen]

Interesting that, my xperience from doing engineering work on both sides of the Atlantic is that said attitude, seeing threats rather than possibilities, is very much an American speciality. Not in any unknown here either, but I never seen such blatant xamples of management "Cover your ass" and "Stealing credit" as in the US.

It happens in droves over here (don't know about other places) and it's nothing new, I've heard my folks complain about it for years now. I myself got in trouble at my $7.25/hr work study job for taking a long lunch to buy a Firewire cable that I couldn't do my job without, with my own money. My boss said "I told you to use the shorter one I brought in until Mary talks to purchasing and they talk to the bursar and he talks to the president and blah blah bureaucratic reasons for not doing work blah!" and threatened to fire me! I said "You mean the one with the wrong number of pins...?" People get fat and complacent on their bureaucratic titles and stop worrying about getting results, then get threatened by people trying to actually produce. She's still convinced I'm trying to undermine her; I'm just trying to get my pittance and go home.

Atleast it makes nice fodder for the Dilbert cartoons.

Give me the misfits that are loud, in your face, cocky and brilliant any day.

Reporting for duty?

[xpensive]

Dilbert can be awesome! My favourite is this image of what "team-work" really is.

A big meeting where everybody is thinking the same thing; "I didn't do it".

[noname]

Interesting that, my xperience from doing engineering work on both sides of the Atlantic is that said attitude, seeing threats rather than possibilities, is very much an American speciality. Not in any way unknown here either, but I never seen such blatant xamples of management "Cover your ass" and "Stealing credit" as in the US.

after more than 6 years of working for one of the biggest US corporation (advertising itself as a technology leader, even if they can not make anything right) I have to agree with Xpensive. as well as with Conceptual in his hate of corporate micromanagement.

I guess the reason is US moved into financial "engineering" where only allowable creativity is creative accountancy.

sad, as there are still a lot of great engineers.

[marcush.]

this is just the same in Germany , at least in OEM Automotive ....

[Ray]

You're all wrong. Every single one of you. I've found one of the drivers USF1 is going to use next year, courtesy of Corvette Racing.

[mx_tifoso]

It's 'The Stig's' overweight American cousin!

...with diabetes and high cholesterol of course.

[xpensive]

I hear USF1 is actually devastated over cancelling of KERS, having spent all that time perfecting their rubber-band system.

[jddh1]

It's 'The Stig's' overweight American cousin!

...with diabetes and high cholesterol of course.

and I thought it was the Michelin Man.

[StrFerrari4Ever]

We talk about F1 cars generating 2800KG of downforce Imagine the pressure The Slug is generating on his knee's I'll be surprised if he lives another 2 Weeks

[modbaraban]

He should be very good in monsoon conditions, just won't aquaplane.

[jon-mullen]

USF1 finally gets some real recognition from the press in the New York Times. I hope they can get some people interested enough to watch the end of this season and get a real fanbase for the sport over here before they have to line up on the grid.