F1 2017
- Thread starter spitfire
- Start date
1%er
Well-Known Member
Surprise of the week:
F1: Valterri Bottas joins Mercedes to replace Nico Rosberg
(posted to give 1%er a break)
The 1 year contract for Bottas begs the question, is it a loan deal between Williams and Mercedes? (A one year deal is a rare thing in Formula 1 nowadays). The deal includes an "option" for a second year but that will depend on a couple of things.
Can Mercedes get Vettel, Alonso or someone faster than Bottas for 2018?
Will Lewis still be at Mercedes for 2018. Lewis signed a 3 year contract extension with Mercedes in 2015 taking him through to the end of 2018 but is the 3rd year an option. It is usual for the contract to have an option when giving a 3 year deal and I'm sure that is what has happened between Mercedes and Lewis, it makes sense for both parties to have that flexibility.
I can find nothing in the press that says the 3rd year is an option but it isn't usual for that not to be made public, contracts are private so teams and drives don't speak about them. I guess during the summer of this coming season we will hear more about that when the driver merry-go-round becomes the topic of press speculation. If Ferrari pull their socks up and are close to Mercedes I can see lots of Lewis to Ferrari and Vettel to Mercedes story's during the next summer break
Lewis really has a great opportunity of gaining his 4th World Championship if Mercedes remains the fastest car, so this season is looking great already
1%er
Well-Known Member
That's the modern world of formula 1, since the middle of the 70's teams have tended to dominate for a few years with a team winning just one championship in between a run. The late 70's were dominated by Ferrari with Lotus wining just 1 in 78, the 80's until 95' it was just Ferrari, Williams and McLaren, Benetton managed a win in 95 with Michael Schumacher. Then it was Ferrari, Williams and Mclaren again until 2004 with Renault winning a brace in 05 & 06 then Ferrari and Red Bull won them all with the exception of Brawn in 09, now it is Mercedes turn.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Silverstone "will definitely drop" the British grand prix
Despite president of the BRDC Derek Warwick playing down fears that Silverstone will give up the British GP, a board member says it will not continue after 2019. A senior BRDC member claims Silverstone "will definitely drop" the British grand prix after 2019 due to unsustainable costs. "They will definitely drop the grand prix and see what is going to happen over the next two years," quoted the source, saying "it's a two-year notice period. There is no question about it because it is not affordable".
I believe something will happen in the next two years to ensure that a GP continues to be run in the UK, this story comes up almost every year and in the end the money is found.
Is Bernie about to be "eased aside"
The final hurdle has been cleared as Liberty Media races towards completing its takeover of Formula 1. Earlier this week, shareholders of the US media tycoon John Malone's company approved the buyout, saying that the last hurdle would be the FIA's green light. That was achieved on Wednesday, during an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Geneva.
The future of Bernie Ecclestone, however, is less clear. As Wednesday's news broke, it was reported that Ecclestone will be "eased aside" in the new Liberty era. The reports says that Ecclestone wanted to keep his role for up to three more years, "but so far all Liberty's rhetoric has been about making a clean break with the past". Bernie will not take a back seat, so unless he remains the decision maker I can see him walking away.
Despite president of the BRDC Derek Warwick playing down fears that Silverstone will give up the British GP, a board member says it will not continue after 2019. A senior BRDC member claims Silverstone "will definitely drop" the British grand prix after 2019 due to unsustainable costs. "They will definitely drop the grand prix and see what is going to happen over the next two years," quoted the source, saying "it's a two-year notice period. There is no question about it because it is not affordable".
I believe something will happen in the next two years to ensure that a GP continues to be run in the UK, this story comes up almost every year and in the end the money is found.
Is Bernie about to be "eased aside"
The final hurdle has been cleared as Liberty Media races towards completing its takeover of Formula 1. Earlier this week, shareholders of the US media tycoon John Malone's company approved the buyout, saying that the last hurdle would be the FIA's green light. That was achieved on Wednesday, during an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Geneva.
The future of Bernie Ecclestone, however, is less clear. As Wednesday's news broke, it was reported that Ecclestone will be "eased aside" in the new Liberty era. The reports says that Ecclestone wanted to keep his role for up to three more years, "but so far all Liberty's rhetoric has been about making a clean break with the past". Bernie will not take a back seat, so unless he remains the decision maker I can see him walking away.
Limejuice
Well-Known Member
Yes, I can see Bernie taking his leave of F1 before the new season starts.
Knowing (a little) how US corporations work, I'm sure that Liberty will not pause for a nano-second before making and enforcing decisions that are in its immediate financial interests. A three-month fiscal reporting window is the usual time-frame, not annual, or three to five year plans.
US corporations don't do see-how-it-goes, gently-gently. The only things that will be progressed more slowly are cases where they would bite off more than they can chew. That doesn't mean they don't have profound changes to make. Sadly, US corporations have no concept of stewardship. When they own something, they take the rights of ownership to the hilt. In short, an owner enjoys the rights to use, abuse and destroy the thing they own.
They don't do "understandings" or "agreements". They do contracts, and use some of the most nit-picking, show-off, self-orbiting, argumentative and hostile lawyers I have ever met. I expect a big shake-up in the culture of F1. Some teams will applaud a move towards precision and rigour. Others will miss Bernie's flexibility and canniness.
By now, Liberty has scoped out all its strategic choices for F1, and a time-frame has been assigned for making them happen.
Unless there's a substantive role for Bernie with the illusion of decision-making, he's history. Sad, really. He's taken F1 from a bunch of mechanics with an oily rag into the glamorous, rat-gaggingly rich world sport it is today. It's made a colossal amount of money for a small number of people.
But Bernie's departure has been much heralded for donkeys' years. It has to happen some time. So adieu, Bernie. Thanks for all the races.
Knowing (a little) how US corporations work, I'm sure that Liberty will not pause for a nano-second before making and enforcing decisions that are in its immediate financial interests. A three-month fiscal reporting window is the usual time-frame, not annual, or three to five year plans.
US corporations don't do see-how-it-goes, gently-gently. The only things that will be progressed more slowly are cases where they would bite off more than they can chew. That doesn't mean they don't have profound changes to make. Sadly, US corporations have no concept of stewardship. When they own something, they take the rights of ownership to the hilt. In short, an owner enjoys the rights to use, abuse and destroy the thing they own.
They don't do "understandings" or "agreements". They do contracts, and use some of the most nit-picking, show-off, self-orbiting, argumentative and hostile lawyers I have ever met. I expect a big shake-up in the culture of F1. Some teams will applaud a move towards precision and rigour. Others will miss Bernie's flexibility and canniness.
By now, Liberty has scoped out all its strategic choices for F1, and a time-frame has been assigned for making them happen.
Unless there's a substantive role for Bernie with the illusion of decision-making, he's history. Sad, really. He's taken F1 from a bunch of mechanics with an oily rag into the glamorous, rat-gaggingly rich world sport it is today. It's made a colossal amount of money for a small number of people.
But Bernie's departure has been much heralded for donkeys' years. It has to happen some time. So adieu, Bernie. Thanks for all the races.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Its interesting that so far no teams appear to want to buy-in to the main company, its been reported that teams don't see any point in buying shares with no influence (none voting shares). The Strategy Group met yesterday and reporters are claiming that "not one of the teams said they were interested in buying shares", one team principle is quoted as saying "Without influence on the future direction and marketing of formula one, purchasing shares is not very attractive for us". In my view I don't think the EU competition committee would allow teams to buy voting shares, they ruled years ago that the FIA must sell its shares because of a conflict of interest, yet the FIA now has 1% again after divesting themselves after the EU ruling. I just can't see how F1 could be in the position of "rich" teams having a say in the way F1 is run while other teams don't. The situation of the Strategy Group is bad enough, never mind some teams having Boardroom power.
