F1

Toro Rosso to be solc to Arab Investors?

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 21 total)
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  • #128710
    Felipe Bomeny
    Participant

    According to Swiss news reports, Toro Rosso is to be sold to an Arab consortium. Is this real? It’s potentially the next juicy rumour in F1 after Force India confirms their line-up, but how true could it be? We know Dietrich Mateschiz has been trying to sell the team, we have two races in the Middle East with growing interest in a Qatari GP, and STR willl not comment on their driver line-up. That being said, there have always been rumours of an STR sale, and we all remember Qadbak Investments and how that worked out….. so what are the thoughts of the F1Fanatics?

    #157230
    Felipe Bomeny
    Participant

    ^sold, not solc….. oops!

    #157231
    Icthyes
    Participant

    If so, I fear STR will end up like Jordan, being sold on to owner after owner.

    #157232
    Calum
    Participant

    Just for the record – how much are RedBull pumping into this team every year? Obviously any money spet on STR would be better spent on the RedBull ‘A’ team!

    As, for the Jordan/Spyker team – it’s good to see it finally have a bit of continuity again with Force India and VJ Mallya’s investment.

    #157233
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    we all remember Qadbak Investments and how that worked out

    Qadbak might have claimed to be a Middle Eastern company, but they were not. They were a shell company owned by a British con artist, Russell King. They had about as much to do with the Middle East as they do with Argentina.

    #157234
    AndrewTanner
    Participant

    Well I see no signs of them fulfilling their ambition to be a feeder team to RBR (Vettal excl.!) so it wouldn’t surprise me…but I guess these things take time. Imagine the power of RBR with the funding from STR…

    #157235
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    Imagine the power of RBR with the funding from STR…

    Actualy, I’m pretty sure the Resource Restriction Agreement limits spending by teams. After all, Max Mosley reckons that Red Bull overspent in 2010.

    #157236
    US_Peter
    Participant

    Well I see no signs of them fulfilling their ambition to be a feeder team to RBR (Vettal excl.!)

    The one opportunity they’ve had so far to fill a seat at RBR, as you point out yourself, was filled from Torro Rosso. They’re not going to fire Webber simply so they can bring someone up from Torro Rosso. If they fill Webber’s seat from the team once he retires then it will serve it’s purpose again (it’s already done so once). It’s there to be a testing ground for their Red Bull Racing Academy drivers to prove themselves, and no one can complain that they haven’t given lots of drivers a chance!

    #157237
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    It doesn’t surprise me that an Arab investor(s) is interested in an F1 team… Look at Football teams in Europe, most notably in England.

    The one problem I have is if an Arab consortium does end up owning a team, will they know what to do with it? Managing a team is not a walk in the park, and in F1 you sure can’t just flaunt your money around. There is a limit for spending on the car itself, but the advantage might be in attracting good drivers and that will only happen if the team proves to be competative.

    I don’t agree with US_Peter and others that say that Torro Rosso is just a testing ground for Red Bull Racing, because if that was true then they will try to make the cars identical. Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t both teams right now using different engines? Red Bull is with Renault and Torro Rosso is with Ferrari, at least that’s what it was in 2010. I personally think that Red Bull as a company wanted to invest in two teams so that it can get more chances of winning. But since Torro Rosso has been a flop since the get go and Red Bull is looking like the team of the future, it would make sense to let go of one and concentrate on the other.

    #157238
    AndrewTanner
    Participant

    I doubt Mateschitz owning two front running teams wouldn’t go down well with FOTA anyway. Both last years cars and previous I believe were designed by Adrian Newey and the choice of engines is not entirely by design…I believe it was through an agreement between RBR and Ferrari…can someone throw some light on that? I can’t remember!

    #157239
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    The one problem I have is if an Arab consortium does end up owning a team, will they know what to do with it? Managing a team is not a walk in the park, and in F1 you sure can’t just flaunt your money around. There is a limit for spending on the car itself, but the advantage might be in attracting good drivers and that will only happen if the team proves to be competative.

    If the Arabians are smart, they won’t change anything but the owners. Rather than meddle with the way the team is run, they’ll keep all the important people in their places and let the team run itself.

    #157240
    Funkyf1
    Participant

    It has been stated prior that Mateschitz has wanted sell the team, therefore no longer has an interest in it and is sick of seeing Helmut Marko as much as we all are. If this was not the case, I believe they would of changed the driver lineup in the interest of results and followed the young driver program signing up Daniel Ricciardo for a race seat not a 3rd driver.

    #157241
    Prisoner Monkeys
    Participant

    therefore no longer has an interest in it and is sick of seeing Helmut Marko as much as we all are

    I think you’re putting words in Mateschitz’s mouth there. I’d be very careful about doing that if I were you.

    I believe they would of changed the driver lineup in the interest of results and followed the young driver program signing up Daniel Ricciardo for a race seat not a 3rd driver.

    Ricciardo is over-rated. He was driving the best car on the grid, was one of the most experienced drivers at that test, on a circuit that had been completely rubbered in from a full Grand Prix weekend (with support races) and faced none of the pressures associated with a Grand Prix. He sets one good time, and suddenly everyone thinks he’s fantastic. Even though it’s commonly known that times set during testing mean nothing.

    #157242
    Funkyf1
    Participant

    I know Marko are Mateschitz are buddies, but he still has no further interest in a feeder team. Why do I have to be careful about putting words in his mouth? The Redbull sponsorship has long served it’s purpose. Daniel I think has great potential as he has shown promise in his rise through the ranks, I wasn’t referring to the end of season tests.

    #157243
    Ned Flanders
    Participant

    “Toro Rosso has been a flop since the get go”

    People have short memories. Remmeber 2008?

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