In the round-up: FIA President Jean Todt says Formula One’s governing body aim to introduce ‘strong’ new teams but no earlier than the 2019 season.
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FIA approached over potential new Formula 1 team (Autosport)
Jean Todt: "When we feel it is time we will be able to make a tender. At the moment we have 10 teams and the idea is to have up to 12 teams. So we have an opportunity, if we have one or two strong newcomers it could be possible."
Intrigue around new Chinese F1 team revs up (Motorsport.com)
"Intrigue about the possibility of an 11th team entering Formula 1 ramped up on Wednesday when a new name was registered in Britain and the FIA confirmed it had been sounded out about a slot on the grid."
The rumoured racing team... (Joe Saward)
"A little investigation reveals that a British registered company called Bronze Fortune Ltd, which has been in business since 2003, was renamed on May 20th as China F1 Racing Team Ltd. That is all that there really is at the moment."
Carey criticises Ecclestone's 'short-term' approach (F1i)
"This sport has been under-served by a perpetual, short-term, deal of the day focus. One that has lacked a strategy, vision and longer-term plan, and a willingness to invest."
F1 owners say UK paywall TV deal they have inherited is detrimental to sport (Guardian)
Sean Bratches: "That deal is an agreement that we inherited. They are done between adult parties at an arm’s length and my suspicion is that Sky is very happy and we are going to honour and respect the deals that were in place when we arrived."
Russia GP date change due to World Cup (GrandPrix.com)
"Next year's football World Cup is one reason organisers of the Russian grand prix pushed for a date change for 2018. This year, the Sochi round took place in April, but on next year's schedule the Russian GP will not happen until almost October."
Why F1 needs to change its approach to gaming (Motorsport.com)
"Where F1 has really been missing out though is in tapping into the booming eSports business, which is predicted to be a $2 billion industry by 2020 and one that attracts around 500 million viewers per year."
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
V listopadu 2003 vzniklá firma BRONZE FORTUNE LIMITED se letos v květnu přejmenovala na CHINA F1 RACING TEAM LIMITED. #ChinaF1RacingTeam pic.twitter.com/YMlxssZjsq
— Tomáš Richtr (@TomRichtrF1) June 21, 2017
Interesting timing given Todt's comments regarding new teams, and news over at Sauber… perhaps a touch too early to start joining dots. https://t.co/Wa4Ns7OHk7
— Will Buxton (@thebuxtonblog) June 21, 2017
Always have wanted to add 'Team Principal' on my resume… #youguysstillgotmynumber
— Giedo van der Garde (@GvanderGarde) June 21, 2017
Big words. Does he mean it? @LewisHamilton @SkySportsF1 @F1 @MercedesAMGF1 #F1 https://t.co/xR5qgr96BM
— Damon Hill (@HillF1) June 21, 2017
- Find more official F1 accounts to follow in the F1 Twitter Directory
Comment of the day
In an era of complex and busy helmet designs, @petebaldwin makes a good point on behalf of those of us who long for the days of more distinctive, minimalist designs…
If you took all the logos off, I think most people would be struggle to guess half the helmets right.
If I asked everyone on here without looking to draw Fisichella’s, Berger’s, Senna’s, Hill’s or Mansell’s helmet design, I reckon they’d be fairly close. If I asked them to draw Ricciardo’s, Hulk’s, Perez’s or Hamilton’s, I think we’d have a much bigger variance despite them being current drivers!
@petebaldwin
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just.daz (@nemo87)
22nd June 2017, 0:20
I hope that’s a temporary name change.. ‘China F1’
‘Force india’ finally realised they sound like a power rangers spin off and are looking to change, let’s hope ‘China F1’ follow suit and this doesn’t start a trend..
Ricky Johnson (@bamboo)
22nd June 2017, 0:39
Its a clash of cultures @nemo87. Look at some names of the Indian Premier League cricket teams.