Formula 1 is as much about the "politics" as it is about racing and Bernie knew how to handle that, because of his years at the top he knew ever teams and players strengths and weaknesses, he knows how to play the game as he invented it and sets the rules. I think F1 will change under American ownership, if Liberty Americanize the sport they will loose a lot of the world-wide audience, they may well pick up more American viewers but I'm not sure they will compensate.
If Liberty fuck it up I'm sure the manufactures and teams would just start their own racing series, they have spent the last 50 years learning how to do just that and also seen the money it could generate, while Bernie may have a "none compete" clause in the sales contract the teams will not,
I'm happy to give them time and see what happens, I would expect that a company buying F1 understands what viewers want, so far they seem to be saying the right things, more access, more social media and races steamed via the internet etc. I'll give it a chance until the year after the next Concorde agreement 2021 (if I'm still around then).
Formula 1 is as much about the "politics" as it is about racing and Bernie knew how to handle that, because of his years at the top he knew ever teams and players strengths and weaknesses, he knows how to play the game as he invented it and sets the rules. I think F1 will change under American ownership, if Liberty Americanize the sport they will loose a lot of the world-wide audience, they may well pick up more American viewers but I'm not sure they will compensate.
If Liberty fuck it up I'm sure the manufactures and teams would just start their own racing series, they have spent the last 50 years learning how to do just that and also seen the money it could generate, while Bernie may have a "none compete" clause in the sales contract the teams will not,
I'm happy to give them time and see what happens, I would expect that a company buying F1 understands what viewers want, so far they seem to be saying the right things, more access, more social media and races steamed via the internet etc. I'll give it a chance until the year after the next Concorde agreement 2021 (if I'm still around then).
1%er
Well-Known Member
Manor ask FIA if they can use 2016 car this season
According to Auto Motor und Sport (German) Manor have aproached the FIA to request that they can run their 2016 car at the start of the 2017 season. This is clearly a move to buy the team more time to sell as so far no-one has come forward and put in an offer for the team. The final decision will not be with the FIA but the ten teams that make up the grid. It seems very clear that the Manor car will have no chance of reaching the 107% time, so they will also need all the teams to agree each race if the car is to appear on track for the race. Another problem for the team is that reports are claiming both Renault and Toro Rosso have already taken some Manor employees who are now working for them.
Even if a buyer is found at this late stage, just a month before testing begins the racing operation cannot start again immediately, there will be lots for the buyer to do before they can even turn a wheel.
Bottas deal means a change of team sponsors
Valtteri Bottas will be taking his personal sponsors with him to Mercedes which means we will see a change of livery on both cars. Bottas's biggest sponsor is Finnish industry conglomerate wihuri, a family run multi-national company and one of Finland's largest businesses. They were clear to see on Williams cars and now they will move to Mercedes. They have agreed a one years deal the same as Bottas. Having now read the Mercedes press release announcing Bottas, no where in the document does it say how long his contract is for. Mercedes say this is because they do not discuss personal drivers contracts with the press, but this isn't really the case, when Lewis extended his contract they said it was a 3 year deal, the same with Nico, when his contract extension was announced they said it was a 2 year extension. So why nothing with Bottas, I believe that it is a 1 year contract to see how he performs and give them the option of bringing someone else in, if he doesn't do the job.
According to Auto Motor und Sport (German) Manor have aproached the FIA to request that they can run their 2016 car at the start of the 2017 season. This is clearly a move to buy the team more time to sell as so far no-one has come forward and put in an offer for the team. The final decision will not be with the FIA but the ten teams that make up the grid. It seems very clear that the Manor car will have no chance of reaching the 107% time, so they will also need all the teams to agree each race if the car is to appear on track for the race. Another problem for the team is that reports are claiming both Renault and Toro Rosso have already taken some Manor employees who are now working for them.
Even if a buyer is found at this late stage, just a month before testing begins the racing operation cannot start again immediately, there will be lots for the buyer to do before they can even turn a wheel.
Bottas deal means a change of team sponsors
Valtteri Bottas will be taking his personal sponsors with him to Mercedes which means we will see a change of livery on both cars. Bottas's biggest sponsor is Finnish industry conglomerate wihuri, a family run multi-national company and one of Finland's largest businesses. They were clear to see on Williams cars and now they will move to Mercedes. They have agreed a one years deal the same as Bottas. Having now read the Mercedes press release announcing Bottas, no where in the document does it say how long his contract is for. Mercedes say this is because they do not discuss personal drivers contracts with the press, but this isn't really the case, when Lewis extended his contract they said it was a 3 year deal, the same with Nico, when his contract extension was announced they said it was a 2 year extension. So why nothing with Bottas, I believe that it is a 1 year contract to see how he performs and give them the option of bringing someone else in, if he doesn't do the job.
Supine
Newt Member
I like watching F1 but the way it is run leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. The tracks get screwed for money, the live and tv audiences get screwed for money, the teams get enough to continue - or not quiet enough sometimes - while the fat cats extract maximum profit.
Bernie can fucking do one and I hope liberty royally fuck up the sport. Back to the roots racing with the teams and a better sport setup would be interesting times. #F1exit
Rant over
Bernie can fucking do one and I hope liberty royally fuck up the sport. Back to the roots racing with the teams and a better sport setup would be interesting times. #F1exit
Rant over
1%er
Well-Known Member
Will Bernie be gone as soon as next week
If news reports are to be believed it seems that Bernie could loose his position as chief executive of Formula 1 next week. It appears that Liberty Media have offered him a less hands-on job and title of life president. His role will be taken over by two people, it is believed that Sean Bratches, a former ESPN executive is going to takeover the commercial side of Bernie's old job and that Ross Brawn, the former Ferrari team boss, is expected to take on a key role overseeing the sporting side of F1.
It has also been reveled that Liberty have offered the teams another chance to buy shares in Formula 1, this time at a discount and without the 10 year lock-in period, so teams would not have to hold the shares for a minimum of ten years. It is thought they will still be none voting shares.
The BRDC denies report it has decided to drop the British Grand Prix
It was revealed in early January the BRDC had advised its members it was considering whether to activate the break clause in its contract to hold the race beyond the 2019 season. Two weeks later it was reported the circuit “will definitely drop” the race. However in a statement issued today Silverstone denied the claim talks between it and Formula One’s promoter over the future of the race had been “unsuccessful” were “speculative and wrong”, BRDC chairman John Grant said the decision did not need to be taken for several months: “Our objective is to preserve the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for many years to come but, of course, we can only do this if it makes economic sense”.
Kimi Raikkonen has become Finland's Ambassador for Sport
He received the title from Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila after his presence at the gala, according to a Ferrari statement, was kept secret until the last possible moment. It is not entirely clear what Raikkonen's new role involves
If news reports are to be believed it seems that Bernie could loose his position as chief executive of Formula 1 next week. It appears that Liberty Media have offered him a less hands-on job and title of life president. His role will be taken over by two people, it is believed that Sean Bratches, a former ESPN executive is going to takeover the commercial side of Bernie's old job and that Ross Brawn, the former Ferrari team boss, is expected to take on a key role overseeing the sporting side of F1.
