I'll volunteer for the seat if they're really struggling. I'll do it for only $1million dollars too. Honestly... McLaren are a bloody shambles atm.
It would be funny if McLaren now turned to one of their drivers and said you've got the drive, only for them to say they've gone elsewhere as they couldn't wait any longer whilst McLaren kept pissing around with a decision. Farcical.
Couldn't have happened to a nicer person. McLaren's revenge for 2007!? Is Ron Dennis spiteful enough to pay £20m just to piss Alonso off and get his own back!? I'd say yes!
The Volkswagen Group, the world's second biggest car maker, is conducting a feasibility study into a potential Formula 1 entry. Sources say the review is being conducted by ex-Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, who was hired by VW's Audi brand earlier this year. Its interest is being piqued by the global marketing success achieved by rivals and new F1 champions Mercedes. But any entry would depend on management changes at VW or F1. Ferdinand Piech, the head of the supervisory board of the VW Group, and F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone have long had a difficult relationship. At least one of them would need to leave their current position before a VW Group brand could enter F1. VW was on the working group of car manufacturers that decided on the new turbo hybrid engine rules introduced into F1 this season, but decided against entering at that time - and, publicly, has not changed its stance since. But sources say that some senior board members now believe F1 would be a more effective global promotional tool than its existing motorsport programmes. [TABLE="class: story-table, width: 359"] [TR] [TH="class: story-table__heading-col, bgcolor: #000000"]BBC F1 chief analyst Eddie Jordan[/TH] [/TR] [TR] [TD="bgcolor: #F5F5F5"]"The Volkswagen Audi Group is the second biggest car maker in the world and as such it needs to be in Formula 1. But it will not enter it while the sport remains under the control of Bernie Ecclestone, who VAG boss Ferdinand Piech dislikes on a personal and professional basis.Martin Winterkorn - the chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen - is being groomed as Piech's successor and he has always believed that F1 is a great platform for the group's brands. I am told he privately believes VAG should be a part of F1. If VAG did come to F1, I believe it would be with their own team, with the car designed and made in Germany."[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Among the Volkswagen Audi Group's brands, as well as VW and Audi, are Porsche, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Bentley, Skoda and Seat. VAG currently has three main motorsport programmes - with Audi and Porsche in the World Endurance Championship, Audi in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) and Volkswagen in the World Rally Championship. The global advertising value of Mercedes' television appearances during its F1 campaign in 2014 was $2.8bn (£1.8bn). Experts believe the equivalent value for VAG of their sportscar and touring car programmes was about $30m (£19m). Mercedes spent a net 130m euros (£103m) on F1, once external sponsorship and prize money is taken into account. VAG spent about 320m euros (£254m) on DTM and sportscars. Some reports have linked a potential VAG return with the Austrian Red Bull team - Piech has a close relationship with Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz. But sources say that VAG turned down an approach from Red Bull some years ago and that if it did enter F1 it would be with its own team based in Germany. please log in to view this image World champions Mercedes earned a total global media value through its F1 campaign in 2014 of $2.8bn (£1.8bn), a season in which Lewis Hamilton also won the drivers' title Asked for a comment, a spokesman did not deny the information but pointed to an interview with the chairman of the VW board of management Martin Winterkorn in the German newspaper Bild Am Sonntag last month, in which he suggested the group was happy with its existing commitments. Winterkorn said: "Our brands in motorsport are as successful as ever, whether in the DTM with Audi or Le Mans with Audi and Porsche, or in the World Rally Championship with Volkswagen. We feel we have really good position." Audi chairman Rupert Stadler said in an interview with another German newspaper, Heilbronner Stimmer, that Domenicali had expressed a desire not to work in motorsport and that he was working in "organisation and new business fields in the areas of service and mobility".
Something is definitely brewing at VW-Audi, but I suspect it'll be a while before we see anything concrete. Those advertising value figures for F1 are insane, it's no wonder Red Bull use F1 as a marketing exercise, I really didn't expect the figures to be that big. Mclaren now hold all the cards for Alonso's F1 future, but I really can't see them not hiring him. I think Jenson's made a verbal agreement with a WEC team that he'll drive for them if Mclaren let him go. He seems too fine about not having a job for next year. WEC would probably give him more time for triathlons too.
Its an absolute joke that McLaren haven't announced their line-up. How utterly unprofessional, and quite frankly, harsh on the drivers. Interesting that VAG are potentially interested in entering a team - if it wasn't for Bernie!
That could be a clever move on VW part. By publicly stating they are investigating becoming part of F1 but only if Bernie isn't there they are adding weight to his removal. I wonder if Toyota or BMW are thinking along similar lines. Plus the EU looking at the governance of F1 by FIA = more problems and maybe a creating a get out for the concord agreement to redistribute funds. Actually these new engines could be the making of F1 if Bernie is given the boot. Strangely I am more upbeat about the future of F1.
If the Mclaren Group board is incapable of making a decision, then the problem must be its chairman? Normally a decision is made by a vote with the chairman holding a second/casting vote in the case of a tied result. So one can only assume that he is stalling the vote because he knows it won't go his way, and that the other directors feel too weak to propose a motion themselves.
Probably. He is trying so hard to get backing for KMag. So it's obvious who he favours. But does he have the potential of a Hamilton, Vettel or Ricciardo? I don't think so.
It is pretty laughable it has taken this long and they still "haven't decided". They have 5 years of data on Button, have had KMag in F1 for a full season up against him, so have plenty data about his strengths, weaknesses, reasons behind any poorer performances the public may not be aware of. If there really was that little in performance between them in their eyes then KMag is the obvious choice down to cost of salary and long term potential. But let's be honest here, Button has comprehensively schooled him and proven himself to be a class act all year, even up against the young gun they felt had lightning pace, Button even won the qualy battle. It's no contest. KMag may well be a great driver in the making but he has not shown enough when it mattered, especially when the pressure was on, he crumbled. In other fuel to add to the speculation fire.... Alonso on twitter doesn't really follow many drivers or teams etc, doesn't follow Button, Magnussen etc but he has randomly decided to follow Stoffel Vandoorne......
It's not completely random. I think they're doing some karting event together at some time, and maybe he wants Vandoorne as a team mate although keeping him in GP2 to absolutely dominate it next year seems the best idea to me.
And on the point of VW (Audi). As its pretty much confirmed Domenicali's reason for joining was for a view of F1. They are having a serious look at it. I think It will be audi who will start of with running engines for STR and then join forces with RBR. Audi have nothing left to achieve in WEC and can leave it for their sister company Porche. F1's engine rules fit Audi too. I would like to see BMW and Toyota come back too but only as engine manufacturers. They were too stiff as team owners and sulked when things didnt go their way
They've been moaning about Renault almost they ever signed for their engines. Even when they were dominating the WDC's they were harping on that it was down on power, alternators kept breaking, not fair blah blah blah, cry babies. How dare anybody overtake a Red Bull. Must be engine disparity Any other team and Renault would have ditched them after all the bad mouthing Horner has done about them.
Doubtless Bernie will hear about this snub and in is usual way try and make it look like he doesn't care and suggest that F1 is better off without a car company formed by Hitler. That should be enough for CVC to sack his ass once and for all.
Agreed. Hopefully it will be leverage to get Bernie out. The position he's in it will be very difficult though. Almost got the job until he dies, gives it up. I think the EU will have a serious job changing things.
The guy got out of a bribery case by paying an even bigger one, in court! Can throw all manner of ****e at him, it won't stick.. Any chance of him being sacked are slim to none, wouldn't surprise me if under took a hostile takeover of CVC if they ever threatened to axe him!
