“This Was Before the Stupid Super License Rules!” Will Buxton Spills the Beans on Jeff Gordon’s Failed F1 Switch

Former F1 presenter Will Buxton revealed that Jeff Gordon almost decided to join Formula 1 after his third Cup Series title.

“This Was Before the Stupid Super License Rules!” Will Buxton Spills the Beans on Jeff Gordon’s Failed F1 Switch

Will Buxton (image via Sports Illustrated) and Jeff Gordon (image via USA Today)

Jeff Gordon is known as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history. The former HMS star won four Cup Series titles with 93 wins under his belt. However, there was a time when Gordon was in consideration to move to Formula 1 full-time and leave the world of stock car racing behind. Former F1 presenter Will Buxton recently revealed an unfulfilled plan that had the power to change American motorsport in its entirety.

Buxton revealed that he learnt about this ordeal while interviewing both Gordon and Franchitti some time ago. Around 1999, when Jeff Gordon had just won his third Cup Series title, he was in talks with BAR to potentially enter F1. Will Buxton claimed that at first, Gordon would make the transition from NASCAR to IndyCar to replace Dario Franchitti at team Kool Green, while the latter would have moved to BAR.

Back in the late 90s, early 2000s, there was a plan, and I only learned about it recently when I was researching for a book I wrote a few years ago, and I interviewed Jeff Gordon and I interviewed Dario Franchitti.

Will Buxton said on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast.

A season or two later, the NASCAR champion would join Dario Franchitti at BAR as well. This was before the infamous F1 Super License system, and thus this was possible. This would form the final driver lineup for BAR in F1, comprising two of the biggest names in American motorsport.

And it turned out that, and this was before the stupid Super License rules came in … You know, Jeff was going to come over to the team Kool Green in IndyCar and run a season or two in IndyCar, and Dario was going to go over to BAR in Formula 1, and the long-term plan was that the lineup for BAR in Formula 1 was going to be Jeff and Dario.

Will Buxton added.

Jeff Gordon’s F1 move would’ve been ‘box office’ for US fans

For decades, Formula 1 was trying to break into the American market. Despite having champions like Mario Andretti, the sport failed to make a mark in the ‘Land of the Free.’ Will Buxton asserted that if Jeff Gordon had moved to BAR, it would’ve been the switch F1 needed to become a household name in the US. With Dario Franchitti and Gordon luring American viewers to the pinnacle of motorsport.

Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon (Via IMAGO)

This would’ve allowed F1 to be successful in the US two decades before it was finally able to break into the market with the Netflix docuseries, Drive to Survive. Though, Will Buxton did not mention the reason why this huge move was unable to materialize. BAR soon became a Honda works team in Formula 1 and was the precursor to the fairytale Brawn GP story of 2009.

That would have been box office and that would have broken F1 in America 20 years, 30 years before it finally broke through [with] Drive to Survive. You get Jeff Gordon racing in Formula 1 alongside Dario Franchitti, these two great all-time champions out of American open-wheel and stock car racing and they’re racing as teammates in Formula 1? Boom! Job done. That would have been huge.

Will Buxton explained.

Certainly, Jeff Gordon’s BAR switch story will be considered as one of the greatest what ifs in American motorsport. His move to Formula 1 would’ve undoubtedly changed the racing landscape, and could’ve led to more American stars trying to compete in F1.

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