It has also been reveled that Liberty have offered the teams another chance to buy shares in Formula 1, this time at a discount and without the 10 year lock-in period, so teams would not have to hold the shares for a minimum of ten years. It is thought they will still be none voting shares.
The BRDC denies report it has decided to drop the British Grand Prix
It was revealed in early January the BRDC had advised its members it was considering whether to activate the break clause in its contract to hold the race beyond the 2019 season. Two weeks later it was reported the circuit “will definitely drop” the race. However in a statement issued today Silverstone denied the claim talks between it and Formula One’s promoter over the future of the race had been “unsuccessful” were “speculative and wrong”, BRDC chairman John Grant said the decision did not need to be taken for several months: “Our objective is to preserve the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for many years to come but, of course, we can only do this if it makes economic sense”.
Kimi Raikkonen has become Finland's Ambassador for Sport
He received the title from Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila after his presence at the gala, according to a Ferrari statement, was kept secret until the last possible moment. It is not entirely clear what Raikkonen's new role involves
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
1%er
Well-Known Member
Bernie out for failing to build the sport
As predicted last year, it has taken 3 people to replace one Bernie, Chase Carey to take his CEO role, Sean Bratches to deal with the commercial side and Ross Brawn to overseeing the sporting side. How the fuck did Bernie manage
Bernie's out for "failing to grow the business over the last 4 or 5 years" say the new CEO. That's an interesting concept as Delta Topco has shown good growth over the last 5 years. While the rest of the world was suffering from what we were told was a financial meltdown, F1 bucked the trend with 58.6% growth over the last ten years, it will be interesting to see if Liberty can better that over the next ten years (I think they can if they go to selling races over the internet, covered further down this post).
It will be interesting to see how Liberty Media grow the profits at a faster pace. I think Bernie missed a trick with the internet and should have made races available via a subscription service. Its interesting that Rupert Murdoch satellite TV services is in direct competition with Liberty Media, Sky has exclusive rights in some countries where Liberty Media are in direct competition. The races where Sky has the rights will be behind a paywall and Liberty Media have also indicated that they intend to take to behind a paywall in more countries. Five years ago F1 had 23 free-to-air TV agreements but that number has now been nearly halved to 12 with nine pay TV deals and 27 covering both.
Over the last 5 years viewing figures have dropped by 22.3% (17% in the UK) and as other markets go to the paywall services it is expected they will drop more, clearly the fact that pay-to-view deals are more expensive for TV companies Liberty may well see a massive drop in viewers but also a massive increase in revenue. For example the Sky exclusive deal for just the UK cost them 43% more than the deal that included free-to air coverage, Sky will be paying around $150 million a year from 2019 for the exclusive rights.
Many Media watchers are claiming that Liberty will take F1 to what is known in the industry as OTT (Over-The-Top content) this bypasses media companies and sends the content directly to the customer via the internet, in many parts of the world current contracts will be up by 2020 (the UK 2024), so selling direct to views could well be the way F1 goes.
As predicted last year, it has taken 3 people to replace one Bernie, Chase Carey to take his CEO role, Sean Bratches to deal with the commercial side and Ross Brawn to overseeing the sporting side. How the fuck did Bernie manage
Bernie's out for "failing to grow the business over the last 4 or 5 years" say the new CEO. That's an interesting concept as Delta Topco has shown good growth over the last 5 years. While the rest of the world was suffering from what we were told was a financial meltdown, F1 bucked the trend with 58.6% growth over the last ten years, it will be interesting to see if Liberty can better that over the next ten years (I think they can if they go to selling races over the internet, covered further down this post).
It will be interesting to see how Liberty Media grow the profits at a faster pace. I think Bernie missed a trick with the internet and should have made races available via a subscription service. Its interesting that Rupert Murdoch satellite TV services is in direct competition with Liberty Media, Sky has exclusive rights in some countries where Liberty Media are in direct competition. The races where Sky has the rights will be behind a paywall and Liberty Media have also indicated that they intend to take to behind a paywall in more countries. Five years ago F1 had 23 free-to-air TV agreements but that number has now been nearly halved to 12 with nine pay TV deals and 27 covering both.
Over the last 5 years viewing figures have dropped by 22.3% (17% in the UK) and as other markets go to the paywall services it is expected they will drop more, clearly the fact that pay-to-view deals are more expensive for TV companies Liberty may well see a massive drop in viewers but also a massive increase in revenue. For example the Sky exclusive deal for just the UK cost them 43% more than the deal that included free-to air coverage, Sky will be paying around $150 million a year from 2019 for the exclusive rights.
Many Media watchers are claiming that Liberty will take F1 to what is known in the industry as OTT (Over-The-Top content) this bypasses media companies and sends the content directly to the customer via the internet, in many parts of the world current contracts will be up by 2020 (the UK 2024), so selling direct to views could well be the way F1 goes.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Bernie to start a rival championship to Formula 1 
Wow!! It seems that many Formula 1 journalists have lots of spare time on their hands, I have read about 15 stories about Bernie planning to start a rival championship to Formula 1, what utter bollocks. You'd think that people who make a living from a sport would know something about that sport. Not just anyone can start a World championship motor racing series because they want to, the FIA is the only body that can sanction a 'World championship" in motor sport and it would take much longer than Bernie has left to fight that in Court.
Most of the organizations that would be able to take any part in such a new series are already contracted to F1, the TV companies, the circuits and the teams, where would Bernie find the people to stump up the money for such an idea? When the manufacturers looked at doing their own break-away championship a few years ago,one of the things that stopped them was cost, so if the Manufactures couldn't afford it, I'm sure Bernie couldn't.
Why would he? He is 86 years old and has more money than he could ever spend, but his daughters keep trying Bernie has other things to occupy his mind in over the next few months, he has filed a High Court lawsuit against German bank BayernLB and is asking a judge to make a declaration that he has no liability to BLB. The bank is defending the claim and has counter-sued and is seeking damages from him in connection to the sale of its shares in F1 to CVC. A six-week trial has been scheduled for June raising the prospect of Mr Ecclestone giving evidence once again in the High Court. Both Constantin Media and Bayern are parties to the claim, so even if Bernie withdraws his actin they may well continue with their claim against him.
Securities and exchange commission documents
Some interesting things are starting to emerge from documents submitted to the securities and exchange commission over the sale of F1 to Liberty Media. Here are just a couple, I'll highlight more if anything interesting comes from them.
Bernie's tax situation
“In 1999, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in the U.K. commenced investigations into the tax affairs of Mr. Ecclestone and his then wife, which were concluded in 2008 by a settlement agreement,” it says. “In 2012, Mr. Ecclestone was notified by HMRC that it was opening an investigation into his tax affairs. In December 2014, HMRC purported to repudiate the settlement agreement reached with Mr. and Mrs. Ecclestone in 2008 on grounds of fraudulent misrepresentation, which Mr. Ecclestone denies, and HMRC levied on Mr. Ecclestone tax assessments totaling approximately £1 billion, most of which Mr. Ecclestone disputes and which remains unpaid (with the agreement of HMRC) pending the outcome of the litigation Mr. Ecclestone has brought against HMRC in the High Court in London to challenge its repudiation of the 2008 settlement. HMRC’s investigation of Mr. Ecclestone’s tax affairs is ongoing.”
Delta Topco ownership
“Formula 1 owns no material property,” it says. “Delta Topco is based in Jersey. In addition, as of the date hereof, Formula 1 leases spaces for its offices in London, England and for its television production and technical operations in Kent, England.”
