Dennis hits out at USF1 chiefs

Ron Dennis hits out at USF1 bosses over the way in which the team failed to make it onto the grid for the 2010 season

25 Jul 2010

McLaren chief Ron Dennis has hit out at the bosses of the now defunct USF1 team for damaging the reputation of F1 in the United States more than anyone else.

The team, heading by Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson, was named as one of the three new teams due to compete in F1 in 2010 alongside Manor GP (nee Virgin) and Campos Meta 1 - which then became Hispania Racing - with Lotus then added to the list after BMW announced it was to leave the sport.

While Virgin, Lotus and Hispania made it onto the grid for the start of the season - the latter very much against the odds - USF1 imploded in dramatic fashion having failed to secure the funding needed to push ahead with its entry.

Speaking to Autoweek on a visit to Indianapolis for this weekend's NASCAR event, Dennis hit out at Windsor and Anderson for the way in which USF1 had gone about its business, saying the team has 'done more damage to F1' in the USA than anyone could imagine and 'no-one in F1 stuck their foot out' to prevent the team from racing.

"They were given opportunity after opportunity, and they didn't tell the truth," he said. "They never had the depth, they never had the understanding and they never had the resources."

Despite the negative publicity generated by USF1, Formula 1 is set to return to American shores in 2012 with a deal having been signed for a race in Austin, Texas, but Dennis revealed it was one of a number of possible events that could be held on US soil.

"There are three very, very serious and separate projects," he said. "[Those projects] are not for me to share."