Ecclestone "requests" USF1 name change, US Grand Prix Engineering born
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.
Just for clarification, Formula 1 has allowed "F1" in a team's name, but only if the word "Team" is also used. The lone exception is Williams, which officially goes by WilliamsF1. In related news, Force India was asked to revise their logo because "FI" looks too much like "F1". The team will now use a lowercase "i" in the logo to avoid confusion with the series. Got all that? So USF1 is now USGPE and Force India is now using "Fi" instead of "FI". Thanks for the tip, Ryan!
[Source: F1-Live]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ChaoZ 1:11PM (3/06/2009)
Is this Bernie fellow a prick or what?
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hyundaifans.com 11:23PM (3/06/2009)
No doubt he is. Max is close behind him.
kellytom 12:14AM (6/05/2009)
You are much too kind.
Mazda FTW! 1:10PM (3/06/2009)
So India has to be low-case? That's weird.
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refugee7 2:51PM (3/06/2009)
I would have personally gone with FIn
Jake 1:15PM (3/06/2009)
This seems pretty silly to me. Did they hire someone from Apple who came up with all this crap?
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Jake B 1:29PM (3/06/2009)
Probably, Apple is good at squeezing every last dollar out of people that do business with them.
Carlos 1:16PM (3/06/2009)
When is this jackass going to die already?
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larry a 3:42PM (3/06/2009)
Seriously, and that USF1 logo was awesome, what a shame..
Aspherical 1:26PM (3/06/2009)
USF1 sounds so much better than US-Gippie...
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RetardedSparks 1:32PM (3/06/2009)
What a bunch of boobs. The Bernie and Max show is a total embarrassment to anytihing ever called a sport. "Can't use F1. oh except if it's "Team" F1, oh and except if you're Williams, but really, other than that, the rule is pretty clear, right?"
F! is a total circus. They make p and enforce racing rules as they go along, they change the car ules every 30 minutes in the interest of "cost savings' no, wait it's "environmental concern" no, wait, that's expensive, now it's "cost savings" again...
As far USF1 or, GPE or USWTF, it doesn't matter. I give them about 3 races running dead last before they run out of money and interest.
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Joe 1:37PM (3/06/2009)
USAWTF FTW!
don 1:35PM (3/06/2009)
I think Bernie and Max should change the name of F1 to F.U. because thats what theve been doing to teams and fans since they got into it.
Evildoers!
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Kattleox 1:43PM (3/06/2009)
Well, I think the french will probably sue next, for use of their language. We'll have to change it to "US Big Prize Engineering" but NASCAR fans will take offense for the use of "Big" in a way so as to mock them, and chemists will be mad for emphasis on engineering over thermodynamics and stuff. Then it'll be "US Prize Science" and WHO wants to watch mail vans race in the "USPS"?
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cdwrx 1:46PM (3/06/2009)
I'm sure Sir Frank is so pleased to keep his F1 that he almost smiled.
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Phil M 1:56PM (3/06/2009)
Just change it to "USF1 Team" then. It's much better than USGPE!
Freaking federation is so nitpicky....
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exkart 4:14PM (3/06/2009)
that's what I was thinking US Team F1 sounds way better than USGPE. I mean wtf is that, it sounds almost inferior.
Shawn 2:01PM (3/06/2009)
Formula One Management doesn't even own a trademark on F1. But that doesn't stop them from acting like they do. But I guess it's best not to piss off Bernie. He who holds the purse strings holds the power (That must be hardcore emasculating for Max Mosley, but you know, he likes that ;-) ). There's more on what FOM actually owns on grandprix.com
http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns21223.html
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Verytuscan 2:50PM (3/06/2009)
Calm down folk!
The US team wouldn't last a season anyway; no matter how you call it.
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chairman 3:09PM (3/06/2009)
USF1 should have taken this opportunity to rename itself Team America.
Frack, yeah!
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