It would appear these 3 teams are spending more and more money each year. Their budgets are through the roof compared to the other 8 teams. Is it any wonder why they cant compete? Financial problems are hitting Lotus, Sauber, Marussia and Force India, McLaren are loosing their key figures to higher bidders. If this is to continue, I can see a lot of teams dropping out of the championships in the coming years. Especially with the new engine regs coming in. (Funny how the 3 engines are flag shipped by the big 3 spenders) So what can the sport do? Its clear the costs need to be cut dramatically. I personally don't think its a big deal to impose a budget cap with a points penalty for people caught going over this.
It's the same old problem, isn't it Bando? One of the odd things is that tight restrictions on innovation make it less likely that a less-well financed team can usurp the bigger players â even temporarily. In an ideal world, a (very well regulated and policed) budget cap would go hand-in-hand with very loose technical regulation; but reaching this utopia is, in the practical sense, extremely difficult. Max Mosley's proposal of a budget cap is perhaps the best example of his life-long idealism* but was doomed because it was essentially unworkable. It was unworkable because those better positioned in the first instance are more likely to out-manoeuvre the ideal through cunning and ambition. *Fostered by family values founded upon a desire to impose philanthropy through 'superior' perspective. Idealism only meets practical method when first forced through by those conceiving of the 'blueprint'. Only then can it become the dominant factor in human thinking and thus become self-sustaining, where a seedling concept can finally be seen to bear fruit.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/109216 It speaks volumes that most of the teams are busy trying to desperately cut costs and are resorting to pay drivers and foreign investors just to stay alive, yet we're bringing back (expensive) in-season testing, adding more races... I know that the recession isn't biting quite so hard any more but it was only four years ago that Lotus, Manor F1 and Campos racing joined the sport at a time we were talking about a budget cap. Is the solution really to go in completely the opposite direction?
As cosi said it's F1's old age problem. There never seems to be anyone interested in doing anything that is in the best interests of the sport be it Bernie, president of the FIA or team bosses. Thing is they moan about teams leaving the sport and the grid getting potentially smaller and then they look the increase the costs of running a team in the sport which will suit only a few teams at the front!
A sensible budget cap, looser regulations and an even distribution of wealth in the sport would solve so many problems. Can't see any of the big teams allowing that to happen though.
I agree restriction upon spending would help make the playing field a little more level. But it won't happen until ALL teams agree. Indeed, this was why it failed before: Ferrari scuppered it because they saw their slice of the pie being reduced. Red Bull then saw this philosophy as the only route to success, thereby reinforcing the problem. Naturally, Bernie saw Red Bull as insurance in case of revolt from his favourite performer and has effectively been able to play the two against each other ever since. Clever. Unfortunately though, some teams – Ferrari in particular, and latterly, Red Bull who have used the Ferrari model as their template (see above) – are getting a bigger slice of the pie in terms of what F1 brings in. It is therefore natural that they will want to use this extra finance to their advantage. And whilst F1's owners (Bernie and those influenced by him) are seen to be in cohorts with these very teams (again; Ferrari and latterly Red Bull), there is little hope of an ideal being imposed, philanthropic Max Mosley style. Before FOTA faltered through Bernie's clever 'spanners in the works', designed to sew discontent amongst members, there seemed a glimmer of hope for a real way forward. But by ensuring his and his partners' interests are always above those of the clowns in his circus; most of whom are fed just enough crumbs to keep them performing, whilst 'star performers' in whom he has invested more will cling selfishly to their meaty sandwiches; we cannot expect a change in the status quo. Bernie is a clever bloke. He can only cream off the milk by preventing unity amongst 'his' performers. He doesn't want teams to be united. By feeding one or two a bit more he makes sure they fight amongst themselves, never to form what he fears most: as viewed from the fascist perspective, a communist-like Union. Even in the milder sense, capitalism fears socialism; but by any standard, Bernie is far from 'mild'… Up the REVOLUTION! One for all, and all for one! Power to the (other) clowns who make this thing rock and roll.
In the past it was McLaren, Williams & Ferrari who had all the money. Unfortunately the chances of there ever being a level playing field are practically none. Even in formula where there are standard chassis, some teams are more equal than others.
I don't see how slices of Pie would be reduced? In fact if the budget is lower then with their slice of pie they would be effectively racing for free without relying on backers to get them through the year. Lunch time... I fancy some Pie now...
McLaren and Williams increased their lot through their own efforts. Ferrari were already being handed extra pie. This was where the problem began. Bernie was more than happy to sit back and reap a harvest sewn of discontent. It's all relative, Bando. Perhaps you're being too reasonable! The big players rely far less upon "backers" to get them through the year, so they have less concern about them in the first place. Although profits are proportional to investment, it's a 'turn-over pie' which brings the investment; and if you reduce the investment, their is less pie to turn over. Therefore if one preserves the capacity to invest, one preserves capacity for greater profit, which is seen as a benefit by the owners who will continue to reward them with extra pie because they have a vested* interest in doing so. *One might say equally, 'invested'!
Unfortunately, the chances of a McLaren or a Williams emerging again and becoming successful is now nill. There is no way a new team like that could survive or compete.
I got confused around the part we started talking about clowns and pie. Are we going to the circus mummy?
The days of the garagistas was over a long long time ago, but to say no new team can come into F1 and be successful is nonsense, one of those teams we are complaining about is less than 10 years old in it's current guise. We can only hope that one of the back-runners gets sold off to someone with a vision like DM had when he bought Jaguar and we get another team that can challenge with the sort of funds RBR, Merc, Ferrari, and to a lesser extent atm McLaren has.
For a team to come in and climb up the ladder and compete at the sharp end, they would need massive backing to do so, such as Red Bull or Merc. A pure, independent racing team has little to no chance. That's not really nonsense, it's just the way it is unfortunately.