Some contract information
.......under the current agreements with the teams, the consent of a majority “of certain teams” is required if there are more than 20 Events in a season or more than 17 Events are held in a season and the number of Events that are held outside Europe, the US or Canada exceeds 60 percent or more of the total number of Events in that season”. These agreements also grant the corporate parent of McLaren and Mercedes (McLaren Group Limited and Daimler AG, respectively) the right to appoint a director to the board of the F1 company. “Ferrari has an equivalent right, pursuant to a provision contained in all Team Agreements granting that right to the longest standing Team that has competed in the World Championship for the greatest number of seasons since 1950.”
Wow!! It seems that many Formula 1 journalists have lots of spare time on their hands, I have read about 15 stories about Bernie planning to start a rival championship to Formula 1, what utter bollocks. You'd think that people who make a living from a sport would know something about that sport. Not just anyone can start a World championship motor racing series because they want to, the FIA is the only body that can sanction a 'World championship" in motor sport and it would take much longer than Bernie has left to fight that in Court.
Most of the organizations that would be able to take any part in such a new series are already contracted to F1, the TV companies, the circuits and the teams, where would Bernie find the people to stump up the money for such an idea? When the manufacturers looked at doing their own break-away championship a few years ago,one of the things that stopped them was cost, so if the Manufactures couldn't afford it, I'm sure Bernie couldn't.
Why would he? He is 86 years old and has more money than he could ever spend, but his daughters keep trying
Bernie has other things to occupy his mind in over the next few months, he has filed a High Court lawsuit against German bank BayernLB and is asking a judge to make a declaration that he has no liability to BLB. The bank is defending the claim and has counter-sued and is seeking damages from him in connection to the sale of its shares in F1 to CVC. A six-week trial has been scheduled for June raising the prospect of Mr Ecclestone giving evidence once again in the High Court. Both Constantin Media and Bayern are parties to the claim, so even if Bernie withdraws his actin they may well continue with their claim against him.Securities and exchange commission documents
Some interesting things are starting to emerge from documents submitted to the securities and exchange commission over the sale of F1 to Liberty Media. Here are just a couple, I'll highlight more if anything interesting comes from them.
Bernie's tax situation
“In 1999, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs in the U.K. commenced investigations into the tax affairs of Mr. Ecclestone and his then wife, which were concluded in 2008 by a settlement agreement,” it says. “In 2012, Mr. Ecclestone was notified by HMRC that it was opening an investigation into his tax affairs. In December 2014, HMRC purported to repudiate the settlement agreement reached with Mr. and Mrs. Ecclestone in 2008 on grounds of fraudulent misrepresentation, which Mr. Ecclestone denies, and HMRC levied on Mr. Ecclestone tax assessments totaling approximately £1 billion, most of which Mr. Ecclestone disputes and which remains unpaid (with the agreement of HMRC) pending the outcome of the litigation Mr. Ecclestone has brought against HMRC in the High Court in London to challenge its repudiation of the 2008 settlement. HMRC’s investigation of Mr. Ecclestone’s tax affairs is ongoing.”
Delta Topco ownership
“Formula 1 owns no material property,” it says. “Delta Topco is based in Jersey. In addition, as of the date hereof, Formula 1 leases spaces for its offices in London, England and for its television production and technical operations in Kent, England.”
Some contract information
.......under the current agreements with the teams, the consent of a majority “of certain teams” is required if there are more than 20 Events in a season or more than 17 Events are held in a season and the number of Events that are held outside Europe, the US or Canada exceeds 60 percent or more of the total number of Events in that season”. These agreements also grant the corporate parent of McLaren and Mercedes (McLaren Group Limited and Daimler AG, respectively) the right to appoint a director to the board of the F1 company. “Ferrari has an equivalent right, pursuant to a provision contained in all Team Agreements granting that right to the longest standing Team that has competed in the World Championship for the greatest number of seasons since 1950.”
Indeliblelink
\......👁&👁......./
Manor have failed to find a buyer and have folded 
Still a chance someone might buy what's left but it looks very unlikely they'll be at Melbourne.
Manor F1: Team fold after administrator fails to find buyer
Still a chance someone might buy what's left but it looks very unlikely they'll be at Melbourne.Manor F1: Team fold after administrator fails to find buyer
1%er
Well-Known Member
Stephen Fitzpatrick was going to loose a lot of money whatever happened, its a shame he didn't think of the workers. It seems that the price he wanted was too much and as no one would pay it, he's happy to cut off his nose to spite his face, it seems. About 30% of the employees have already found other jobs with-in other teams and I hope the rest find jobs.
The problem is that Fitzpatrick isn't out of the picture as just the operating company is gone, Just Racing Services Ltd. Manor Grand Prix Racing Ltd is still trading and they hold the license to race in F1, so not only would any buyer have to pay the price he wants they would also have to stump up around £500,000 in cash just to get them through and past the first test in February, they could also have to pay the entry fee of $521,289 right away, not to mention the cost of adapting the 2016 car to cover the first few races and the money to finish the 2017 cars,pay for power-units and the cost of racing for the rest of the season. There is some prize money, around $26 million available if the company that owns the racing license doesn't go bust and remains in the sport, they would loose that money if they go bust or stop racing, I believe.
Go on Bernie stick your hand in your pocket and buy a team now you are out of the CEO position, think of all the fun you had with Connaught and Brabham back in the day, it has to be more fun than running a farm in Brazil
F1 entry fees for 2017
# Team Points Entry Fee
1 Mercedes 765 $5,254,538
2 Red Bull 468 $2,931,476
3 Ferrari 398 $2,570,206
4 Force India 173 $1,408,981
5 Williams 138 $1,228,346
6 McLaren 76 $908,364
7 Toro Rosso 63 $841,271
8 Haas 29 $665,797
9 Renault 8 $557,416
10 Sauber 2 $526,450
11 Manor 1 $521,289
The problem is that Fitzpatrick isn't out of the picture as just the operating company is gone, Just Racing Services Ltd. Manor Grand Prix Racing Ltd is still trading and they hold the license to race in F1, so not only would any buyer have to pay the price he wants they would also have to stump up around £500,000 in cash just to get them through and past the first test in February, they could also have to pay the entry fee of $521,289 right away, not to mention the cost of adapting the 2016 car to cover the first few races and the money to finish the 2017 cars,pay for power-units and the cost of racing for the rest of the season. There is some prize money, around $26 million available if the company that owns the racing license doesn't go bust and remains in the sport, they would loose that money if they go bust or stop racing, I believe.
Go on Bernie stick your hand in your pocket and buy a team now you are out of the CEO position, think of all the fun you had with Connaught and Brabham back in the day, it has to be more fun than running a farm in Brazil
F1 entry fees for 2017
# Team Points Entry Fee
1 Mercedes 765 $5,254,538
2 Red Bull 468 $2,931,476
3 Ferrari 398 $2,570,206
4 Force India 173 $1,408,981
5 Williams 138 $1,228,346
6 McLaren 76 $908,364
7 Toro Rosso 63 $841,271
8 Haas 29 $665,797
9 Renault 8 $557,416
10 Sauber 2 $526,450
11 Manor 1 $521,289
1%er
Well-Known Member
More on the situation at Manor F1
It seems that money wasn't the only stumbling block over the sale of Manor F1. It appears that other factors were also in play, it seems that Fitzpatrick while saying publicly that he wanting to sell the team, the reality is he also wanted to keep an equity stake. there were also other problems for buyers/investors, firstly, there was a hole in the 2017 budget in excess of $40 million before they lost 10th place in Brazil last year and also there are potential liabilities, not least the possibility of legal action from the Bianchi Family.
