usf1

Easy come, easy go. Only it was anything but an easy arrival for USF1, the highly anticipated and much-hyped American grand prix team that was slated to hit the grid this past weekend for the start of the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. And in the end, much as Bernie Ecclestone predicted, the team failed to make it.

A recent report out of Spain suggests that the USF1 team won't make it to the starting grid in Bahrain and that the team's chances of making it to the next two races are in question, putting the entire season in jeopardy. To make matters worse, rumors are circulating that one of the team's principle backers - YouTube founder Chad Hurley - has pulled his support from the Formula One upstart and that Brian Bonner, a former IndyCar driver and the team's head of business development, is no longer working for the firm, taking a co-director position at B4 Marketing.

Following the culmination of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship, slots were granted to four new teams for the upcoming season. They were all ecstatic about the prospect of dicing it with the likes of McLaren and Ferrari, but not all of them are guaranteed to make it when the flag waves at Bahrain in just a couple months' time. This comes right from the mouth Bernie Ecclestone, F1's notoriously outspoken commercial director.

Rumors have been circulating for months that at least two of the teams - USF1 and Campos Meta - were having trouble finalizing their car designs and getting their houses in order. The other two newcomers - Lotus and Virgin - have hardly been immune to the rumors, either.

Reports circulating the motorsport press indicate that USF1 has signed a provisional contract with Argentine driver Jose Maria Lopez to drive for the new team next season. The arrangement, however, depends on Lopez bringing with him $8 million in sponsorship dollars, of which the young South American reportedly already has 80% in his coffers.

Lopez has experience in formula racing, but has been off the radar for a few years now. After competing in Formula Renault and Formula 3000, Lopez drove a couple of seasons in the GP2 series and even ran some test sessions for Renault F1 . After that, he returned to Argentina, where he competed in local touring cars and in a few international sports car races.

It's on again, off again in the face-paced world of Formula One politics. First the biggest teams in F1 were slated to split off and form their own series. Then everything seemed reconciled, until Max Mosley got all torqued off again and threatened to scuttle the whole deal. It's anyone's guess at this point - we think the one series will be on track for next season - but in the meantime, the FIA issued the official list of entries for 2010.

Remember when F1 teams were independent racing outfits, before the major automakers starting buying them all up? Well, if the Honda/Brawn GP saga and the tightening of budgets at carmaker headquarters around the world are anything to go by, the Formula One world could be back at that stage sooner than you might think. But the next team to bridge that divide will be the nascent USF1 team that's scheduled to join the grid next year. Going the independent route, USF1 is reportedly seriously considering forgoing an engine deal with any of the major manufacturers (Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, Renault, Ferrari) currently in the sport in favor of a partnership with Cosworth.

There will be no USF1 in Formula 1 racing this year - or any year for that matter. A full year before the new American team was set to take to the track in 2010, they have been shot down by the very series they planned to compete in. But before you get too upset and think this is a case of Anti-American bias or something, know that it is just the name that the sanctioning body was objecting to.

Apparently Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management (FOM) weren't overly fond of the use of "F1" in the team's initially stated name. So it's out with USF1 and in with USGPE, which stands for US Grand Prix Engineering. We wouldn't be surprised to hear that Pontiac is now threatening a lawsuit, or perhaps sponsorship.

For those of you unable to watch the official announcement of the USF1 team at noon today, SPEED TV released a quick, five-minute clip of the two principles - Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor - being interviewed. Unfortunately, there was very little information divulged beyond our exclusive report last month. But if you want to see the two men behind USF1, hit the jump. Hat tip to DC!

Danica Patrick just might make it into Formula One after all. The sensational IndyCar driver/Sports Illustrated swimsuit model was previously linked to a potential seat with Honda's F1 team, but those prospects were all but completely dashed when the squad closed up shop. But now the people behind the upcoming USF1 team could give Danica the ticket she deserves.