If that name captures the interest of Chinas 1.39 billion people, its going a long way to making F1 truly a global sporting powerhouse.
just.daz (@nemo87)
22nd June 2017, 0:45
Great point, didn’t they already try a racing series with countries as teams?
Ricky Johnson (@bamboo)
22nd June 2017, 1:15
Yea they did. But I think the problem with motorsport is at the pinnacle its teams aren’t aligned to a certain city or country – it brings out no pride based on geographics. While A1GP did address this, it was never going to beat F1.
F1 isn’t going anywhere, so I can understand why we are seeing these India/China entries. Better to be the Prince of something big than the King of nothing I suppose.
OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
22nd June 2017, 0:55
Agree @nemo87 . They can keep their identity and give a new awesome name to their team:
– Fast Dragon F1
– Sudu Racing (“fast” in Chinese)
– Golden Star Racing
Or something related
John Steed
22nd June 2017, 1:27
What about Jackie Chan F1?
just.daz (@nemo87)
22nd June 2017, 7:36
Hahahaha! Does he actually have anything to do with the Le Mans team?
I’m personally hoping it’s FUDI F1 just because of all the speculation Audi may enter.
Nigel
22nd June 2017, 9:17
Yes.
@F1-liners (@f1-liners)
22nd June 2017, 9:30
‘Dragon F1’ has some appeal to me.
@omarr-pepper
And I bet you a dragon can defeat bulls and toros, trample a haas, and have a stallion for lunch ;)
skydiverian (@skydiverian)
22nd June 2017, 10:03
I suspect that the Formula E and former Indycar team Dragon Racing would have something to say about that…
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
22nd June 2017, 17:14
@f1-liners Dragon Cheng JC Racing!
F1Junky
22nd June 2017, 0:23
Look forward to some new teams.
As long as they are not budget teams. This is now a billionaires’ sport. They have to stop letting millionaires enter as they really can’t afford being anything but a moving chicane.
If F1 wants to be taken more seriously then they need teams that finish on the same lap.
OmarRoncal - Go Seb!!! (@)
22nd June 2017, 0:57
Yes… too bad Gene Hass was permitted to race… oh wait!!!
F1Junky
22nd June 2017, 4:28
I see what you did there. Didn’t work though.
Virgin, Manor and the other one came in with bugger all funding and left with bugger all.
Haas is playing the long game. Using customer parts to the extent of the limits of what is legal. He is not depending on F1 to fund his team. That’s the difference.
Alex (@alexf11995)
22nd June 2017, 8:18
Budget teams bring in more viewers & fans than you’d think.
ECWDanSelby (@ecwdanselby)
22nd June 2017, 10:39
To be fair, they signed up for a formula that was dropped the moment they signed. Was always off to a terrible start!
grat
22nd June 2017, 21:02
To be fair, the three (four) teams that were supposed to join in 2012 all signed up under the idea of a budget cap.
Gene Haas knew he’d have to spend serious coin on the team. On the other hand, he’s OK with that, since his team is a rolling advertisement for Haas Automation– essentially, his F1 team is the alternative strategy for an international advertising campaign, and estimates are that he’s getting equivalent exposure to spending $100 million in advertising campaigns globally.
Based on 2016 standings and payouts, Haas should be eligible for around $50 million. All in all, he’s doing pretty well.
F1Junky
23rd June 2017, 1:13
For sure Budget teams are fun. Fans do like the plucky little underdog taking points here and there. They give experience to new drivers. After the second year you really want them to get out of the way. Then it is saddening when they collapse.
Budget teams are great in F2 and other feeder racing series. F1 is the big league with big players. Even big players get crushed. Toyota, Honda, BMW. They found the cost vs the returns are not worth it. The little guys have no chance.
I know a guy who sold a business and bought a Ferrari. He said he finally had money to OWN a Ferrari. He had the money to buy a Ferrari before. But he didn’t have the money to keep a Ferrari. That is the point. Having enough money to get a team is one thing. Being able to keep a team is another.
