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Customer car argument comes to a head
Frank Williams has launched an appeal against customer cars for 2008. It seems that if the 2007 Concorde Agreement rolls over into 2008, any customer team will not be inline for any FOM revenues.
The problem is that the FIA court of appeal may just rubber stamp the customer car issue in order to please Mad Max, what a disaster that would be.
I have never understood why Prodrive with all their facilities could not design their own chassis. After all they are already inline for an off the shelf engine and gearbox.
Comments
All power to FW for taking Max on, and he's in the right of course, but I too fear it will get rubber stamped.
In 1985 Minardi had 13.
How the **** does Richards expect TV money running a turnkey operation of 80 staff?
To see what new ideas the engineers and aero guys come up with.
Sadly, the business plan of F1 could resemble champ car. Instead of 1 chassis type, there might be five or six, and the rest clones.
Enzo will be turning in his grave.
I think it might be a NASCAResque business plan we are being dragged into. There's a whole lot of money in that WWF-on-wheels circus.
since I've seen this occur with my own eyes, y'all will understand that I'm not buying into the end is nigh arguement..... especially when it is only a matter of time when some of the manufacturers bolt the series..... anybody looking forward to 10-12 car grids??? or allow constructors to enter 4 cars per team??? (BRM is back !!!!)
ciao
murph
They should have done something more restrictive on the technical regs to prevent the manufacturers cash advantages being readily converted onto advantages in lap times. That's easier said than done, of course, but it was what Max said he'd do - until he changed his mind.
Something will survive, but what?
Today, it seems that people who only have the money (or some of it) are the ones who want to buy chassis, so the general fear that it goes against the F1 spirit.
That's why I believe Murph's comments are correct, and hard or impossible to deny on a rational basis, but I still do not like customer chassis.
Albeit four Ferraris and four Mcladras on the grid would be fantastic (but the drivers should hate each other)...
The difference between the 70's and early 80's (pre-Turbo Era) and today is very simple to understand.....
F1 in the 70's and early 80's was a SPORT....... nobody really did it for the money.....TV was basically non-existent.....teams like Lotus or Brabham might be made up 10-12 members....but this was the "kit-car era"...all one needed was a Cosworth V8 and a Hewland with some Goodyear or Firestone feet....
F1 today is a BIG BUSINESS.....it's all about the $$$$...... Toyota's yearly budget is reported to be just over 700 million dollars....and I gotta be thinking that there is something wrong there !!!
Still, I would imagine that only organizations such as Prodrive would get envolved because of the costs involved..... only teams with $$$ and a clue would/could become part of the circus.
I know I'm still living in the past....but I can remember when Roger Penske's privateer Ferrari 512M and many Porsche 917's in privateer hands were more succesful than the Porsche and Ferrari factory teams.....
ciao y'all
murph
You surely gotta a point. But I think that, in the kit car era, as anyone could have one, only the better, the creative ones, would do well. I guess that it is not a coincidence that you mentioned Roger Penske. Those people WANTED to compete, and the low cost allowed them. Now, if you assume that people want to make money, low cost would attract the ones more eager to make money.
People like Ferrari, Mercedes, Toyota, BMW, etc, ALREADY have a lot of money. You can stil say they're only after more money (which is a strong affirmative. They are, but maybe not only), but at least they must compete at high level to achieve that goal.
Prodrive is involved in motorsport, I know. But the way things have evolved
I'm happy their out (fresh news from Interlagos). The sad part is that when the FIA made that kind of selection some time ago, a lot of potential manufacturers where ruled out.
A number of years ago (late 1990's I think) Uncle Ron was quoted that there were only 3 F1 teams that actually cared about winning races....Mclaren, Williams, and Ferrari. He was taking a shot at one Eddie Jordan, and rightfully so as EJ was not reinvesting $$$ into his team but was just adding to his own bank account. Today, I would add BMW and even Honda as 2 more teams that are in it to win....I would also add that though Sir Frank is in it to win, right now he isn't in a position to win as the odds against a privateer winning constructors championships are very very steep. I am one that wants to see the privateers in F1.... how else will we ever see a new version of Frank Williams/Patrick Head rise from the bottom and become major players in the future???
Well, I'm off with the missus this weekend to play with me grand daughter.... I'm looking forward to reading to her the Mac and Lauren books I bought for her and her brother (written by Uncle Ron's wife, Lisa).... though I will modify the story line a bit and change the title to best fit the McLaren 2007 story...... "Cheaters Do Win"... just trying to figure out how I can incorporate Peter Windsor and James Allen into the story with both having Lewis Hamilton's baby.....and the ensuing "cat fight" between these two shills.........'sigh
ciao
murph.... AKA to the grand kids as "Pap Pap Irish"
"Ecclestone said, however, that he did not think customer cars should be allowed in F1 and made it clear he would prefer another manufacturer to take the 12th slot.
"Probably not," he said when asked if customer cars should be allowed in F1. "The teams say that the real constructors are spending half a billion (US dollars) a year and Prodrive's budget was about 75 million. It is not fair.
"I should think there will be 11 teams next year. (For 2009) let's see who the 12th is, it is open. Let's have a look and see.
"I would like to see another manufacturer coming in. There is one or two sort of having a look." "
hmmmmm..... nothing here that suggests that one-quarter of the grid is "knackered up" for the 2008 grid as BE is concerned about who will make up the 12th slot (Oh Yeah Baby !!! Team Kia ???? if that doesn't get the old juices a flowin.....)
He seems to be content with the eleven on the grid....then again, Bernie rarely reveals what he really means/wants.
ciao
murph