Just came across this, an analysis of where money went for the outcome of the 2013 season, please log in to view this image And then someone has plotted this data for the seasons of 1999-2014 please log in to view this image https://f1metrics.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/how-money-predicts-success-in-formula-1/
We should have Marussia as our new F1 pantomime villains. Disgraceful behavior - mugging a defenceless (indefensible) old man.
And it's stuff like this why I don't agree with many of the suggestions for "equal distribution of prize money", you get teams like Marussia just turning up to claim tens of millions and making no effort to compete. Customer cars would be the same, if you could buy a chassis and an engine for less than what the bottom placed team gets in prize money you'd get teams turning up with no intention of competing. At least with the arrival of Haas, Marussia won't be able to profit in the same way next year.
Am I missing something here? A lot of the comments read that people think that Manor are just "in it for the money" so to speak. They're recovering from financial instability despite scoring their first points last year (which I'd say was a fair sign that they were/are trying to compete) and so need to steady the ship before throwing loads of money into performance. In all likelihood, any performance gains they could make by spending money won't bring them a higher place than 10th in the WCC anyway and would just be bravado so why spend the money this year? It makes much more sense to work towards next year where they'll stand a higher chance of moving forward towards Sauber, Lotus, possibly McLaren etc.
Let's be honest though, as much as we all like Bianchi, their points were 100% down to luck, and not through the car being good enough. I think it's just a joke that they changed their name to get rid of all the debt they owe just to run in the season to get money for finishing last.
Seeing as there's very little opportunity in the way of testing, if you want to improve, you've got to turn up on a race weekend. You can't just rent a track and drive around testing, trying to improve the car. Most improvements are the result of on track experience and updates based on that info. Seems to me like Manor are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
to be fair, they struggled whilst they were virgin and then Marussia, since then F1's economy drive has meant their engine costs have doubled.
Nico Rosberg is adamant he and Lewis Hamilton have not become pre-occupied with one another, even if his focus in the Hungarian Grand Prix was on his Formula 1 team-mate. http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/120130
The annual list of Formula 1 team budgets has again been published, with the top-four all set to spend in excess of €400 million this year, it is claimed. The information - complied by Business Book GP and reported by Spanish newspaper El Mundo Deportivo earlier this summer - alleges that Red Bull Racing spend the most, with a budget of €468.7m, €1.3 more than the current pace-setters, Mercedes. McLaren Honda comes in third, apparently getting through €465m this year, while Ferrari has a budget of €418m and Williams survives on less than halve that, €186.4m. Lotus, Toro Rosso and Force India all spend between €139.1m to €129.7m, with Sauber then on just over €100m and Manor, unsurprisingly on the smallest budget, just €83m. In total all ten teams will spend almost €2600m in 2015. The full breakdown is below - the figures in brackets show income from sponsors, then partners and then from TV/FOM... F1 2015 team budgets: 1. Red Bull Racing (€266m + €35.7m + €167m) = €468.7m 2. Mercedes (€122m + €212.4m + €133m) = €467.4m 3. McLaren Honda (€144.5m + €216.5m + €104m) = €465m 4. Ferrari (€208.5m + €34.5m + €175m) = €418m 5. Williams (€52.5m + €22.9m + €111m) = €186.4m 6. Lotus (€69.5m + €13.6m + €56m) = €139.1m 7. Toro Rosso (€68m + €9.45m + €60m) = €137.45m 8. Force India (€49.5m + €12.2m + €68m) = €129.7m 9. Sauber (€44m + €9.25m + €50m) = €103.25m 10. Manor (€0.5m + €32.5m + €50m) = €83m TOTALS: (€1025m + €599m +€974m) = €2598m
Amazing Ferrari are only the 4th biggest spenders. No wonder they are not winning championships... others are buying it. Williams most cost effective
£2.6bn!? What a waste of money. The F1 teams could operate easily on half of that without it making any detrimental effect to the 'show', provided the money was spread just a bit more evenly. The difference of QUARTER OF A BILLION pounds between Williams and the big four is ludicrous.
How is it a waste exactly? The sport generates that money and then re-spends it. People keep complaining about the top teams spending so much in a more power to the little man kind of spirit, but it's hundreds of working class people who'll be made redundant if the top teams are forced to curb their spending. I want F1 to be the height of technological excellence (which it isn't), not a bunch of budget prototypes trundling round a track. The only way that money they're spending is wasted is that they're restricted so much on what they can do with it, the regulations should be more open.
F1 used to be technological excellence back in the mid 90's, then it nearly died because it became unaffordable. A balance has to be found between budgets and technology. If teams had to be more careful with their earnings, they would focus more on particular areas. I imagine there is much wastage happening with all these funds as the top teams just throw it at anything. £1.8bn goes to the top 4 teams, £0.8bn goes to the other 6. That needs sorting. If the inequality continues and F1 keeps going down the pan in the way many on here go on about, then manufacturers will pull out and more people will be made redundant, so that's a bit of a non-argument on the people front. Or if we accept the above, everyone needs to shut up about the state of F1 and live with it.