When McDonalds came to Australia they made a loss for the first 7 years. But they had the money to keep going. F1 is the big league. New teams have to be in a position where if they are going to survive they need to have enough funds for the following years as every year they are going lose money.
pastaman (@)
22nd June 2017, 14:38
Wait, what? Haas Automation is a multi-billion dollar business. Haas F1 has scored points their first 2 seasons and out performed teams that have been on the grid for many years. What more could you want from a new entry into F1?
So they pushed the limits of the regulations to build their car, isn’t that part of the DNA of Formula 1?
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
22nd June 2017, 17:16
@omarr-pepper @pastaman
Sort of proves the point though
Strontium (@strontium)
22nd June 2017, 1:26
Is Russia going to switch between the start and the end of the calendar every two years?
JohnnyRye (@)
22nd June 2017, 2:26
I preferred this already forgettable race at the start of the season so I forget it even more by the end of the season and certainly not in the off season. Going to hate it at the end of the season when it’s more “memorable” because it has a bigger impact on the championship.
Jere (@jerejj)
22nd June 2017, 10:38
@strontium Exactly my thoughts as well. They should just make up their minds already and stick with either an early-season or a late-season slot. In the long-term jumping from one end to the other, every 2-3 years doesn’t make any sense. I also don’t really understand the World Cup being used as the reason for this move. How could this race clash with the tournament if it took place in late April next year as well when this tournament won’t begin until around mid-June regardless?
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
22nd June 2017, 2:08
Re “F1 owners say UK paywall TV deal they have inherited is detrimental to sport (Guardian)”
While reading the Guardian article I came across this: “Formula One’s new owners believe the UK television rights deal they have inherited from the previous management, led by Bernie Ecclestone, is detrimental to the sport – with coverage entirely behind a paywall from 2019 to 2024”. I suspect this statement is true. Maybe Liberty Media should consider posting full races onto Youtube a day after the race. Indycar do this, so why can’t F1?
sm
22nd June 2017, 3:32
Because the very rights deal you’re talking about is exclusive to sky. Putting it on YouTube would violate that exclusivity
GT Racer (@gt-racer)
22nd June 2017, 13:51
@drycrust Indycar’s broadcast contract permits them to post races to Youtube a certain amount of days after the race is aired.
It was done because Indycar needs exposure but even then most races get less than 10,000 views on Youtube.
The F1 broadcasters buy exclusivity clauses for there respective regions. In the UK the Sky/Channel 4 deal gives those broadcasters exclusive rights to F1 content within the UK including online rights.
The reason you only see short clips posted online is because FOM are limited in the length of clips they can post. Live streaming of track action & posting full sessions/races isn’t permitted by the broadcast deals.
andrew
22nd June 2017, 2:49
If they want 12 teams, the payout structure has to change. At the moment the team in 11th place in the constructer’s championship takes a huge hit relative to the other teams, and that is a major reason the sport tends to stabilize around 10 teams.
faulty (@faulty)
22nd June 2017, 6:50
Gee, that was some poor form from GvG.
Tiomkin
22nd June 2017, 7:41
An expensive ‘sport’ where you get to spend millions, then enjoy years of zero pay. In other words new inexperienced teams get to work for free while other big teams get cash for just showing up because they have been there for years. Why would anyone without mental problems seek to join F1. Even if you tried to live on sponsorship money the potential viewers (money) is locked out behind an expensive paywall. So cannot see anything. You cannot generate interest in something that people cannot see. I hope F1 goes down the drain because only a fool would say that the direction they are headed is good idea.
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
22nd June 2017, 8:53
Perhaps the prospective owners of a new F1 team see the potential growth in the sport under new management?
