Liberty Media ‘against special payments to Ferrari’

49 comments on “Liberty Media ‘against special payments to Ferrari’”

1. 

   mfreire
   17th September 2016, 0:25

   Good for Liberty. No team in F1- not even one that has been in Grand Prix racing since it became F1 in 1950 and is easily the most important in F1- deserves any kind of special payments. That is just wrong.
2. 

   chris (@)
   17th September 2016, 0:26

   I really hope whitmarsh has no more F1 involvement.
   Ron had to come back out of retirement to sort out the mess he turned McLaren into. Also missed an easy WDC/WCC by keeping Hamilton out at China.
   1. 

      Fletch (@fletchuk)
      17th September 2016, 0:59

      I respectfully disagree.

      In terms of getting people to work together and push through necessary changes Whitmarsh was brilliant. I think he would make an excellent choice, as would Stefano and RB.

      So far I’m really impressed with Liberty’s approach. That’s a very strong short list.
      1. 

         graham228221 (@graham228221)
         17th September 2016, 9:41

         If we’re rating Whitmatsh now, the I’m disappointed there’s no mention of Nick Fry XD
      2. 

         chris (@)
         17th September 2016, 15:14

         Would be great to see Stefano or Ross back in the game, although Ross has the worldly view edge.

         Whitmarsh had no clue & was narrow minded. Ron wanted to be hands off but was forced back in to save the ship.
   2. 

      PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
      17th September 2016, 8:40

      @9chris9
      Completely agree with you, Martin’s results at Mclaren were very poor indeed and he presided over the worst dip in performance in McLaren’s history. To me he always came across as a pretty spineless with his decision making. I have no idea what @fletchuk is on about, maybe he knows something we dont.
      1. 

         anon
         17th September 2016, 9:37

         @pmccarthy_is_a_legend, have you taken into account that Whitmarsh’s time at McLaren also coincided with a major drop in revenue due to Ron’s decision to cut McLaren’s ties with Mercedes? McLaren’s financial accounts explicitly stated that the team were losing a substantial chunk of revenue due to Mercedes withdrawing its financial support.
   3. 

      anon
      17th September 2016, 8:50

      @9chris9, is Whitmarsh necessarily responsible for all of the issues that McLaren have faced, or could Ron also be said to carry part of the blame?

      Whilst Whitmarsh may have been the CEO of McLaren Racing, there were reports that Ron Dennis, having taken up the role of being the CEO of the McLaren Group (which the racing team is a subsidiary of), was using his position as the director of the parent company to interfere in the running of the team. Perez has hinted at that in the past, suggesting that part of the reason for McLaren’s downturn in 2013 was because Ron was interfering with the senior management as part of his efforts to push Whitmarsh out, leading to increased internal conflict and a lack of clarity over the development direction of the team.

      As Fletch notes, in some ways Ron is taking credit for some of the changes that Whirmarsh made that are only now beginning to deliver results. We have heard the team talk up their chassis design, but it is worth noting that it was Whitmarsh who was responsible for luring Prodromou back from Red Bull to McLaren.
      Similarly, Whitmarsh had to make quite a few changes to the structure of McLaren’s technical team due to other teams (Mercedes in particular) poaching a number of their staff over the years, especially around 2012-2013 (when Hamilton moved to Mercedes, quite a few senior technical designers moved across with him). Ron has kept most of that structure in place since Whitmarsh left, so evidently he must have thought that Whitmarsh was doing something right on the technical side of the team.

      Equally, some of Ron’s decisions upon coming back have been rather questionable – do you believe that Ron was right to reportedly force Honda to enter in 2015, about 12 months earlier than they believed they should have done, because Ron wanted to prematurely cut his ties with Mercedes?
      1. 

         Soumil Arora
         17th September 2016, 16:24

         I agree with you. Martin was a good team principal and ever since Ron interrupted, the team has been falling. If the ties with Mercedes wouldn’t have been cut, the team would have finished high in the past couple of years. Martin IS good on the technical side but if they want a replacement for Bernie, they should rather go for Ross Brawn or Stefano.
   4. 

      Sviatoslav (@)
      17th September 2016, 8:57

      I think Ron is the biggest problem at McLaren. Boullier is the same “great manager”.
      1. 

