The Cypher Group has declared its intention to enter Formula 1 in 2011 – if money can be found to support the project. There are not many clues as to who is behind the idea, but the organisation has a website which states that it consists of “experienced F1 engineers, designers and businessmen experienced in large-scale public and private sector finance, project and business management whose objective is to create a successful US-based F1 team.”
Our understanding is that the primary movers in the project are Steve Brown, who joined USF1 from Brawn GP, where he was a leading light in research and development, and transmission specialist Lee Williams, who has Formula 1 experience with British American Racing and Jaguar before he moved to the United States.
It is not yet clear whether USF1 financier Chad Hurley is part of the new plan, although it has been suggested that the project involves the Youtube founder as the C and H in the Cypher logo have been accentuated, as have the G and P in the word “group”. The only other possible clue is that the team has adopted the Jefferson Cypher as a logo on its merchandising (which is already available). This was a codemaking machine invented by Thomas Jefferson in 1795. This may simply be a way of suggesting something American and highly inventive.
Cypher says that “we will only place an entry to compete in the 2011 F1 World Championship should we achieve fully the budget we believe is necessary to do this properly. We are not in this to embarrass America, the fans or ourselves.”
joeblogsf1 
They should push for it again… but this time with a better and own plan. No windbagging!
Opportunities to be had?
Hopefully their logo isn’t representative of the quality of the team.
Selling tee shirts seems a bit premature, unless they are funding the team that way.
I would have thought that a decent time should pass for the remains of USF1 to be buried before anyone starts up yet another “dream” deal.
I suspect that having had one dose of 15 minutes of fame, there is the urge to see if they can make it to the half hour mark.
Yet another bunch of dreamers who should be looking to find a way to incorporate their new shop on the site of the next USGP!
I’m at Watkins Glen this week-end, I’ll check out the number of McDonalds between downtown and the track.
All of these plans are a sad reflection on the lack of a real chance to have a REAL USGP any time soon. I sure would like to have a F1 race at a real track in the USA before they bury me!
After reading the interview with Parris Mullins in Autosport over the weekend and Ferrari’s Luca di Montezemolo comments of being interested in linking up with an American team in the future if possible, it appears that (a) there is a definite desire to get America more involved in F1 both from within and from outside and (b) many lessons have been learned by those involved in USF1.
Logically I think a tie up with an existing team makes sense. Get more American sponsors involved, perhaps support a driver like Alexander Rossi in GP2 next year and lay the ground work for a proper bid or take over an existing team in 2012 or 2013.
One thing I am sure that nobody wants is to put together a half-assed effort so it will be interesting to see if the fiasco of US F1 was merely a test to separate the wheat from the chaffe. It look forward to see how everything develops.
It would be intresting to see if either Ken Anderson or Peter Windsor’s Name pop up at any point during the bid (one would hope for the bid to be taken seriously they are not involved). The comment “We won’t enter 2011 unless we have the proper and Full budget to do so” is definetly in reference to the former two’s bid.
Absolutely. They are not involved.
With regards to an American F1 team….”fool me once, shame on them. Fool me twice, shame on me.”
I am not holding my breath for this one.