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NismoZ
03-16-07, 03:55 PM
Nelson Philippe is in Melbourne shopping for a GP2 ride or an F-1 test position. He told the French sport newspaper it takes $3,000,000 to get a ride in CC. Good luck trying to do either one now. (younger brother Richard has a ride in the World Series by Renault.)
Don Quixote
03-16-07, 04:07 PM
:shakehead
RHR_Fan
03-16-07, 04:11 PM
Well that will suck if he leaves. Doubt he'd get a GP2 drive, let alone F1 test drive. Love the guy, but if SeaBass is having issues no one is going to look at Philippe.

I really hope he is able to find something in CC. Granted when he was a rookie I was thinking what the heck are you doing here son, but he really has improved and grown a lot. His win in OZ was no fluke.

~Nicole
NismoZ
03-16-07, 04:24 PM
If it's any consolation there is a rumor out there that he could still land at Minardi in CC but this story seems to trump that. Looks like "back to Europe" for the whole family...but I bet they keep the place in Miami!
Spicoli
03-19-07, 08:20 AM
http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns18895.html%5B/URL


looks like he's probably done here.:\


Champ Car driver Nelson Philippe was spotted in the F1 paddock in Melbourne and the whisper is that the 20-year-old Frenchman is trying to talk his way into a test drive in Formula 1 as his career in America has run out of steam because of the financial demands of the teams in the United States, where money is hard to find because of the never-ending lunacy that is the IRL-Champ Car fight. Everyone is trying hard to make things seem promising but the field in both series are threadbare and only those with sufficient cash are getting rides, unless the team owners are willing to pay for them.

Philippe is the youngest driver to ever drive a Champ Car, having made his debut at 17. In 2004 he raced for Rocketsports before finding a better relationship with Mi-Jack Conquest Racing. In 2005 he began to show promise and won the award for the most improved driver that year and he did the same in 2006, winning in Surfers Paradise for the CTE-HVM Racing operation, which has now become Minardi USA. Logic would dictate that he should stay where he is but the money seems to be a problem and so Philippe is looking at F1.

Our spies tell us that he might try talking Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore into a management deal. That will mean that he will sign away a proportion of his income for years to come but will also give him the chance to test something in F1 and that could lead to a new career in a series which would love to have more French involvement.
STD
03-19-07, 10:02 AM
Our spies tell us that he might try talking Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore into a management deal. That will mean that he will sign away a proportion of his income for years to come but will also give him the chance to test something in F1 and that could lead to a new career in a series which would love to have more French involvement.

I feel sorry for him, he does have talent. But the above would be a big mistake. It would be the same as signing up with DiDi.
extramundane
03-19-07, 10:36 AM
This is OK, everyone! All we have to do is wait 3 years for Romantic Commedy or whatever his name is to blossom and we'll have forgotten all about Nelsonmania.

We don't need no stinkin' roster consistency! :gomer:
Fio1
03-19-07, 02:10 PM
Interesting. At the end of the day Lease Plan does major business in Europe so it is easier to land them as sponsors then in the States. I think we'll see him in GP2 :cool:
KLang
03-19-07, 03:04 PM
Not so fast.....

Champ Car article posted today (http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=11346)


"I don't know what it is, the sun, the sand, the surf, I love the Gold Coast and I can't wait to get back here and defend my Lexmark Indy 300 title.

"There are a few things to work out before then, but for the moment today has brought back a flood of great memories."


Philippe is currently in negotiations with Champ Car teams in the hope of sealing a deal before the Champ Car World Series opening round at Las Vegas on April 6-8.
devilmaster
03-19-07, 03:11 PM
Not so fast.....

Champ Car article posted today (http://www.champcarworldseries.com/News/Article.asp?ID=11346)

Nice article, but at the end of it, they include all the races for 2007 and Denver is still there..... http://www.addictsports.com/baseball/attachment.php?attachmentid=618

A small, but perfect example of why people think its a rudderless ship.