         Markp
         17th September 2016, 10:17

         McLaren got worse since Ron started getting involved again. He became more prominent in 2013 then when he came in with his typical big mouth it all nose dived. Back in the 80’s he was great but like Michael Schumachers comeback, once great people are a shadow of themselves when they come back in having lost touch.
         1. 

            Loen (@loen)
            17th September 2016, 13:07

            I think you are all missing a vital point here. The social, economic, environmental and political
            conditions affecting F1 teams have changed out of all recognition to the periods when Dennis,
            Whitmarsh, Frank Williams, Domenicalli, and dozens of others were at the top of their games.
            Huge financial restrictions ( both internal and external ) and such severe economic circumstances
            that today major commitments by advertisers are as scarce as hens teeth, plus countless other
            severely limiting regulations and pressures means that what F1 is about has changed utterly.

            And the brilliant thing about Liberty’s advent is that it is a major success operation in TODAY’s
            climate…..not in the old dispensation. So people like Dennis, like Todt, like Ecclestone, are
            utterly unable to adjust to the radical F1 world of today. None of them should still be in
            power in F1. The fact they still are is one of the massive problems F1 has to deal with.
            And there are going to be some huge shocks.

            It’s a new and different world and the old guard are completely out of their depth.

            I predict some very sweeping changes are about to take place. Tighten your seatbelts: it’s
            going to be a very bumpy ( but necessarily bumpy ! ) ride !
3. 

   Stig Semper Fi (@stigsemperfi)
   17th September 2016, 0:27

   Interesting article on motorsport.com about an ‘active windshield’ design that, if given funding from the FIA, could replace the halo and aeroscreen.
   1. 

      2face
      17th September 2016, 11:41

      I suggested something like this on here a while after JB17’s accident. I thought it was a good idea. I didn’t get any responses. So I felt like a bit of a knob. Now I feel like Nostradamus.
4. 

   @HoHum (@hohum)
   17th September 2016, 0:32

   The shortlist to replace the irreplaceable one seems to be coming to be a longlist.
5. 

   @HoHum (@hohum)
   17th September 2016, 0:47

   So Renault are only replacing
   1; The internal combustion engine
   2; the motor generator unit-heat
   3; the motor generator unit-kinetic
   4; the turbocharger.
   but not a complete power unit, fortunately.
   If you own a Renault and the service manager suggests a spark-plug upgrade get a written quote before you authorise it.
   1. 

      Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
      17th September 2016, 1:51

      @hohum Ahah. I’m bemused at that article. As I understand, Max did have his whole PU replaced, Renault evaluated the data from his PU and the upgrades and then resolved that it was safe to introduce the new ignition system and spark plugs to the current spec of Renault PU’s.
      1. 

         PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
         17th September 2016, 8:42

         Hey @peartree, unrelated question. Where are you from?
   2. 

      anon
      17th September 2016, 8:55

      @hohum, you do realise that he was supposed to be replacing most of those components for this weekend anyway, given the usage cycle that he has put those components through?
   3. 

      ColdFly F1 (@)
      17th September 2016, 9:06

      From memory Verstappen’s car already used all five CE’s. So why change the whole PU and incur a penalty?
      Further, I thought the CE is totally standardised; thus a new version won’t suddenly be waterproof and stereo, or miss a key connector port.
6. 

   Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
   17th September 2016, 0:56

   Liberty Media ‘against special payments to Ferrari’

   HURRAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Raise your arms for our new Gods!
   1. 

      AceAce
      17th September 2016, 1:05

      Yeah like they’ll really do anything. Just hot air. Ferrari even though they’re wrong, will get their way.
   2. 

      NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
      17th September 2016, 8:19

      Liberty is droping some big bombs…
   3. 

      Robert McKay
      17th September 2016, 9:13

      Ferrari tantrum in 3…2…1…
   4. 

      Patrickl (@patrickl)
      17th September 2016, 9:56

      It’s bizarre how long this nonsense has been going on. Almost 20 years now that Ferrari has been getting a 100 million per year extra and had their veto on rule changes.
      1. 

