Testing for BAR this week...

[MichaelC]

Just read on ITV Teletext (yes, someone actually does read that) that Bjorn Wirdheim and Townsend Bell will be testing for BAR soon.
Wirdheim I can understand, it's normal to give the F3000 champion some hope of something, even if they end up nowehere, sorry I mean CART, but I thought that what happened was CART took the F1 rejects, not the other way around? Has Mr Bell got some money or some talent that I've overlooked??

[neilap]

They are teammates arn't they? Also I think BAR has some ties with the team. As for Mr. Bell's talents, I think he is decent. He needs to learn the tracks more quickly so he can qualify well. Bj has been there for awhile now, right?

[Jordi]

MichaelC: nowhere = CART = what Jacques, JPM and Cristiano won?

[Snrub]

IMO Bell seems to be a pretty decent driver. Needs more experience. Is he the best guy for the BAR job? Probably not. Then again nowadays we expect young drivers/rookies to be nearly as good as seasoned veterans.

F1 rejects eh? Let's see, Nig the year after he won F1. Emmo & Mario. Losers alright. Zanardi, but he proved he was much better then his F1 experience would indicate, although not as good as his best CART season would suggest or most CART fans think.

[GP Racer]

Hey MichaelC, your talking about CART, the series where drivers have proper slicks on there cars, they have to shift gears manually, no traction control, or launch control, and race on road, street, and oval courses. Rejects my as#!

Now back to the question, T Bell does have some decent talent, and he has fully committed himself to an F1 career, he's living in Europe, and learning the tracks and all it takes to make it in F1. He is easily the most committed American to come along in quite some time, and I think its fair to say, that F1 would like to see an American in the series.

As an American F1 fan, I am rooting hard for Townsend to succeed!

[BootsOntheSide]

Bjoprn was won the 2003 F300 title impressively, as we know, and F3000 champions should be getting a chanc in F1.

Bell is older, but newer to Europe. His raceday form in F3000 was impressive but he suffered form not knowing the tracks, as F3000 doesn't allow much time to learn them. Rookies rarely challenge for that title anyway.

As for Bell's time in CART, he was in a one-car team with a lot of expectation around him. He was perfectly fast but made too many mistakes. It was only the pressure to get results that removed him from the drive mid-season.

[corkholio]

Originally posted by BootsOntheSide
As for Bell's time in CART, he was in a one-car team with a lot of expectation around him. He was perfectly fast but made too many mistakes. It was only the pressure to get results that removed him from the drive mid-season.

Really? I thought he got fired when Pat Patrick found out that Townsend is the proud owner of an evil American passport.

Anyways it is just a test, F1 tests often lead to nothing. Townsend may never be F1 material but he wouldn't even be the worst driver ever to test for BAR, that distinction will belong to Patrick Lemarie.

[R]

Cart is nowhere near as good now as it was when Jacques, JPM, or even Cristiano won the series.

I think Townsend Bell is underrated by many. It's great that he gets this chance, and yes, F1 should have an American driver. As for Wirdheim, it's only fair that he gets this test, given his F3000 title which he won in style (bar his Monaco hickup).

[TeddyG]

oh no! not more guys JV has to worry about stealing his ride next year

[R]

Hell, if he's in a BAR next year too, I'll stop supporting him. He needs to get out of there and renew his career - it has been stuck in a rut for far too many years.

[Avid Merrion]

Townsend Bell has huge amounts of talent . Id love to see him F1 in the future

[MichaelC]

I don't deny that Wirdheim deserves a drive, but I don't know alot about Townsend Bell.
From what I heard he won Indy Lights easily, came into CART and got booted out again quickly for crashing too much!
As a fan of pretty much all things American, I hope that he does well and does get into F1. It needs an American driver, ideally one there on merit rather than one being underwritten by Red Bull.

[neilap]

I doubt either will have a race seat. The best they can hope for in BAR is a test drive. If T Bell gets the spot it would be good for PR. However, who would he replace? He would be stuck behind JB and Sato for awhile. Maybe if Sato ditches the car a few more times and Ant moves to Jag then he may get a chance. All this assuming JV does not return.

Too many factors...

As for Wirdheim didn't it take him 3 years? Also he is scarred for life with the Monaco incident. He has been fast but he is with a good team and really has not raced anyone. T Bell has done a lot of racing. He may not have been at the front of the pack but he has been better than some that have been there longer than he has.

[GP Racer]

Originally posted by TeddyG
oh no! not more guys JV has to worry about stealing his ride next year

Hey TeddyG, I think you'll be more devastated if JV loses his ride at BAR than JV himself!

[TeddyG]

Originally posted by R
Hell, if he's in a BAR next year too, I'll stop supporting him. He needs to get out of there and renew his career - it has been stuck in a rut for far too many years.

Oh believe me I agree but it just doesn't seem like there is anywhere else for him to go (I still believe Renault is his best shot - despite Briatore's comments). For sure JV has wasted his career at BAR but they are the second best Bridgestone team now and with Geoff Willis and Honda picking things up I really think they will be a great team next year and it would be a shame if JV leaves for a lesser team just as BAR really starts challenging.

If I was JV and had the option of staying at BAR the only other seats I would take would be Renault, Williams, or McLaren, the rest are just as risky or much worse teams than BAR.

[TeddyG]

Originally posted by GP Racer
Hey TeddyG, I think you'll be more devastated if JV loses his ride at BAR than JV himself!

Well it all depends where he ends up...but yeah I'll probably be more excited/disappointed than JV will be whether he gets a Williams/Renault/McLaren ride or is booted out of F1

[kimi020]

Wirdheim I can understand, it's normal to give the F3000 champion some hope of something, even if they end up nowehere, sorry I mean CART

Montoya- Driving for Williams
Nick Hieldfeld- Sauber
Justin Wilson-Jaguar

[Alx]

Originally posted by neilap

As for Wirdheim didn't it take him 3 years?

This year was his second in F3000. So 2.

[neilap]

Oh, thanks. I thought the guys on Speed said this was his third year.

[zetta]

[QUOTE]Originally Posted by BootsOnTheSide:
Bell is older, but newer to Europe. His raceday form in F3000 was impressive but he suffered form not knowing the tracks, as F3000 doesn't allow much time to learn them. Rookies rarely challenge for that title anyway.[B][QUOTE]

Montoya almost won it in his first year (97). He lost to Zonta for 1 point ot something like that. He won it in 98, his second (and last) year in F3000.

[MichaelC]

Originally posted by kimi020

Montoya- Driving for Williams Eventually, after they sent him to CART first
Nick Hieldfeld- Sauber Fair enough. Although Mercedes had to shoe-horn him into Prost to ensure he went somewhere
Justin Wilson-Jaguar After going nowhere, until he was bailed out by the Dallara Nissan World Series (which I thought was a baseball championship...)

[b.luther]

All of this F1 Needs an American non-sense/junk should stop. I am an American and I would like a driver in F1 worse than ever. Although unless there is an American that is well enough prepared to be competitive in F1 I hope we don't have one. I would rather support a young driver with a chance at succeeding from a different country than a back of the grid Bryan Herta at Minardi.

[neilap]

I know we are straying from the topic but even if he started in a Minardi he could be taken by a bigger team if he does well, ala Webber and now Wilson. For the most part I agree with you though. If the American is going to be a back marker it may have a more adverse than positive effect here.