It now appears that Fitzpatrick has been seeking investors since he brought the team back in 2015, with the increased performance and results in 2016 (with the Mercedes power-unit) a number of interested parties came forward, but these discussions were unsuccessful as they couldn't get a good enough deal from Fitzpatrick, it's unclear if the price was too high of Fitzpatrick wanted to hold on to too much equity.
Following the team falling to 11th place after Brazil and with a $40 million hole in their 2017 budget the team was worthless in real terms and if Fitzpatrick wanted to remain an equity partner he would have had to invest inline with any new owners, but instead of investing he pulled the plug, which meant that there would be no car for 2017 (a very silly thing to have done in my view, as he clearly would have had to spend money if he was going to remain a partner). No car for 2017 would be a massive disincentive for any future buyer or investor.
If some reports are true, Fitzpatrick was going to give away a major part of the team when it became clear that they had such a big hole in the 2017 budget and also that they had potential liabilities with regard to the Jules Bianchi. Even then potential partners were not coming forward as they wouldn't have had total control and Manor couldn't give them indemnities over any future legal actions, plus the massive hole in the budget.
So what has changed now, Just Racing Services Ltd. can be brought from the administrator without Fitzpatrick having any involvement, but that company doesn't hold the racing license to compete in F1, there is still no money to race in 2017 and what liability would any buyer have in future legal action against Just Racing Services Ltd?
It seems that money wasn't the only stumbling block over the sale of Manor F1. It appears that other factors were also in play, it seems that Fitzpatrick while saying publicly that he wanting to sell the team, the reality is he also wanted to keep an equity stake. there were also other problems for buyers/investors, firstly, there was a hole in the 2017 budget in excess of $40 million before they lost 10th place in Brazil last year and also there are potential liabilities, not least the possibility of legal action from the Bianchi Family.
It now appears that Fitzpatrick has been seeking investors since he brought the team back in 2015, with the increased performance and results in 2016 (with the Mercedes power-unit) a number of interested parties came forward, but these discussions were unsuccessful as they couldn't get a good enough deal from Fitzpatrick, it's unclear if the price was too high of Fitzpatrick wanted to hold on to too much equity.
Following the team falling to 11th place after Brazil and with a $40 million hole in their 2017 budget the team was worthless in real terms and if Fitzpatrick wanted to remain an equity partner he would have had to invest inline with any new owners, but instead of investing he pulled the plug, which meant that there would be no car for 2017 (a very silly thing to have done in my view, as he clearly would have had to spend money if he was going to remain a partner). No car for 2017 would be a massive disincentive for any future buyer or investor.
If some reports are true, Fitzpatrick was going to give away a major part of the team when it became clear that they had such a big hole in the 2017 budget and also that they had potential liabilities with regard to the Jules Bianchi. Even then potential partners were not coming forward as they wouldn't have had total control and Manor couldn't give them indemnities over any future legal actions, plus the massive hole in the budget.
So what has changed now, Just Racing Services Ltd. can be brought from the administrator without Fitzpatrick having any involvement, but that company doesn't hold the racing license to compete in F1, there is still no money to race in 2017 and what liability would any buyer have in future legal action against Just Racing Services Ltd?
1%er
Well-Known Member
Apologies to regular readers for the absence of F1 news updates but the person I translate it for has been in hospital so I didn't bother.
McLaren clean house
As speculated about above, McLaren have got rid of a number of personal brought in by Ron Dennis that appear to be surplus to requirements now Ron has been forced out of the team. Jost Capito who was appointed as McLaren CEO during last season has left the team. He joined the team from VW motorsport but it seems he was thought to be too close to Dennis. According to McLaren "Regrettably, we have not been able to find common ground with Jost with regard to what is and will be needed to make the team successful again. As a result, we have agreed that he will leave McLaren Racing and will now consider other opportunities".
Long time team manager and close friend of Ron Dennis, Dave Redding is also leaving McLaren after 17 years with the squad, he will not be out of work as he has already got a new position with the William team. He will be taking over from Williams sporting manager Steve Nielsen who will be taking a factory based role at the team from 2018 at his own request. Redding's old post of team manager at McLaren will be taken by Chief Mechanic Paul James who will take on most of Redding's responsibilities.
Two more European Grand Prix?
As mentioned above, the French appear to be ready to hold a Grand Prix as early as 2018 at the revamped Paul Ricard circuit [owned by none other than Bernie]. Christian Estrosi, the President of the PACA region which has jurisdiction over the race, said that all financial guarantees and covenants had been fulfilled. Local, Regional and National government are believed to have put up as much as €14 million to help secure a race, which the circuit manager believes could be scheduled on the calendar for late August 2018. They claim they will receive crowds of around 65,000 spectators and aim to sell some tickets for as little as €50 or €60.
The second country said to be planning a Grand Prix is Finland. The circuit named by locals as "Kimi Ring", the new circuit near Helsinki was originally designed to host Moto GP who are believed to be racing there from 2018. Currently the circuit is rated as a grade 2 track by the FIA, but there is a proposal by investors to bring the track up to grade 1 status in an effort to bring the F1 circus to town. Juhani Pekari the president of Finish Automoto Federation is quoted in the press as saying “It is natural that we will seriously examine the possibility of getting formula one in Finland”.
Time running out for Manor
There has been little news around Manor F1 but this could be good news rather than bad, as it is thought that there is still some interest in finding a buyer before the season starts in March. One of the main stumbling blocks still appears to be the legal liability of anyone taking over the team in relation to the death of Jules Bianchi. Clearly, the fact that Manor was pushed back to 11th place last season meaning the could loose as much as $20 million in prize money, one would expect that this would/could be reflected in a reduced selling price, so should not cause any new buyer a problem. Another big hurdle for any potential buyer is the fact that Manor have no cars built for the 2017 season and it is unlikely that the FIA or other teams would allow them to race the 2016 car as the regulations have moved on and the old car doesn't meet the new rules.
This isn't the first time Manor have found themselves in this position, they were in a similar situation back in 2014, but there were a number of differences then. Firstly, they went into administration in October not the end of December as this year, which gave them much more time to prepare the car for the first GP in Australia in the middle of March 2015. But less we forget the team having turned up to race in Australia didn't in fact start the race as someone had erased the power-unit software. Even if someone buys the team I think it unlikely that they will take part in the 2017 season as they have to build the cars from scratch, pass the crash tests, test the car and put a team in place, as many of the Manor team have already found new jobs with-in other teams.
Overtaking and close racing
There still seems to be a lot of dispute between engineers regarding how the Aero rules for 2017 will effect overtaking and close racing. Some say it will make it harder while other claim it should make it easier. It seems the dispute is about turbulent air flow and the height of the turbulent air flow. Some engineers are saying that while the rear wing will be bigger and the diffuser closer, this will therefore increase the turbulent air flow but taken together with the other Aero designs (endplates and wing/diffuser positions) this will push the turbulent air higher and therefore have less effect of cars following closely behind. One would expect that aerodynamicists would be able to work this out in wind-tunnels and with fluid dynamics. Last time F1 looked closely as a group into turbulent air flow was back in 2007/8 to prepare for the 2009 technical regulations, a number of top aerodynamicists said they were amazed at the results and that their assumptions could be thrown away. Clearly it seems that this dark art isn't easy to understand even by experts, there is a good article here from early last year that helps explain the effect endplates have on F1 cars, its worth a read if you like this sort of debate.
