F1 2020 SEASON: NEWS - RUMOURS

Just hold a bit of caution. They are an investment firm so if they see it as nolonger a good investment they will ship out as fast as they can. Would have been better to sell to a rich guy who loves F1

 

which is why I thought Latifis Dad might have got involved .

 

Yeah.... I'm suspicious of a bunch of folks looking to make a few quid... Especially when it's an F1 team. It's not exactly the most obvious route to riches.

Who knows, if they can get closer to the top in the reg changes, and they can market the **** out of them, maybe all will be rosey. I'm not convinced though.

 

I feel like Williams must have been in a pretty sorry financial state for this to have been their only option. Their annual budget isn't far off the 2022 budget cap, so they'd have been well placed to become competitive and profitable from that season. When you look at Alfa, Haas and Williams with 3 points between them, it wouldn't take a lot for them to earn some constructors revenue this year too.

I can see why investment firms would be interested, it's not long before the playing field changes. The Williams family influence can also be diluted over time. Frank can't have many more years of being able to play an active role, and Claire's position within the team must be under serious scrutiny. Without knowing the details, I get the impression she's amongst the weakest team bosses in the paddock.

 

First thing I'd do, bring back a classic livery and build the brand on it.

 

The Rothmans livery of the FW18 era would be my vote. Not a lot of blue on the grid right now, and it's pretty tolerant of random sponsor logos. The current livery is only associated with being slow.

 

First thing I'd do would be to rock up at Mercedes HQ with some tracing paper.

 

How about red and Woody Woodpecker

 

That's a valid strat.

 

Maybe this... Sans Tobacco..

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I read today that Claire will be out within a week!!! I wonder who they will get to run things?
Just checked to see what the source was and article now removed!!!
I wonder if Claire will be at Spa next weekend?
On the one hand it was good that she was keeping the family name going but I do feel she was not given free reign which kept her working with one hand tied behind her back, on the other IF the new owners could get someone like Toto in then that could be interesting?

 

It appears that Renault have withdrawn their protest of tracing point!
So that just leaves Ferrari! Can't see how they can keep a straight face criticising racing Point of breaking rules!

 

Rob Smedley ?

 

Strangely I do miss his voice and his interviews. He reminds me a bit of Guy Martin - his enthusiasm and passion not his skills on a bike

 

Racing Point have also appealed, but I guess they would drop it if everyone else did.

 

Fernando , your ego is bigger than you ...

 

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/for...ale-raises-questions-including-whos-the-boss/

 

Fascinating read!

 

'Who's the Boss?'
Sale to U.S.-based investment firm helps Formula 1 team balance the books, but who's running the show?
By Joe Saward
Aug 25, 2020

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Clive Mason - Formula 1Getty Images
The Williams F1 team sale this past week to New York-based investment firm Dorilton Capital is providing more than a little intrigue to Formula 1 insiders.
The recent lack of on-track success—the team finished 10th in the F1 Constructors' Championship last year and has yet to score a point in 2020—has weakened the team and it found itself with increasing debt and decreasing revenues. This led to the decision earlier this year to look for someone to buy the team. With the Concorde Agreement completed, the team was able to announce that it (and its debts) had been sold for a reported $180 million (152 million euros). The Williams family will get 52 percent of this, while the other shareholders will be bought out and the team will be taken private again.
But the really interesting question is the identity of the buyer because Dorilton Capital Management LLC is a family office, representing the interests of a single ultra-high-net-worth family. The family is not named anywhere in Dorilton literature. The details of the deal are also interesting. The company says it prefers to partner with existing managements but wants full control of the firms it buys into.

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Claire Williams, left, and Sir Frank Williams of the Williams F1 team.
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It is a surprising deal in that the level of debt involved is considerable and earning that investment back—particularly in the current economic climate—is unlikely. This has baffled financiers who deal with F1.
Why has such a deal happened when it makes little sense?
Sources in the finance community in the U.S. say that little is known about Dorilton Capital, and it is generally believed to be a European operation, even if it is based in New York. They say that the route taken is clearly that of a buyer who wishes to remain nameless. It is also very odd that the investor is happy to keep the same management, which many consider an odd thing to do, given the recent record of Williams. The team finished last in the F1 Constructors' Championship in 2019 and has failed to score a single point this season with drivers Nicholas Latifi and George Russell.
The speculation is that either someone is doing Williams a favor, or there is someone willing to invest in the long term but with a very specific purpose in mind. This could be a wealthy individual who wishes to control a team in order to, say, have a seat available for a family member at some point in the future.

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Driver Nicholas Latifi is in his first year with the Williams F1 team.
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The problem is that there are no real details available and it is not even clear where the company chosen by Dorilton for the takeover is based, as it does not appear to be in any of the obvious tax havens. Much work is going on to discover more.
The one big clue is the name of the company involved: BCE Ltd. This is described as “a fund which is managed by Dorilton Capital Management LLC.”
In the F1 world, BCE means only one thing: Bernard Charles Ecclestone, a man with an interest in F1, a longtime friendship and supporter of Williams, a man with no shortage of money who likes to control anything he invests in. Could it be that the soon-to-be 90-year-old is the new owner of Williams?
Related Story

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Updated Schedule: F1 Adds Turkey to 2020 Calendar
Another option that must be considered is that someone else knows that using the initials BCE will create the impression it has, but will also throw people off the real scent.
Much of this speculation has been focussed on Russian chemical magnate Dmitry Mazepin, who had already tried to buy Williams in the past. He also sought to acquire Force India a couple of years ago, when Lawrence Stroll bought the team.
Mazepin has been funding the career of his son Nikita, currently racing in Formula 2, and is the force behind Hitech Grand Prix, through a Cyprus-based holding company.
No one involved is going to give straight answers given that the intention is clearly to hide the ownership, but that will not stop the questions being asked in the weeks ahead.
That process will begin at Spa this weekend when Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams is sure to be grilled about who it is she now works for.

 

Sorry . Only just got around to posting the whole link .

Yes , so who actually IS in charge ?......