38 responses to “Daily #F1 News and Comment: Wednesday 9th April 2014”

1. Certainly Sauber have a problem with shoes. First Hulkenberg and his oversized feet, and now Sirotkin requiring kid-size shoes…

   Perhaps their next driver selection won’t be based on budget size but on shoe size.

   • LOL – maybe they are trying to save money by building smaller monocoques

   • Perhaps they should not have left one in the bisected car they made a while ago!

2. ” One such celebrity was rock legend Brian Johnson, lead singer of AC/DC.

   The man is from Newcastle and whilst the city is a cultural eye-opener – the British, themselves, struggle with the regional accent! ”

   I’m British – and have absolutely NO problem understanding Geordies –

   Divint ye nah !

   Maybe you should have said Southerners have problems understanding ?

3. LOL Manky. I love Geordies, spent some great weekends there but some of them cannae understand each other 😉

   • Ha, needs subtitles tho 😀

4. Just saw a very interesting video on skyf1…

   Apparently Ferrari were the ones who pushed for the V6 engines. So if that’s the case, why is LDM bitching about rules needing to be changed and F1 is boring?

   • I saw an article today that quoted Weber (head of Merc R&D) saying flat out that without the new regulations Merc would’ve left the sport.

     No wonder Ferrari and RB are so unhappy with them, LOL!

     • Renault also threatened to leave if the engine regs didn’t go the way they have, they also pressed for the fuel flow restrictions as part of the deal that meant they would stay in F1. Ferrari pushed for V6 Turbo as originally it was straight 4 turbo (can’t remember the CC) and Ferrari said it was of absolutely no relevance to anything they do. Merc also wanted more road relevance and were threatening to walk if there wasn’t a revolution. So, they all had a finger in the pie, also due there being 3 PU suppliers, you were never going to please them all.

   • I think they pushed for V6s when the other option was V4s as FIA originally wanted. I´m not sure they pushed for changing to small turbo engines from V8s.

5. Battle between McLaren and RB apparently in courtroom as Boullier is saying that Fallows has contract with Macca and the lawyers are getting involved. Will be interesting to see how that gets negotiated.

   • Go to skyf1 and watch the clip about Ferrari complaining.

     • I would love to but Sky videos won’t play on my computer for some reason. Creepily enough, when I tried using a different browser admin.brightcove wanted access to my microphone and camera.

       I just have no patience for an outfit that large not just making things that work. They should use YouTube and be done with it

6. Oh God, have you seen twitter! ‘That Woman’ is at the test… ah well Lewis, one world championship is still a good achievement! 😀

   • So he’s not allowed to have a partner, irrespective of whether she’s a celebrity or not? And what does that have to do with him winning or not winning a championship? I didn’t know she made the cars

     • Several in here think that this on-again, off-again was distracting him and influencing his driving.

       • Wasn’t it the same with jenson and his now fiancée or the other countless women he’s been associated with?

         • It was a problem in his early career after he had switched to benetton

     • She doesn’t make the cars but she can break up with him yet again. Sad Lewis tends to not do well.

       • Break up with him again, just like how jenson did on numerous occasions with his now fiancée? How many drivers have had break ups with their other halves? If breaking up with someone you truly loves, doesn’t affect you in someway or the other, irrespective of what profession your in, then you weren’t truly in love with them at all.

     • It was merely a joke Fortis, riffing on the notions that Lewis’s personal life, particularly his love life, often distract him to the extent that his performance suffer. If you’ve been here since the start as I have, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of Lewis, and don’t approve of a lot of the things that get written about him, and this poor woman, but that doesn’t mean I don’t indulge, or appreciate, a little humour on the matter. Have a good day!

       • Apologises. It’s just that I find it really stupid that people keep having ago at the guy over who he choses to be with. If it’s not his taste of music, tattoos, how he dresses, it’s something else. It’s like he’s not entitled to have any interest outside of the sport or he’s the first person to date a celebrity.

         • I whole heartedly agree, frankly the ridicule over dress, music, and style is just mindless snobbery, bordering on racism, and I don’t say that lightly, or throw it around like some do.

         • I don’t disagree with the sentiment re Hamilton – he is his own person and can do what he pleases. But compare Hamilton to Vettel. The one is methodical and (some would say) boring while the other is all over the place and lives with his heart and emotions on his sleeve.

