F1 News Snippets

[Penfold]

Right, so what news do we have today.... Well, here be some fancy words concerning Liberty Media's plans (hopes) to trim the budgets of F1's top teams: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/12/17/us-mogul-john-malones-spending-cap-save-formula-1/

Perhaps step 1 in levelling the playing field should be reforming the allocation of prize money?  Based on comments on a few F1 forums - not to mention my own rants on this one - such a change would be regarded as long overdue.  Unfortunately, the Concorde Agreement doesn't come up for renewal until 2020 so we're probably stuck with prize fund as is until then.

Unfortunately, the Concorde Agreement doesn't come up for renewal until 2020 so we're probably stuck with prize fund as is until then.

Not to mention some teams surely have longer deals negotiated in privacy with Mr. Bernie. 2020 may see a redistribution of prize money but won't stop the "historical payments" given to many of the teams.

Not 100% on this, but to me the reporting here: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/123649 reads in such a way to suggest that all team payments were finalised in the current Concorde Agreement; certainly the extra cash doled out to Red Bull, Merc, and Williams earns a mention.

Impressive stuff. Daniel Ricciardo completed 100% of all laps raced this season. He finished every race this season, never lapped. No other driver managed to go the entire season without retiring or being lapped. Rosberg's only DNF came in the Spanish GP, Hamilton also DNFed in Malaysia. Vettel failed to start in Bahrain, and DNFed another 3 times. Maximums Verstappenigo crashed out of a bunch of races this year and DNFed 3 times (all caused by driver error, mind you!)

Are you sure his name isn't Maximus?

Maximus Prime.

Sauber looking increasingly likely to fit Honda engines into their 2018 challenger. Wehrlein to Sauber is apparently nothing more than Mercedes paying for a seat, no engine deals involved.

I think a few months back in the 'engine' thread ('sounds of F1' or whatever it's titled) you said a Honda-Sauber deal was a near certainty - just McLaren holding things up.  Crazy to have Honda back in F1 and restrict engines to just one team.

[Penfold]

Bernie's 40-year reign (of terror) may be at an end: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/38713153

In arguably the biggest news story of all time, Trump's pussy grabbing and factual alternatives, Brexit and 9/11 included, Bernie Ecclestone has stepped down as CEO of the sport we all love. HE IS GONE.

... or at least shuffled off to an honorary role.  Turns out the rumours were correct as Liberty now employs a certain Mr. Brawn: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/01/23/brawn-among-key-f1-hires-announced-by-liberty/


Young British driver Lando Norris (great name!) joins McLaren development programme: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/02/22/norris-joins-mclaren-young-driver-programme/

Great signing. Chuck Norris is looking strong, he can definitely make it into F1 with this backing.

... but is he so tough that under his beard there's another fist?

Nope, Chuck Testa!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJP1DphOWPs

Delightfully random.

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McLaren confident they can build a better car than Sauber and so directs them down the rabbit hole and into the warm embrace of Hondaland: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/39761616

[Chrill]

This is positive. If Alonso does remain at McLaren in 2018, he will only be driving the second worst car.

[Penfold]

So the same as this year....

Boullier - "Honda's engine is crap and they need to get cracking on next year's version post-haste": http://en.f1i.com/news/267103-honda-must-initiate-work-2018-engine-boullier.html

[Chrill]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motorsport/brabham-supercar-and-f1-team-mooted

Potential Brabham return to F1? David Brabham is the son of Jack Brabham, the founder of the Brabham F1 team. He's apparently pulling some strings, looking at buying Force India from the arrested Vijay Mallya. Yayz!

[Penfold]

Force India has been such a great unit to watch in recent years, tending to punch above their weight, that I just hope any new owner doesn't mess with how they operate.

[Penfold]

Money!  But can you guess which team got the biggest share of F1's prize fund last year? http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/129388/formula-1-team-payments-for-2017-revealed

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Eddie Jordan making some strong claims about Merc's future in F1, see the video here: https://steemit.com/f1/@supercoiner/eddie-jordan-s-f1-predication-mclaren-mercedes-engine-deal-and-petronas-quitting

All denied by Mercedes.

[Chrill]

He's been making various Mercedes related claims lately, and I believe him. Except for Ferrari, manufacturers tend to join F1 only for a period of time. Once they achieve their goal (or fail it miserably), they retire. Mercedes will probably do a Renault, that is continue to provide engines but not run their own team.

[Penfold]

That's what I'm thinking.  People dismiss EJ's musings at their own risk: the man has form for making seemingly outlandish claims which get strenuously denied by the relevant parties but which then come to pass.  China F1 Racing here we come....

[Chrill]

I'm hearing some whispers regarding Honda. They are reportedly backing out of their Sauber deal and retiring from F1 effective at the end of this season. That would lead me to assume a McLaren-Mercedes and a Sauber-Ferrari solution for 2018.

[Chrill]

Sauber has a team principal now. His name is Vasseur. Frederic Vasseur.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/07/12/ex-renault-boss-vassuer-appointed-team-principal-sauber/

Also, regarding my previous Honda comment:
McLaren-Ferrari engines with possible rebadging is what I'm hearing. Not Mercedes. Time for a McLaren-Alfa Romeo, perchance?

[Chrill]

4 posts in a row. Lots of news at the moment...

I spoke of Sauber-Honda falling through yesterday. Now media is picking up on the same thing:

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/sauber-honda-engine-deal-called-off-929575/

From what I've heard, the deal was in fact completed but clauses to drop out have been activated. I'm not sure if Sauber or Honda activated the clause.

[Penfold]

Eddie Jordan stated during Baku coverage that Vasseur would be Sauber principal - the man knows his onions.

Sad way for the mighty Honda to bow out of F1, assuming these tales be true.  Of course there's a fair dollop of nostalgia in my affection for the partnership: that McLaren-Honda tag always flits my mind back to the glorious days of Senna.


Edit: Moved the piece about Copenhagen circuit to the 'Formula 1 Circuits' thread....