Under Bernie, F1 was hardly had the welcome mat laid out. The demise of HRT, Caterham and Manor reemphasised the fact that this was not really an environment for starting up a new team. Sure, Haas came in, but not everyone has the capital, nor the experience of navigating the politics of top line motorsport like Gene Haas. Further to this, he came in with very clear goals and relatively sustainable model and they’ve done quite well.
Any new team will have to adopt the Haas blueprint as this will be their best shot at being competitive.
Liberty seem to be saying all the right things, now they have to deliver.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
22nd June 2017, 7:44
New teams should Aim at Haas model.
Stable Billionare budget, customer parts from a competitive team and a delara chassis.
Best thing for F1 would be Mercedes Ferrari to supply B teams with proper competitive parts.
Let big teams focus on development and everyone else be within 1s of lead cars.
Sergio B. Perez (@sergio-perez)
22nd June 2017, 9:24
Hoping for Force India to be renamed Mallya F1 Team or Vijay F1 Team. The man deserves it and Force India really is , from the “new teams”, the one that really captured the essence of the “old dogs” of Formula 1, like McLaren, Williams, etc.
It would keep the Indian essence of the team but a distinct identity connected to the owner.
As for the Chinese Formula 1 Team, would love for the name to be connected to the spirit of China and less with the name of the country. A mythological Chinese Character, something special and not simply “Team China f1” .
Fukobayashi (@)
22nd June 2017, 9:56
I think the reason they are looking to change it is to distance the F1 operation from Mallya who is probably somewhat of a PR nightmare for them. Still, they can’t be suffering too much seeing the amount of sponsors on that car!
Fukobayashi (@)
22nd June 2017, 9:58
Re: COTD, spot on! I wish Alonso would adopt his Indy500 design full time, it has almost a James Hunt esque retro simplicity and looked awesome.
Also happy to see Hamilton back to yellow but the details of the design are a bit too intricate.
Vettel is on the right track too.
The rest, unmemorable.
Joao (@johnmilk)
22nd June 2017, 11:04
Bottas’ is nice too
GtisBetter (@)
22nd June 2017, 10:54
I think the assumption that free f1 coverage on tv would make the sport more populair is a bit of a simplification. We had f1 for free in the netherlands a long time ago and when f1 got a bit boring, nobody watched it, meaning nobody wanted to advertise. They couldn’t afford it anymore to broadcast. Then paid tv picked it up, including all FP and for a very reasonable price you can watch it and a lot of other racing. The reason it is populair again is because of max verstappen. Not anything else. There was a steady decline in the free RTL broadcasts viewers from 2002-2015.
So i think you have to look at the whole picture. F1 rights are very expensive. That means that people who buy it need to either be rich or have a good plan how to make money from it. And if everybody can broadcast it, it’s really hard to make that money, resulting in one channel coverage anyway in the end.
I don’t think the NBC way will aquire more fans either or make it populair. I think sky is just absurd. They hijack the rights and price it out of this world. Not sure about other paid subscriptions. But if F1 keeps asking premium for the rights and leaves the door open for exclusive deals (like in germany now), the bill always goes to the consumer. I am still curious what liberty will do, cause if they create a own platform, they devalue the exclusivity deals and can’t ask the same price.
GT Racer (@gt-racer)
22nd June 2017, 20:23
I hear that the teams & new owners are about to have there first conflict over Liberty wanting to change the weekend schedule for Austin in order to get more people to go watch the Justin Timberlake concert.
They want Qualifying to be moved from 2pm to 4pm & the teams want it to remain at 2pm.
With FP3 still scheduled to start at 11am it means a 4 hour wait before qualifying & the later qualifying session also means less rest for mechanics/engineer’s on the day that they get the most rest over the weekend due to post qualifying parc-ferme leaving them with nothing to do to the cars giving them an early night.
There also concerned that if the weather is bad there’s less time to fit qualifying in before it starts to get too dark.
GT Racer (@gt-racer)
22nd June 2017, 20:24
It also puts the qualifying start time at 9-10pm in the UK/Europe which its felt isn’t an ideal time.