           Now I know you say we should leave Hamilton alone but is all this music, tattoos and dressing not Hamilton’s way of finding acceptance or at least rewarding him for his own success? Where you never hear much about Vettel you always hear about Hamilton. Is all this “self reward” leading Hamilton to be less focussed? History suggests it does distract him. And if you’ve ever really loved someone and they leave you, you know what heartache that can be and it does distract you from the task at hand…

         • Don_quixote
           That’s just nonsense. You can’t compare Lewis and vettel’s character. Who says Lewis is methodical? Yet again your basing your statement on the rubbish the media prints.

           So what if he likes his music, tattoos etc, that’s his way of getting away from the sport, you can’t expect him to spend every single minute of his day focusing on just F1? That would just be absurd. Alonso does cycling, jenson triathlons, Suitil, beating up people in night clubs and god knows what the others do. Basically it’s easy to single him out, because he’s the odd one out. What he’s doing now, is minor in comparison to what people like Hunt, Ervine, Kimi and many before him has done. But it was seen as a welcome behaviour and a breath of fresh air to the sport when they do it, but in Lewis’s case, he gets ridiculed and labelled as being distracted.

           And why would you think he’s seeking acceptance?

           And it’s good that he shows his emotions, that means he has a heart and he cares.

         • All good points sir… may I ask though, what does Vettel do when he is not racing, the odd soap box race, visiting Pirelli, Renault, Infinity as part of being their “Director of Performance”.

           While Alonso rides his bike, Jenson does triathlons, Sutil gets aggressive and Hamilton does his bit, Vettel becomes better. I agree the guys like Hunt, Irvine, Kim et al are a different breed but that is also one of the reasons why Vettel is the youngest quadruple WC 😉

7. of course VIPs just looove their experience. won’t matter if you are in Uganda if you are schmoozing next to the king and getting a smorgasbord of exotic fruits, mouton Rothschild wines, caviar and pig heads served to you

   • A pigs head in baghrein? Thunder struck!

     • Of course that is how the Venetians allegedly smuggled the body of St. Mark out of Alexendria, concealed in a barrel of pork fat. 🙂

       • BTW your namesake rocked it up in F3 testing today.

         • Yes, that Verstappen rookie looks wicked fast…

8. Hmmm…. if the teams do buy F1 Bernie would have to stay behind the scenes as I’m pretty sure Mercedes were very upfront regarding their corporate governance and would leave if he’s convicted and continues to run the sport.

   Of course, rumors of the teams buying the sport could also be a bid to drive up prices for a more serious offer coming from elsewhere.

9. Ooof. Mclaren, Lotus and Ferrari all less than 30 laps today. Lotus PU, but different than yesterday, Ferrari chassis, McLaren braking issue put Magnussen in gravel trap, entailed lengthy repairs.

10. I cannot think of a better poker bluff than Ferrari, Mclaren (for history and heritage) and RedBull (most succesful recent team) to issue an statement saying that they will leave the sport at the end of 2014 season. For sure, F1 without these three teams is worth way less, stock prices go down, they purchase.

11. That GIF! Like Osama with the balloondog.

    Regarding the Communications company: The F1 team says there’s no link. So there is no link. And some self-employed-work-from-home-outfit bears the same name. Gillette Mach3 Turbo anyone? It’s not like they fit some kind of turbine to your razorblade, is it?Some people/companies lift on popular phrases and name with a copycat name.

    Show us who are the owners of both companies. If there’s any link it gets interesting.

12. So Red Bull have lost a key aero guy, are in legal wranglings over another, are maybe plotting to buy part of F1, are compiling an appeal over Ricciardo’s AUS disqualification, are still having a bit of a stooshie with Renault over the power unit, Horner’s experiencing a messy personal life, Vettel is likely sleep deprived from his bubba… and yet RB are still outperforming teams like Ferrari and Williams. God knows what they’ll be capable of when 100% of their attention is focused on the racing…

13. OT: is it just me or does the WordPress mobile app suck a bagful? The comment structure is always different to the regular version and now the commenter names are replaced by numbers. What the fornication?

