Gary Anderson on Cosworth and the 2010 New Teams, Exclusive to F1B

Friday, Formula1Blog posted an interview with legendary Formula1 and IndyCar car designer and team manager Gary Anderson.  He has worked with Bernie Eccelstone at Brabham, Eddie Jordan in the early and competitive stages of JordanGP, Jackie Stewart at StewartGP, and even did a stint in IndyCar before returning to F1, helped bring Michael Schumacher to his first F1 GP at Jordan, and now works as a consultant with Dallara.  The interview can be listened to in its entirety here at F1B, but his comments on the future of F1 in the hands of Cosworth engines and privateer racing teams deserve highlighting in print.

When asked about the recent push by former FIA president Max Mosley to add plenty of privateer teams to the grid in 2010, and how the new teams will fair with their Cosworth engines and in these difficult economic times Anderson noted that, amongst the engines running in 2009, there was only a twenty to twenty-five horsepower spread, and that Cosworth would fit into that range, but not be at the bottom of it, for 2010.  He suspects that “on the back of the right chassis… [the Cosworth] can do a solid job.”  Anderson suggests, as has the Williams team itself, that Williams should be the benchmark for the new teams with its previous F1 design experience combined with the new Cosworth engines.

Discussing the new teams added to the F1 grid for 2010, however, he is not so magnanimous.  Anderson is clearly skeptical (while seemingly loving the idea of teams whose sole purpose is to go racing) that the new teams will manage to scrape together the $75 million or so he feels necessary for a current F1 team to “survive in Formula1,” when “it’s not just the new teams looking for the money,” and the already-established teams are using their networks to gather sponsors as well.  Of course, Anderson also noted that it is very difficult for the big manufacturer teams to stay in F1, as “the big problem with the manufacturer team is that is that it [the money] comes from one sponsor,” and that is usually determined by “one guy sitting at a desk” with only the bottom line in front of him.

Regarding the new teams, Anderson is hopeful, though worried that they might forget that “the bills just don’t stop coming” simply because they are now on the grid.  Delving into the individual teams, Anderson said, “the Lotus package with Mike Gascoyne, that should be good. You know, Mike’s got current experience with Formula1, and is a solid guy.  The Dallara package has lots of experience in building that’s good stuff, they should do a good job.”  At this point, one ought remember that Anderson consults for Dallara, and no matter the greatness of the car, he (and anyone else in that position) can be counted on for a somewhat biased view on its abilities and the competitiveness of the Campos with its Dallara-designed chassis.

While many will jump and point at Anderson’s concern for the capabilities for USF1, it is important to note that his concern lies with the team’s distance from F1, that he is “worried they’ve cut themselves off in, you know, somewhere, too far away from Formula1.  It’s a lovely thing to do, to build a car in the USA, but you’ve got to really realize that even some of the things Toyota’s suffered just from being in Germany.  It’s been just being the distance from the nucleus of Formula1″ that can cause problems for a team.  He makes no mention of the rumors swirling around Europe that the team is moments away from disaster, merely that the distance might make the future more difficult than it could be.

Anderson is also worried about the Manor “commitment to doing everything CFD.”  “It’s a lot of work” in doing all the testing on the computer, said Anderson, adding “sportscars, yes,  it’s not so bad with covered wheels, but when you get to a Formula1 car and it’s so critical…[if they get it right] it’ll be fifty percent luck.”

While there are many other fascinating anecdotes about life in F1 (word to the wise: marry the girl that writes out your mechanic’s application to Brabham) that make listening to the entire interview informative, Anderson’s experience in starting a new team with hope and a passion for racing prove his thoughts on the new entries for 2010 enlightening and necessary to better understand the wacky world of F1.