         Markp
         17th September 2016, 10:21

         Yeah they are saying all the right things but will they actually act upon it when push comes to shove? I will believe it when it actually happens. Seems a PR charm offensive for what fans want to hear but when they dig deep and look at the pros and cons finanxially the big teams will come out with special payments one way or the other. My opinion of course not fact.
   5. 

      geoffgroom44 (@)
      17th September 2016, 10:21

      My arms are raised.But I hear voices screaming ‘they are a fundamental part of F1’. Really? Which part of it is ‘fundamental to the sport’ when you have to pay them to show up? Give me teams that love the sport and come anyway, without the bribe.
      1. 

         2face
         17th September 2016, 11:53

         Hear hear
      2. 

         Markp
         17th September 2016, 12:18

         They are the most loyal team in F1. They have competed in every season. Others have come and gone, they stick around even when they have 20 plus years between titles. They are a huge part of the sport but being a part of something means you cannot be bigger then what you are part of. They need some kind of recognition for their unsurpassed loyalty but yes they should not recieve a huge bonus as they do now. Something will be sorted or maybe Liberty go a bit like the Brexit winners and when it comes to it change nothing.
         1. 

            Andy (@andybantam)
            17th September 2016, 18:29

            For an extra 100 million in earnings awarded just for showing up, anything other than total loyalty to the sport is pretty much guaranteed, isn’t it? I mean, Manor would look pretty loyal in a few more years if they had the same agreement in place.

            Just a thought, wouldn’t better performance be more of a priority for the engineers if they had to work harder/better for that extra prize money by having to finish higher in the points table to get it, like everyone else? I’m not saying that they’re not already working hard, but maybe, when the stakes are higher due to your earnings being linked directly to your finishing position in the points table, they could create an atmosphere within the team more conducive to squeezing that little bit more from everybody involved and as a consequence, get that on track success they so desperately crave. I imagine that’s slightly harder to manage in a team that knows its getting paid anyway, just for showing up.

            Having to pull in the purse strings because of your poor performance is perfectly natural in sport. It also means that failure to achieve the goals you set yourself at the beginning of the season just isn’t an option, because you’ll have to get a much smaller motorhome if you do.
         2. 

            x303 (@x303)
            17th September 2016, 20:09

            I here what you say but Ferrari uses F1 to sell its road cars. They don’t do advertising as is famously known. F1 is their advertising.
            1. 

               Andy (@andybantam)
               17th September 2016, 20:25

               If that’s true, they won’t leave.
7. 

   Guybrush Threepwood
   17th September 2016, 1:03

   Yep, Ferrari need F1 more than F1 needs Ferrari. There is no way Ferrari will leave. Equitable funding is the name if the game – not necessarily that all teams receive equal amounts of funding, but that the way it is distributed is fair.
8. 

   dragoll (@dragoll)
   17th September 2016, 2:27

   I think all the journos, the teams, drivers and us are probably getting a little excited at the thought of Liberty’s control over F1. Despite your feelings on Bernie, F1 itself isn’t in a tragic state, there are still lots of fans, there are still sponsors, there are still drivers waiting in the support categories, there are still tracks wanting to be part of it. I think everyone is probably a little excited about the thought of a new owner thinking that they will make wide sweeping changes to the sport. If one thing I’ve learned in all my years of following F1 is, that only minor changes will be implemented, because radical changes only weaken the brand, even if they are for the better, because you will no doubt upset some group of fans/teams/drivers/tracks/sponsors… I predict few changes, however, I do hope they look to strengthen the financial situation of the sport.
   1. 

      lockup (@)
      17th September 2016, 9:39

      @dragoll It’s pretty much a constant tho that any takeover is done on the premise that the new buyers can do it better. You buy it for what it’s worth, then make it worth more.
      Ferrari’s gratuitous 2.5% seems a great place to start, I gotta say. There are so many great ways to spend that money improving the product.
9. 

   NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
   17th September 2016, 8:23

   Daaaayum. Liberty Media is making some proper moves… It took one meeting to realise Bernie is no-go.

   Good step one done.

   Ferrari special status? Boom wont have it.

   Step 2 done.

   What is next? Giving teams money more evenly?

   Videos on youtube? Archive subscription. I get seriusly excited when some common sense moves get done in F1.
   1. 