14. Is Bernie trying to buy F1 back?

    Does Bernie Ecclestone have an unexpected agenda behind his recent criticisms of 2014 Formula 1? DIETER RENCKEN investigates an intriguing F1 political rumour

    Formula 1 thrives on conspiracy: catch two (or more) team bosses in a huddle, and whispers instantly have them trading drivers/ganging up against competitors/scheming further (advantageous) regulation changes/discussing solutions to the latest catastrophe to hit F1.

    In the world of F1 conspiracy, everything goes, with nothing being too bizarre to consider. Indeed, the only variables are the length of time devoted to deliberation/rejection/filing under ‘future’.

    However, there was a theory shared with this column in the wake of the first race of the season that was simply too outlandish to have legs. Yet…

    A source close to Bernie Ecclestone was adamant that he, the source who seldom peddles rumours, knew the reason for the F1 tsar’s hefty criticism of F1’s new technology, in particular the lack of noise emitted by the sport’s new engines, whose exhausts are muffled by high-pressure turbochargers driving compressors and electrical generators. This despite the 83-year-old not having heard the engines run in anger prior to Malaysia…

    “Look at it this way,” said the source, “if you want to buy something, you do everything to hammer the price down, find fault with the product. I think you’ll find Bernie is aiming to buy control of the sport, and you know what hard bargains he drives. He aims to buy out CVC.”

    After stifling guffaws, AUTOSPORT’s next reaction was to argue that, having single-handedly driven up the value from the ￡1.1bn paid by venture fund raiser CVC Capital Partners in that contentious deal – the aftermath of which saw German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky jailed and Ecclestone charged with bribery – back in 2005 by a factor of (at least) four, even Ecclestone is unlikely to have sufficient fiscal depth to cut a deal with his paymasters.

    “Possibly, but don’t forget he’s got very rich and extremely powerful friends,” said source argued.

    “I believe he’s assembled a syndicate to buy out CVC, who have made a fortune out of F1, but endured headache after headache. It’s got to a stage where damage to their reputation by being associated with Bernie and his legal issues is not worth their dwindling return on investment, particularly as listing on the Singapore stock exchange is off the table.

    “Don’t forget companies like CVC are measured on the two Rs: reputation and ROI [return on investment]. Already [Donald, CVC co-founder and co-chairman] Mackenzie has been forced to testify in the High Court, and next month Bernie’s Munich trial kicks off. Who knows what else awaits?
    “They made their money, and now it’s time to get out before their [annualised] return on investment gets dented too much…”

    Said source had a good point or three, particularly Ecclestone’s ability to persuade a syndicate to back him (despite his age), and CVC’s headaches. Thus the open questions are who, how Ecclestone would reacquire control of an entity he has now sold four times (and, according to Ken Tyrrell, did not legally own in the first place), and why he would do so at an age when most men are shuffling about in PJs and slippers?

    The ‘how’ is easier to answer than the ‘why’: not only is Ecclestone the consummate entrepreneur, but he’s something of a controlling taskmaster. Yet, since massaging the deal which enabled CVC to acquire 63 per cent of F1’s commercial rights – and as a result majority control – he has been dictated to, with the latest blow to his well-known modus operandi being enforced ‘resignations’ from organisations such as Formula One Management and other Formula One Group companies.

    During the high-profile Constantin Media court case, Mackenzie in November told the High Court Ecclestone would be “fired” if it is proven he had done “anything that is criminally wrong”, and immediately after the charges were confirmed issued a media release stating F1’s CEO would be subject to increased monitoring.

    Acquiring majority control (again) would certainly set Ecclestone free professionally, even if the court case still bears heavily – but that is another fight.

    Indeed, freedom from CVC shackles would enable Ecclestone to cut a deal with the Munich prosecutor’s office should he be so inclined, for while such a plea bargain would inevitably require an admission of guilt, he could not be “fired” by CVC were the investment company to exit F1.

    True, given that litigation commences in a little over two weeks, not a lot of time remains, but in real terms a deal could be struck at any point through to the verdict, in which case CVC could ‘spin’ the sale as ‘doing the right thing’, thus bolstering the reputation that is crucial to such companies. As will become apparent, some major challenges face CVC in this regard.