McLaren clean house
As speculated about above, McLaren have got rid of a number of personal brought in by Ron Dennis that appear to be surplus to requirements now Ron has been forced out of the team. Jost Capito who was appointed as McLaren CEO during last season has left the team. He joined the team from VW motorsport but it seems he was thought to be too close to Dennis. According to McLaren "Regrettably, we have not been able to find common ground with Jost with regard to what is and will be needed to make the team successful again. As a result, we have agreed that he will leave McLaren Racing and will now consider other opportunities".
Long time team manager and close friend of Ron Dennis, Dave Redding is also leaving McLaren after 17 years with the squad, he will not be out of work as he has already got a new position with the William team. He will be taking over from Williams sporting manager Steve Nielsen who will be taking a factory based role at the team from 2018 at his own request. Redding's old post of team manager at McLaren will be taken by Chief Mechanic Paul James who will take on most of Redding's responsibilities.
Two more European Grand Prix?
As mentioned above, the French appear to be ready to hold a Grand Prix as early as 2018 at the revamped Paul Ricard circuit [owned by none other than Bernie]. Christian Estrosi, the President of the PACA region which has jurisdiction over the race, said that all financial guarantees and covenants had been fulfilled. Local, Regional and National government are believed to have put up as much as €14 million to help secure a race, which the circuit manager believes could be scheduled on the calendar for late August 2018. They claim they will receive crowds of around 65,000 spectators and aim to sell some tickets for as little as €50 or €60.
The second country said to be planning a Grand Prix is Finland. The circuit named by locals as "Kimi Ring", the new circuit near Helsinki was originally designed to host Moto GP who are believed to be racing there from 2018. Currently the circuit is rated as a grade 2 track by the FIA, but there is a proposal by investors to bring the track up to grade 1 status in an effort to bring the F1 circus to town. Juhani Pekari the president of Finish Automoto Federation is quoted in the press as saying “It is natural that we will seriously examine the possibility of getting formula one in Finland”.
Time running out for Manor
There has been little news around Manor F1 but this could be good news rather than bad, as it is thought that there is still some interest in finding a buyer before the season starts in March. One of the main stumbling blocks still appears to be the legal liability of anyone taking over the team in relation to the death of Jules Bianchi. Clearly, the fact that Manor was pushed back to 11th place last season meaning the could loose as much as $20 million in prize money, one would expect that this would/could be reflected in a reduced selling price, so should not cause any new buyer a problem. Another big hurdle for any potential buyer is the fact that Manor have no cars built for the 2017 season and it is unlikely that the FIA or other teams would allow them to race the 2016 car as the regulations have moved on and the old car doesn't meet the new rules.
This isn't the first time Manor have found themselves in this position, they were in a similar situation back in 2014, but there were a number of differences then. Firstly, they went into administration in October not the end of December as this year, which gave them much more time to prepare the car for the first GP in Australia in the middle of March 2015. But less we forget the team having turned up to race in Australia didn't in fact start the race as someone had erased the power-unit software. Even if someone buys the team I think it unlikely that they will take part in the 2017 season as they have to build the cars from scratch, pass the crash tests, test the car and put a team in place, as many of the Manor team have already found new jobs with-in other teams.
Overtaking and close racing
There still seems to be a lot of dispute between engineers regarding how the Aero rules for 2017 will effect overtaking and close racing. Some say it will make it harder while other claim it should make it easier. It seems the dispute is about turbulent air flow and the height of the turbulent air flow. Some engineers are saying that while the rear wing will be bigger and the diffuser closer, this will therefore increase the turbulent air flow but taken together with the other Aero designs (endplates and wing/diffuser positions) this will push the turbulent air higher and therefore have less effect of cars following closely behind. One would expect that aerodynamicists would be able to work this out in wind-tunnels and with fluid dynamics. Last time F1 looked closely as a group into turbulent air flow was back in 2007/8 to prepare for the 2009 technical regulations, a number of top aerodynamicists said they were amazed at the results and that their assumptions could be thrown away. Clearly it seems that this dark art isn't easy to understand even by experts, there is a good article here from early last year that helps explain the effect endplates have on F1 cars, its worth a read if you like this sort of debate.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Ferrari to quit F1
Well that is what some of the Italian press are claiming, they say it is because of "dwindling viewership" but it also coincides with the news that the new owners, Liberty Media, are talking about removing their historic bonus which is worth around $80 million a year. Liberty can not do anything about it until the new Concorde agreement which starts in 2020, so it seems it is just flag waving and setting out negotiating positions for the time being. The interesting thing is that Ferrari are the team that has been most vocal about purchasing shares in the sport.
It is also being reported that Ferrari and others are looking at protesting both Mercedes and Red Bull at the Australian GP over their suspension, as mentioned above, Ferrari asked the FIA to clarify a number of questions about the rules around suspension. After receiving answers to their questions Ferrari are claiming that both Red Bull and Mercedes are using a systems that mimic the effects of active suspension or the similarly banned 'Fric' innovation. On the 7th February the team technical bosses met and the suspension systems were the top item on the agenda. Other teams are also interested in why the FIA have given the green light to these systems and are now asking the FIA to explain how the chassis are legal given that they outlawed the FRIC system and active suspension.
Vettel crashed out of the wet weather test, fortunately he is OK and just has some bruising
India has applied to extradite Vijay Mallya
Mallya is wanted in India for money laundering and corruption surrounding his ownership of Kingfisher Airlines and other companies, the sums of money are in the region of $1.3 billion. It is claimed in Court documents that Mallya diverted loans to the Kingfisher Airlines company by banks to his personal accounts. India has an extradition treaty with the UK so it will be interesting to see how the UK government reacts to a multi-millionaire wanted in India.
Ebooks offered
I have a couple of F1 related ebooks that some readers my also like to read, they are;
Watching the Wheels My Autobiography by Damon Hill (2016)
Total Competition Lessons in Strategy from Formula One by Ross Brawn and Adam Parr (2016)
No Angel The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone Tom Bower
If you'd like a copy PM me an email address and I'll send you the file
Well that is what some of the Italian press are claiming, they say it is because of "dwindling viewership" but it also coincides with the news that the new owners, Liberty Media, are talking about removing their historic bonus which is worth around $80 million a year. Liberty can not do anything about it until the new Concorde agreement which starts in 2020, so it seems it is just flag waving and setting out negotiating positions for the time being. The interesting thing is that Ferrari are the team that has been most vocal about purchasing shares in the sport.
It is also being reported that Ferrari and others are looking at protesting both Mercedes and Red Bull at the Australian GP over their suspension, as mentioned above, Ferrari asked the FIA to clarify a number of questions about the rules around suspension. After receiving answers to their questions Ferrari are claiming that both Red Bull and Mercedes are using a systems that mimic the effects of active suspension or the similarly banned 'Fric' innovation. On the 7th February the team technical bosses met and the suspension systems were the top item on the agenda. Other teams are also interested in why the FIA have given the green light to these systems and are now asking the FIA to explain how the chassis are legal given that they outlawed the FRIC system and active suspension.
Vettel crashed out of the wet weather test, fortunately he is OK and just has some bruising
India has applied to extradite Vijay Mallya
Mallya is wanted in India for money laundering and corruption surrounding his ownership of Kingfisher Airlines and other companies, the sums of money are in the region of $1.3 billion. It is claimed in Court documents that Mallya diverted loans to the Kingfisher Airlines company by banks to his personal accounts. India has an extradition treaty with the UK so it will be interesting to see how the UK government reacts to a multi-millionaire wanted in India.