      Robbie (@robbie)
      17th September 2016, 12:23

      Lol @jureo no ‘common sense moves’ have happened yet. A few articles does not make anything so. BE could well be around for 3 more years. No Ferrari special status? I’ll believe that when I see it. There are contracts in place that can’t simply be forgotten just because a group has bought in and won’t have their full shares for another year. I don’t envision anyone pulling out their chequebook for more even money distribution just yet. As I said there are contracts in place.

      Personally if I’m Liberty Media the first thing I’m going to do is study everything from the newfound luxury of being on the inside now. Contracts need to see their way through anyway, unless they feel the need to buy some out. But mainly I’m going to see what the drastic changes to the cars brings in terms of the product on the track, while going forward with the ‘new media’ type stuff that they are known for, which would have happened anyway even without the reg changes.

      Don’t get me wrong…I’m excited and optimistic about the potential this move carries, but I just don’t think things will or even should change overnight. Perhaps I am a bit jaded as I rep for a company that has recently changed hands, less than a year and a half ago, and after saying there would be no immediate changes a month in the changes began, key people have been let go or left on their own, new people don’t have the product knowledge and are struggling with a new computer system that is only more cumbersome, and they have asked for advice from those of us with experience and yet ignored that advice anyway and seem on a path to auger the company into the ground. But of course in that scenario the new owner is the 100% shareholder so it’s his bat and ball and he can do whatever he wants. I leave a bit of room that perhaps his plan will work eventually and certainly the company will look and be a lot different. Right now, it’s a disorganized mess. F1, even with it’s issues, is at least functioning and viable, with tons of potential, and with what I think are positive changes in the offing with the new cars and new part-ownership.
      1. 

         NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
         17th September 2016, 14:50

         Well, no changes yet, correct. But what what is announced seems sensible.
10. 

    ColdFly F1 (@)
    17th September 2016, 8:47

    Is it only me who saw ‘something else’ when scrolling down to Mercedes’ Instagram image?
    1. 

       MilleniumBug (@milleniumbug)
       17th September 2016, 9:01

       LMP1?
       1. 

          Networkburger
          17th September 2016, 9:50

          Buttocks.
11. 

    PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
    17th September 2016, 8:53

    Next step is creating the @peartree racing pass. A subscription website (about £7 a month) with archive racing footage, full races, driver profiles, team profiles, archive end of season documentaries, etc. The possibilities are endless in terms of content. It needs to be accessible like Netflix, and you should be able to access the content on tv, Desktop and mobile. Create a youtube to promote the service and get people excited about it. Tweet, ads on race broadcast you get people to sign up. There Liberty Media, I have done your job for you.
    1. 

       geoffgroom44 (@)
       17th September 2016, 10:25

       Now that I would actually buy – especially if I could watch races/practice without them being interrupted by ads. Focus is everything in F1.
    2. 

       Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
       17th September 2016, 12:19

       @pmccarthy_is_a_legend That would be a dream. Motogp.com videopass is much more expensive than £7, and it’s just for pc.
       1. 

          PMccarthy_is_a_legend (@pmccarthy_is_a_legend)
          17th September 2016, 16:05

          It is not actually that hard a thing to do boys. The UFC has done exactly that and it has been a tremendous success. All it is needed is the willingness by the powers that be. @peartree @geoffgroom44
12. 

    Steven Robertson (@emu55)
    17th September 2016, 11:17

    In reply to the comment of the day, I know a lot of young people who play the annual F1 video game fanatically, but don’t actually watch the real racing. F1 has a great young audience, it’s just completely disconnected from the sport.
13. 

    Andy (@andybantam)
    17th September 2016, 18:44

    Did anyone else notice how disconnected Bernie and the new mustached man looked from each other when they took a stroll down the paddock? Their relative body language didn’t look like they were ‘friends’ at all, in my opinion. It’s probably nothing, but the scene hardly looked like Bernie was introducing his new best mate to ‘the guys’.
14. 

    pcxmac (@xsavior)
    17th September 2016, 19:13

    Please go to WEC, and take RBR + Macca with you.
    1. 

       Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
       17th September 2016, 21:23

       @xsavior Amen.

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