    So, how? Ecclestone (5.3 per cent), his family’s Bambino Trust (8.5 per cent) and FOM associates (3.7 per cent) currently hold 17.5 per cent of Delta Topco, the holding vehicle for F1’s commercial rights. (Liquidated) Lehman Bros has 12.3 per cent – said to be available, possibly immediately after three per cent was recently sold to the Texas Teachers Pension Fund. Such acquisition would take the notional syndicate to nigh on 30 per cent.

    Since the planned Singapore IPO bombed heavily for various reasons – not least various litigation suits faced by Ecclestone and associates – CVC (and other shareholders) gradually divested from Delta Topco such that CVC now holds just 35.5 per cent, but, in terms of its covenants, retains overall control.

    True, various laws governing trusts would prohibit Ecclestone from exercising control over Bambino, but no law on earth could prohibit the trustees from electing to throw their lot into a syndicate of which he is a member should they decide that such a move would be in the best interests of the trust.

    However, so widely spread is Delta Topco’s investor base* that, should any of the prime candidates elect to remain independent of the syndicate, the permutations for majority control are fundamentally endless. Some may even volunteer to sell out, having over the years achieved their investment objectives, or simply wish to exit an investment that has brought them enormous returns, but not without rather unsavoury riders: think Bahrain 2011 or even the current Russian situation.

    The last named could well prove the tipping point for CVC (and others), for insiders are adamant that FOM is being pressured by commercial and political interests to cancel the race due to Russia’s recent annexation of Crimea. Of course, all concerned are making sweet cooing noises, but the fact remains that the European Union and United States of America are considering all options to sanction Russia – including pressure to can the race at the former Winter Olympics site, which is but a figurative stone’s throw away from the Crimea.

    Of 56 entities currently vested in CVC’s portfolio, 31 are EU-based companies and six are USA-based companies, with 19 operating in Asia – and, tellingly, not a single Russian-registered holding company featuring.

    Included in the mix are consumer brands, clothing labels, pharmaceuticals and financial services, with the latter including Acromas, owner of Britain’s AA motoring service.

    Other companies include speciality chemicals producer Evonik, formerly known by its acronym Degussa (Deutsche Gold und Silber Scheideanstalt, est 1873) – one of the pioneers of the precious metals processing industry – and the Burger King and Domino’s Pizza franchises in Spain. Protesters could have field days across Europe…

    In this respect, the FIA finds itself in a rather difficult situation, for its remit is to remain staunchly non-political – hence its stance on Bahrain – but if the commercial rights holder wishes to cancel the race, the sport’s governing body is fundamentally powerless to take action, providing just another reason to detest the deal struck with Ecclestone by former FIA president Max Mosley’s administration.

    Therefore persuading CVC, which has already held its shareholding twice as long as is traditional in the business, to sell out its 35.5 per cent would not provide Ecclestone and his syndicate with 65 per cent and thus outright control, but it would provide the perfect exit strategy for CVC. And, even if it decides to retain its interest in Delta Topco, the syndicate could still acquire up to 65 per cent by other means.

    Covenants are said to be in place to prevent a wresting of control from CVC, but it is difficult to argue with votes…

    The only open question is who? Who would Ecclestone’s partners be? Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo are obvious candidates, while Mosley is not short of a shilling or two. Between them they would love more input into F1’s regulatory processes, particularly given their current situations.

    Other teams, too, could buy in. In fact, about the only top team that would be inclined to recuse itself is Mercedes, for the company’s corporate compliance guidelines would preclude such an investment, certainly while Munich looms large. But then over the years Ecclestone has rubbed shoulders with various captains of industry across the globe – and all know a good buck when they smell one.

    Could it come to pass? Certainly, Mackenzie and Ecclestone worked the Malaysia paddock hard all weekend, and were not just soliciting comment on the latest catastrophe to afflict F1, namely exhaust noise…

    *Current (unconfirmed) shareholding structure of Delta Topco,
    holding entity of the Formula One Group:

    CVC Capital Partners 35.5 per cent
    Waddell & Reed 20.9 per cent
    Lehman Brothers 12.3 per cent
    Bambino Holdings 8.5 per cent
    Bernie Ecclestone 5.3 per cent
    *河蟹* of Norway (Norges) 4.5 per cent
    JP Morgan Whitefriars 3.0 per cent
    Texas Teachers Pension Fund 3.0 per cent
    BlackRock 2.4 per cent
    Churchill Capital 0.7 per cent
    Free float of several individuals 3.9 per cent

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