Ebooks offered
I have a couple of F1 related ebooks that some readers my also like to read, they are;
Watching the Wheels My Autobiography by Damon Hill (2016)
Total Competition Lessons in Strategy from Formula One by Ross Brawn and Adam Parr (2016)
No Angel The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone Tom Bower
If you'd like a copy PM me an email address and I'll send you the file
spitfire
Walty McWaltface
I have a couple of F1 related ebooks that some readers my also like to read, they are;
Watching the Wheels My Autobiography by Damon Hill (2016)
Total Competition Lessons in Strategy from Formula One by Ross Brawn and Adam Parr (2016)
No Angel The Secret Life of Bernie Ecclestone Tom Bower
If you'd like a copy PM me an email address and I'll send you the file
I'd like those if possible, can't message you though, your profile is restricted.
1%er
Well-Known Member
Sorry about that, I think you can PM me now.I'd like those if possible, can't message you though, your profile is restricted.
I just noticed I can upload files with-in a PM, but not EPUB or MOBI files, I'll pop along to the feedback forum now and ask why
1%er
Well-Known Member
Suspension argument rumbles on
There is still no clear agreement over the legality of some teams suspension with less than 3 weeks to go before the first test. As mentioned above Ferrari is still seeking guidance on whether concepts used by rival teams are legal, at a meeting last week between the teams technical directors and the FIA no consensus was agreed. Various ideas were put forward including a return to conventional suspension, a switch to active suspension or no restriction on the current hydraulic concepts, but teams opinions were split, it is understood that a fresh Technical Directive from Whiting giving his opinion on the situation is expected in the next fortnight.
It is hoped the ruling will deliver clear guidelines on what is and is not allowed before testing begins at Barcelona, should there be ongoing disagreements about the situation, it is possible the matter could result in an official protest following the season opening race in Australia. Whiting's opinion is only advisory in nature, and binding interpretations of the regulations can only be laid down by race stewards at events or ultimately the FIA International Court of Appeal.
McLaren get entirely new power-unit from Honda
The Japanese company had hinted that it would introduce an entirely new power unit in 2017, but stopped short of confirming it. Now McLaren technical director Tim Goss has now confirmed that Honda has redesigned its power unit, having learned from its previous two seasons. he said "For 2017, the Honda engine architecture and layout have been altered to serve both for performance and packaging needs. The new power unit takes much of the learning from the past two seasons, but has been specifically redesigned for this season". Honda has struggled since its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier to McLaren. It suffered from poor performance and reliability in its debut year. However it has made big strides in both areas, but still lacks outright horsepower compared to Mercedes.
Apologies to anyone who has tried to contact me for the ebook mentioned above, it appears that I have something ticked somewhere that means I can not receive PMs. If you want the any of the books just say so in the thread and I'll PM you which then allows you to reply
There is still no clear agreement over the legality of some teams suspension with less than 3 weeks to go before the first test. As mentioned above Ferrari is still seeking guidance on whether concepts used by rival teams are legal, at a meeting last week between the teams technical directors and the FIA no consensus was agreed. Various ideas were put forward including a return to conventional suspension, a switch to active suspension or no restriction on the current hydraulic concepts, but teams opinions were split, it is understood that a fresh Technical Directive from Whiting giving his opinion on the situation is expected in the next fortnight.
It is hoped the ruling will deliver clear guidelines on what is and is not allowed before testing begins at Barcelona, should there be ongoing disagreements about the situation, it is possible the matter could result in an official protest following the season opening race in Australia. Whiting's opinion is only advisory in nature, and binding interpretations of the regulations can only be laid down by race stewards at events or ultimately the FIA International Court of Appeal.
McLaren get entirely new power-unit from Honda
The Japanese company had hinted that it would introduce an entirely new power unit in 2017, but stopped short of confirming it. Now McLaren technical director Tim Goss has now confirmed that Honda has redesigned its power unit, having learned from its previous two seasons. he said "For 2017, the Honda engine architecture and layout have been altered to serve both for performance and packaging needs. The new power unit takes much of the learning from the past two seasons, but has been specifically redesigned for this season". Honda has struggled since its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier to McLaren. It suffered from poor performance and reliability in its debut year. However it has made big strides in both areas, but still lacks outright horsepower compared to Mercedes.
Apologies to anyone who has tried to contact me for the ebook mentioned above, it appears that I have something ticked somewhere that means I can not receive PMs. If you want the any of the books just say so in the thread and I'll PM you which then allows you to reply
1%er
Well-Known Member
It's official, James Allison is joining Mercedes
The only surprise is that he starts on March the 1st and doesn't have to wait until September. The team have created a new role of technical director for him. Allison has previously won world championships with both Ferrari and Renault and it will be interesting to read in a year or two, if he is replacing Paddy Lowe (now with Williams) or Lowe left knowing Allison was about to take his job?
Williams announce new Head of Aerodynamics
As well as Paddy Lowe moving to the Williams team they have also announced Dirk de Beer as their new Head of Aerodynamics, he started his career as an Aerodynamicist at Sauber, before joining Renault in 2008, where he spent five years as Head of Aerodynamics, and later moving on to Ferrari where he was Chief Aerodynamicist. He left Ferrari just days after James Allison and coincidentally he will also start his job with Williams on 1st March.
Renault also have a new Head of Aerodynamics
Renault has also announced a new head of aerodynamics with Pete Machin joining the team from Red Bull Racing in July. Machin has been at Milton Keynes since 2002 when the team was still Jaguar Racing but he was previously a CFD Engineer at Arrows from October 1997 to April 2002, after starting his career in aerodynamics with Bombardier Aerospace. The team’s current head of aerodynamics Jon Tomlinson will (in theory) become Machin’s deputy.
The post Dennis clear-out continues at McLaren
Ekrem Sami will depart his role as chief executive of McLaren marketing at the end of March, drawing to an end a 35-year career with the Woking based team. Sami's departure comes during a period of restructure for the Formula One team where anyone close to Dennis seems to be getting the boot. McLaren have gone 4 years without a race win and this season have a new power-unit, I guess clearing house now may well show that they want to rebuild from the bottom up, but management instability and a new power-unit can't give their drivers much confidence for the coming season. I think we will see McLaren running in the middle of the pack again this year, I can't see them moving forward with so much change going on.
Is Pascal Wehrlein fit?
There are reports in the Swiss press that Pascal Wehrlein may not be fit enough to test for Sauber next week. The reports claim that the crash he had at the Race of Champions where he rolled his car have left him with injuries. The newspaper Blick is claiming that Italy’s Antonio Giovinazzi is having a seat fitting at Sauber and may stand in for the Mercedes driver. It is not clear whether Wehrlein has a Sauber contract or a Mercedes contract, or both. It may be that he is employed by Mercedes and is being loaned to Sauber, in exchange for payments that allow him to gain some experience in F1.
[I have been reading Total Competition Lessons in Strategy from Formula One and I recommend it to all F1 fans, it is an easy read and has lots of info about what has happened behind the scenes, it is like sitting at a table listening to two of the best in F1 chat about what went on over the years and how they achieve what they did, it starts with Adam Parr just transcribing his chats with Ross Brawn who is very truthful about everyone and everything]
The only surprise is that he starts on March the 1st and doesn't have to wait until September. The team have created a new role of technical director for him. Allison has previously won world championships with both Ferrari and Renault and it will be interesting to read in a year or two, if he is replacing Paddy Lowe (now with Williams) or Lowe left knowing Allison was about to take his job?
