I’m usually optimistic but I’m with sr. Mario...
Nobody has unlimited amount of money. A spectacular sport that requires regular international travel... sure, when we have an effective treatment or vaccine... otherwise...
As for manufacturers, recall that Honda withdrew due to financial crisis. I think Tesla has already been eating Mercedes and BMWs lunch precovid19, now that sales have slowed, we’d be lucky to not see more withdrawals... rather than more manufacturers buying in.
Tesla was eating what now?
Isn't most of the IP needed for building electrical vehicles in economies of scales owned by that consortium of German and Japanese car makers?
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https://cleantechnica.com/2019/08/10...landslide/amp/
This is an old article before the pandemic, sales figures comparison of Tesla’s and other European makers.
Surely the pandemic will be causing a slump of the entire car industry just like the financial crisis.
So point was I don’t think we can assume car makers having unlimited amount of money.
Was recently reminded that F1 had to opt for F2 spec cars for the 52 season when manufacturer involvement left them in the cold.
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I’d like to address the notion of big manufacturer involvement in F1.
I think it’s a myth that they are needed. Yes, they do bring mountains of money to a team. But at most manuf. involvement is normally no more than 30% of the grid.
Currently we have Mercedes and Renault.
I leave Ferrari and McLaren off the list because they are not manufacturers in the same sense. They are small and the automotive business supports the primary racing business, whereas big car makers use racing as a marketing exercise to support the car selling business.
If all of the manufacturers left F1 tomorrow the grid would be made up of extremely talented smaller teams. Unless they put nooses around the necks of the likes of Toto Wolff and keep them under wing… which isn’t going to happen. These people are sportspeople just like their drivers are and they’re also competing against each other, because the allure of winning a world championship is just as strong on the other side of pit wall.
If the big shareholder driven conglomerates departed, their spots will be readily filled by keen team managers and racing car designers. The engines would come from specialist engine builders. Most of the same people would be doing the work.
The budgets would be lower but that would attract more sponsorship dollars. All things would be in balance, and it might actually be less wasteful and more sustainable.
You know that the precedent has already been set in the modern era for what can happen if a car manufacturer pulls the pin and leaves a promising team of sportspeople to operate the remainder on a shoestring budget.
What RWA said. Less manufacturers in F1 the better.
I don't disagree with either of you.
It's just that the sport is not set up to accommodate "a promising team of sportspeople to operate on a shoestring budget".
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Yeah, I agree with all of you, less dependence on the manufacturers the better in a way, but not really sure F1 and shoestring budget will work out either.
Anyway, besides healthy financing for all teams, the entire sport is in an existential threat... IC engine development is probably as good as it's gonna get... and then climate change, and now a global pandemic...
Forget the teams for a minute, can track owners survive without the crowds? And imagine those new tracks..., they financed God knows how much and expected to make some money back this year... but nope.
Things have totally changed in 2020. Not really sure if anyone can see clearly at the moment... maybe only in hindsight.
Yes, tracks are fucked. The rate of increase of investment at which Bernie subjected them was delinquent.
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I think it is.Originally Posted by FaultyMario
It’s just also very set up to accommodate a billion-dollar budget when the mood strikes.
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