In the early 80s an English F1 journalist was returning home from a race in South America. He was seated directly in front of a team representative, who was seated next to a prospective sponsor. He overheard the prospective sponsor offer a $6M payment to the team. The response was reportedly, "For six million dollars I don't even a spot for you on the car." That was reported by one of the European journals, and remember, that was 40 years ago!
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Connolly subbing for Latino
- Thread starter camaro
- Start date
Yeah, the F1 financial model is in an entirely different world.
robinjackson
Nitro Member
Late last year I took a tour of the Red Bull F1 factory in Milton Keynes, UK, near my hometown. Two things in particular stuck with me.
The two main factory buildings, first owned by Stewart F1 then by Ford/Jaguar, stood on either side of a public highway, a side road on the southern outskirts of Milton Keynes. There were several other businesses located further up the road. When Red Bull bought the race team, they disliked that anyone could see their machinery being carted across the road from one building to the other. So they bought the entire road from the city authority, and bought out all the other businesses located there. Now they are building their own wind tunnel and engine plant on the site, since they are going to manufacture their own 'power units'.
The race control room is laid out like Mission Control at NASA, four stepped rows each of 10 operators facing a vast multiplex screen filling an entire wall. From there they monitor not only their own cars, and every one of the multitudes of sensors mounted on each, but also the cars of their rivals as best they can, plus they have a mysterious pair of Italians who slip in from Pirelli to monitor the tyres. All this takes place in real time, minutely analysing the incoming data and sending back instructions to the pit wall wherever in the world the race is taking place. This highest-tech satellite communications system must alone cost millions, and Red Bull is just one of 10, soon to be 11, teams in the game. All this for 20 cars circling a track for less than two hours at a time. The extent of the enterprise is mind-boggling, and then the absurdity of it all kicks in.
And now back to the drag racing. Connolly...? Latino...?
The two main factory buildings, first owned by Stewart F1 then by Ford/Jaguar, stood on either side of a public highway, a side road on the southern outskirts of Milton Keynes. There were several other businesses located further up the road. When Red Bull bought the race team, they disliked that anyone could see their machinery being carted across the road from one building to the other. So they bought the entire road from the city authority, and bought out all the other businesses located there. Now they are building their own wind tunnel and engine plant on the site, since they are going to manufacture their own 'power units'.
The race control room is laid out like Mission Control at NASA, four stepped rows each of 10 operators facing a vast multiplex screen filling an entire wall. From there they monitor not only their own cars, and every one of the multitudes of sensors mounted on each, but also the cars of their rivals as best they can, plus they have a mysterious pair of Italians who slip in from Pirelli to monitor the tyres. All this takes place in real time, minutely analysing the incoming data and sending back instructions to the pit wall wherever in the world the race is taking place. This highest-tech satellite communications system must alone cost millions, and Red Bull is just one of 10, soon to be 11, teams in the game. All this for 20 cars circling a track for less than two hours at a time. The extent of the enterprise is mind-boggling, and then the absurdity of it all kicks in.
And now back to the drag racing. Connolly...? Latino...?
mick
Nitro Member
well said robin ..... i wonder how educated dave c. is by now, having not been behind the wheel, but involved
in whatever he's involved in. wonder how much of a role he plays in the performance of the kb/titan fleet of cars?
on a side PS note. noticed all 3 cuadra PS'rs are @ bristol. wonder what prompts them to run all three every once in a while.
the majority of the races i think only christian is running.
T.Smith
Nitro Member
Just to add to that. Stroll won in the lower series. You have to have a certain amount success in the lower series to obtain the FIA driver points to acquire a Super License to compete in F1.
Not really any kind of a secret, it's just a fact of motorsports.
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