Williams announce new Head of Aerodynamics
As well as Paddy Lowe moving to the Williams team they have also announced Dirk de Beer as their new Head of Aerodynamics, he started his career as an Aerodynamicist at Sauber, before joining Renault in 2008, where he spent five years as Head of Aerodynamics, and later moving on to Ferrari where he was Chief Aerodynamicist. He left Ferrari just days after James Allison and coincidentally he will also start his job with Williams on 1st March.
Renault also have a new Head of Aerodynamics
Renault has also announced a new head of aerodynamics with Pete Machin joining the team from Red Bull Racing in July. Machin has been at Milton Keynes since 2002 when the team was still Jaguar Racing but he was previously a CFD Engineer at Arrows from October 1997 to April 2002, after starting his career in aerodynamics with Bombardier Aerospace. The team’s current head of aerodynamics Jon Tomlinson will (in theory) become Machin’s deputy.
The post Dennis clear-out continues at McLaren
Ekrem Sami will depart his role as chief executive of McLaren marketing at the end of March, drawing to an end a 35-year career with the Woking based team. Sami's departure comes during a period of restructure for the Formula One team where anyone close to Dennis seems to be getting the boot. McLaren have gone 4 years without a race win and this season have a new power-unit, I guess clearing house now may well show that they want to rebuild from the bottom up, but management instability and a new power-unit can't give their drivers much confidence for the coming season. I think we will see McLaren running in the middle of the pack again this year, I can't see them moving forward with so much change going on.
Is Pascal Wehrlein fit?
There are reports in the Swiss press that Pascal Wehrlein may not be fit enough to test for Sauber next week. The reports claim that the crash he had at the Race of Champions where he rolled his car have left him with injuries. The newspaper Blick is claiming that Italy’s Antonio Giovinazzi is having a seat fitting at Sauber and may stand in for the Mercedes driver. It is not clear whether Wehrlein has a Sauber contract or a Mercedes contract, or both. It may be that he is employed by Mercedes and is being loaned to Sauber, in exchange for payments that allow him to gain some experience in F1.
[I have been reading Total Competition Lessons in Strategy from Formula One and I recommend it to all F1 fans, it is an easy read and has lots of info about what has happened behind the scenes, it is like sitting at a table listening to two of the best in F1 chat about what went on over the years and how they achieve what they did, it starts with Adam Parr just transcribing his chats with Ross Brawn who is very truthful about everyone and everything
]
1%er
Well-Known Member
Rumors about the way forward
There are a number of rumors about the way forward for F1, now and after the 2020 new concorde agreement. It seems there is a push among some teams to restart FOTA (Formula one teams association), this was dissolved in 2014 after Williams were kicked out and the other teams couldn't agree on anything, it will be interesting to see what happens this time, but I suspect it is just a way for the teams to get together to try and force some items through during the new concorde agreement negotiations, after that I think it will be business as usual, with teams unable to agree on much.
There is also growing disagreement between teams on the way forward for engines and power-units, some teams want to make more use of the MGU-H and MGU-K systems and also increase the power from the current units, other teams say they want to abandon Formula 1's "green credentials" and focus more on the spectacle, with loud, fuel-guzzling engines in the future.
There is also talk about making the cars 4X4 so they can harvest power from the front wheels under braking, but I can't see agreement on this before 2020, teams such as Mercedes and Honda want to move to this route as they can see the potential of technology transfer to road cars.
Brawn looking to give fans more entertainment
The new Sporting Director of Formula 1 Ross Brawn seems to be putting fans first, in an interview with the BBC he said "There are some straightforward issues, but the solutions are going to take some time. We want to focus on making the show as good as it can be and the entertainment as good as it can be. Every decision will have to tick some boxes and those will be 'does it make sport better? Does it make it more entertaining? Does it make it more economic? You can't change a sport as complex as Formula 1 overnight but the message is that we are fighting to make the sport as entertaining and as viable as we can. I hope with the continued pressure we can apply, we can steer the sport into a better place".
Pascal Wehrlein out of first test
It seems the story above about Pascal Wehrlein was true and it has now been confirmed that he will not be taking part in the first test. He had a massive and spectacular accident during the race of champions where he rolled his car and it seems he has not fully recovered from this. He will be replaced in the Sauber by Antonio Giovinazzi the young Italian driver. There is no news currently regarding if he will be fit for the first race at Albert park in around a months time.
Williams release side by side of 2016 car with 2017 car
Not as big a difference and some may have thought, although this may not be the car that races or tests, Williams may well have kept some details away from this image to keep other teams guessing. Clearly the wider and lower rear wing is the most obvious change. Due to the angle of the images it is not as easy to distinguish the overall increase in width of the car’s body and front wing. However the wider floor and increased space between the sidepod airflow conditioners gives away the growth in size. The considerably wider front and rear tyres are also clear to see. Those larger wheels also mean thicker, stronger suspension arms to deal with the increased forces involved.
There are a number of rumors about the way forward for F1, now and after the 2020 new concorde agreement. It seems there is a push among some teams to restart FOTA (Formula one teams association), this was dissolved in 2014 after Williams were kicked out and the other teams couldn't agree on anything, it will be interesting to see what happens this time, but I suspect it is just a way for the teams to get together to try and force some items through during the new concorde agreement negotiations, after that I think it will be business as usual, with teams unable to agree on much.
There is also growing disagreement between teams on the way forward for engines and power-units, some teams want to make more use of the MGU-H and MGU-K systems and also increase the power from the current units, other teams say they want to abandon Formula 1's "green credentials" and focus more on the spectacle, with loud, fuel-guzzling engines in the future.
There is also talk about making the cars 4X4 so they can harvest power from the front wheels under braking, but I can't see agreement on this before 2020, teams such as Mercedes and Honda want to move to this route as they can see the potential of technology transfer to road cars.
Brawn looking to give fans more entertainment
The new Sporting Director of Formula 1 Ross Brawn seems to be putting fans first, in an interview with the BBC he said "There are some straightforward issues, but the solutions are going to take some time. We want to focus on making the show as good as it can be and the entertainment as good as it can be. Every decision will have to tick some boxes and those will be 'does it make sport better? Does it make it more entertaining? Does it make it more economic? You can't change a sport as complex as Formula 1 overnight but the message is that we are fighting to make the sport as entertaining and as viable as we can. I hope with the continued pressure we can apply, we can steer the sport into a better place".
Pascal Wehrlein out of first test
It seems the story above about Pascal Wehrlein was true and it has now been confirmed that he will not be taking part in the first test. He had a massive and spectacular accident during the race of champions where he rolled his car and it seems he has not fully recovered from this. He will be replaced in the Sauber by Antonio Giovinazzi the young Italian driver. There is no news currently regarding if he will be fit for the first race at Albert park in around a months time.
Williams release side by side of 2016 car with 2017 car
Not as big a difference and some may have thought, although this may not be the car that races or tests, Williams may well have kept some details away from this image to keep other teams guessing. Clearly the wider and lower rear wing is the most obvious change. Due to the angle of the images it is not as easy to distinguish the overall increase in width of the car’s body and front wing. However the wider floor and increased space between the sidepod airflow conditioners gives away the growth in size. The considerably wider front and rear tyres are also clear to see. Those larger wheels also mean thicker, stronger suspension arms to deal with the increased forces involved.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Sauber: New car unveiled for 2017 season
Sauber: New car unveiled for 2017 season
It looks shit. I fucking hate those rear fins like the endurance cars have.
Sauber: New car unveiled for 2017 season
It looks shit. I fucking hate those rear fins like the endurance cars have.
