Q: So exciting to have GM entering F1. However, I must admit that I’m I bit disappointed to see Graeme Lowdon appointed as team principal. Not exactly a great resume. To be honest I was hoping this team would have more of an American flair, maybe some like Otmar Szafnauer or someone at the top of Team Penske. Please convince me this is a good hire.
And, Andretti Global was in the process of building a state-of-the-art facility in Fisher, Ind. What is the status of this building and how will it be tied into the Cadillac F1 team?
Mark, Buffalo
CM: I don’t mind admitting I get on well with Graeme, and he’s been a source of plenty of insight into the progress of the team that we’ve been able to bring to you on RACER. But I also feel his resume is a very good one.
He was a major part of one of the most successful junior teams in racing in Manor Motorsport, and helped it come into F1 in 2010 when there was no cost cap and a huge chasm in funding between the front and back of the grid. The team was known as Virgin, Marussia and then Manor again, and while it disappeared after 2016, just surviving on the grid for the longest of the new entrants was a huge achievement.
Lowdon and team principal John Booth were what you would describe as real racers, and left the team at the end of 2015 to allow new ownership to try and move it forward in the way they wanted, which didn’t align with Lowdon and Booth’s approach at the time.
That tells you he knows exactly how to help a new team establish itself, because he has real-life experience, and it should be a more fruitful task this time around with the resource of GM but also the cost cap and current structure of F1 regulations. He’s also extremely well-connected within the F1 paddock, which will be important for GM’s project.
Regarding the Fisher factory, I believe that is still being constructed as planned and it will be one of four bases that are used by the Cadillac team along with Charlotte — where a power unit department is being built — Warren, Michigan, and Silverstone where the cars will be based during the season for logistical reasons.
Q: While it’s safe to say that the prospect of Finnish excellence in rallying is in good form with the consistent excellence of Kalle Rovanpera, I am not confident of that on the racetrack. Tero Palmroth’s program for future Indy talent is interesting and so is Ferrari Academy’s interest in Tuukka Taponen. As I write this on Finnish Independence Day of Dec. 6, which is more likely to bear good fruit?
Otto, Laukaa, Finland
CM: It’s a good question, Otto, because we were discussing the loss of a Finn on the F1 grid after last weekend as Valtteri Bottas exits Sauber. It’s the first time there hasn’t been one since 1989, so really does mark the end of an era in many ways. And as you point out, there’s not one on the horizon in F2 as it stands.
That makes Taponen the closest one on the F1 ladder in F3, and he had a good year in FRECA last year to finish third — a few too many retirements keeping him out of title contention — while also winning the Formula Regional Middle East title. He got a bit of F3 experience as well at Spa, so I’d be looking for him to be a top 10 driver in F3 next year.
You also probably don’t need me to say the name Robin Raikkonen to you, and he’s a lot further away from even racing cars, but he has proven to be rapid in karts and obviously has plenty of avenues and support for him to progress to the top level, too.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, December 9, 2014
Q: I wanted to say I agree with you about 98% of the time and read almost every article you put out, but saying Jean-Eric Vergne in IndyCar wouldn’t sell a single ticket would be a bit of an exaggeration.
Most U.S. F1 fans that I’ve talked to about it, myself included, would be interested in seeing a fairly talented F1 driver racing in IndyCar and JEV certainly qualifies as fairly talented. He was pretty much the equal of Daniel Ricciardo when they were teammates and look how he made the four-time champ look average this season. I’d also add that neither Alexander Rossi nor Conor Daly are anywhere near the level of driver that JEV is.
I know we need more talented American drivers but Rossi and Daly are certainly not Hunter-Reay or Newgarden no matter how much we wish they were.
Rob Dixon
ROBIN MILLER: Thanks Rob, but I must warn you that if you agree with me 98 percent of the time then you likely need some kind of medication. Or a CAT scan. But I appreciate your sentiments and while you are the first fan to write about JEV, I’m sure there are several F1/IndyCar fans that would welcome him. I guess my point is that unless he starts winning like Zanardi or Montoya, it won’t mean squat in terms of an impact in media and the box office. I know, before they became CART stars, we didn’t know much about them either, but you have to remember they drove for the best team at the time. And Rossi and Daly might be able to get to Ryan Hunter-Reay’s stature if given the same opportunity. My theory is that we desperately need to try and make some American stars that resonate with the general public before we worry about most guys left behind by F1.