The F1 thread

goldtop

Rumours are Red Bull have been offered a fine (so what!) AND a reduction in wind tunnel hours (which would hurt).

They could get around the second problem with wind tunnel R&D for the catering dept.

euan

There is also a rumour that the FIA has agreed they are in the wrong 

Cols

euan said:

There is also a rumour that the FIA has agreed they are in the wrong 

FIA admitting they’re in the wrong?

Hell, Vizzini even looks a bit like Jean Todt.

Cols

goldtop said:

Rumours are Red Bull have been offered a fine (so what!) AND a reduction in wind tunnel hours (which would hurt).

They could get around the second problem with wind tunnel R&D for the catering dept.

25% reduction in wind tunnel time, I’ve heard.  That would certainly sting.

It does my head in that this is being spun as a simple overspend on catering and sick pay.  The teams have a maximum of $145 million to run their operation, and it’s not demarcated.  They can spend it on pizzas and lap dances as far as the FIA care, as long as they don’t go over budget.

If a team decides for itself that they’re not going to declare parts of their expenditure because it’s not performance-facing, it’s more budget that they can spend elsewhere on upgrades, engineers and R&D.

fretmeister

Planet F1 reporting that Red Bull don’t like the punishment and have made a counter offer!

All criminals should try that in court next time they are charged.
10 years? Tell you what judge, how about 3 months and £100 fine?

goldtop

Horner now saying it's only over by a couple of hundred thousand dollars: https://www.racefans.net/2022/10/22/red-bull-budget-cap-row-is-over-a-couple-of-hundred-thousand-dollars-horner/

This is doubtless a new definition of 'couple'.

Cols

fretmeister said:

Planet F1 reporting that Red Bull don’t like the punishment and have made a counter offer!

All criminals should try that in court next time they are charged.
10 years? Tell you what judge, how about 3 months and £100 fine?

I’m reminded of Max Mosley’s rumoured comment on McLaren’s $100 million fine in 2007:

“$5 million for the offence, and $95 million for Ron being a twat…”

skullfunkerry

goldtop said:

Horner now saying it's only over by a couple of hundred thousand dollars: https://www.racefans.net/2022/10/22/red-bull-budget-cap-row-is-over-a-couple-of-hundred-thousand-dollars-horner/

This is doubtless a new definition of 'couple'.

Christian Horner has been on about how this is all outrageous in an age of everyone talking about mental health and now employee’s children are being bullied at school…

I have a *massive* bee in my bonnet about mental health, and advocating for support at work, it’s okay not to be okay, etc etc, but this just sounds like throwing any excuses they can think of and hoping that some will stick

stickyfiddle

I've just seen Dietrich Mateschitz has died overnight. Very sad news - as much as the were "just the fizzy drinks guys" he loved racing and was a huge part of why RB are at the centre of so many different "extreme" endeavours.

And maybe it will shut Horner up for a couple of days..?

TimmyO

skullfunkerry said:

goldtop said:

Horner now saying it's only over by a couple of hundred thousand dollars: https://www.racefans.net/2022/10/22/red-bull-budget-cap-row-is-over-a-couple-of-hundred-thousand-dollars-horner/

This is doubtless a new definition of 'couple'.

Christian Horner has been on about how this is all outrageous in an age of everyone talking about mental health and now employee’s children are being bullied at school…

I have a *massive* bee in my bonnet about mental health, and advocating for support at work, it’s okay not to be okay, etc etc, but this just sounds like throwing any excuses they can think of and hoping that some will stick

Basically “great, kids cryin now”

thumpingrug

stickyfiddle said:

I've just seen Dietrich Mateschitz has died overnight. Very sad news - as much as the were "just the fizzy drinks guys" he loved racing and was a huge part of why RB are at the centre of so many different "extreme" endeavours.

And maybe it will shut Horner up for a couple of days..?

I can't help but wonder if this will just be used as a distraction from the cost cap issue,  lots of, "we can't possible talk about that now", and " how insensitive of you, in our moment of mourning"

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Sad news. I wonder whether Mateschitz's passing will have any implications for the company's future involvement in the sport? He was a businessman but was also just a massive sport enthusiast. Do we know whether any potential successor will have the same passion for investing millions into sporting endeavours?

barnstorm

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

Sad news. I wonder whether Mateschitz's passing will have any implications for the company's future involvement in the sport? He was a businessman but was also just a massive sport enthusiast. Do we know whether any potential successor will have the same passion for investing millions into sporting endeavours?

Who knows what he might have specified in his will, but his son is seen at the track often enough that I'd assume the F1 team needn't worry. Nor any of the other teams/athletes RB sponsors; I think of RB as a sports/media company before anything else these days, and I'm pretty sure they'd live to regret it if they decided for some reason to go back to just selling canned trucker speed.

goldtop

Dontgiveupyourdayjob said:

Sad news. I wonder whether Mateschitz's passing will have any implications for the company's future involvement in the sport? He was a businessman but was also just a massive sport enthusiast. Do we know whether any potential successor will have the same passion for investing millions into sporting endeavours?

If RB don't dominate so much high profile sports via sponsorship, they can't sell the fizzy drinks that they (get someone else to) make. What matters more is the contract with the Thai company.

stickyfiddle

I would assume that RBR is also an extremely profitable business in a post-cost-cap world. Annual revenues of GBP >200 million and operational spending of half that (plus drivers and 3x top staff). Even if it only just breaks even that's still some serious marketing value for effectively no investment. 

Given so much of their marketing strategy is about "extreme" stuff they'd be nuts to step back from F1 when they're at the front. 

fretmeister

RB haven’t been a drinks company for years.

They are a branding company that makes drinks on the side.

Cols

stickyfiddle said:

I've just seen Dietrich Mateschitz has died overnight. Very sad news - as much as the were "just the fizzy drinks guys" he loved racing and was a huge part of why RB are at the centre of so many different "extreme" endeavours.

And maybe it will shut Horner up for a couple of days..?

Genuinely saddened to see this.  Mateschitz was a man with a real love for motorsport, and his commitment and support is directly responsible for Red Bull Racing being a championship-winning team with such sustained success.

chillidoggy

Cols said:

stickyfiddle said:

I've just seen Dietrich Mateschitz has died overnight. Very sad news - as much as the were "just the fizzy drinks guys" he loved racing and was a huge part of why RB are at the centre of so many different "extreme" endeavours.

And maybe it will shut Horner up for a couple of days..?

Genuinely saddened to see this.  Mateschitz was a man with a real love for motorsport, and his commitment and support is directly responsible for Red Bull Racing being a championship-winning team with such sustained success.

Indeed. 

stickyfiddle

Crikey, standard clumsy wandering into someone manoeuvre from Stroll. Very glad no one collected either of them mid-accident. 

TimmyO

stickyfiddle said:

Crikey, standard clumsy wandering into someone manoeuvre from Stroll. Very glad no one collected either of them mid-accident. 

I actually thought it was a bit clumsy from Alonso too - see what the stewards make of it with all the telemetry