I cannot understand why you object for some teams to pay well their drivers. I think any team would buy the best drivers available, and pay them accordingly. When they don't do that, they end up losing the driver; Piquet walking out of Brabham, or Raikkonen leaving Lotus, etc... There is also some prestige attached to paying drivers a high retainer among the top teams: it's a sign of financial stability. Just like a top driver has a price tag, there are similar expectation for a seat in one of the 5 top teams, even more if you come with impressive results. I cannot see Alonso, Raikkonen, Button, Vettel and Hamilton (all former WDC) not being paid well.
In the context of the Scuderia, I want to see them challenging to be WCC. They're not right now, and they haven't been for some time. If anything, they're falling farther behind and are, probably, now behind RB. I cannot say what the cause is. Is it the chassis, aero or engine? All three? But, until they get that straightened out, it's nothing but pure waste to pay for drivers who find you tenths when you need seconds and don't change the on-track outcomes. When you have a limitation on resources, you put them where they produce the best results: into the car. I'm a free-market supporter, though. So, I defend their right to spend whatever they want to spend on drivers and hire whomsoever they think is the best fit for them. My opinions may, however, differ. What's clear, though, is that the Scuderia doesn't have it figured out (and hasn't for a while, now). All that said, the origin of this thread was about the difficult conditions under which the other team members operate. The long hours. The time away from families. The poor pay. And, when you juxtapose that with the largesse of paying a driver who's not even on the podium $20MM, $40MM or more, well, that just makes the difference all that much more stark. However, each team member enters into their job knowing about the commitment and sacrifices. And, they freely do it. So, can they really complain all that much? This is no more than a discussion about the disparities in compensation in a single sport. I'm sure there are other sports in which compensation is so broad. I'm not a socialist, but I am saying that putting resources towards drivers when there isn't a car under them is just silly. And, when you've got dozens of other team members who are putting in no less effort, yet are being paid so modestly, the decision to pay a driver excessively seems unwise. Morale in a team is very important, and when a driver who's making millions is making excuses and complaining, it can have a very negative impact on the rank and file who aren't. I don't expect F1 to change any of their practices based on my comments. However, if I were a team manager (or a team manager's boss), I'd be urging them to get the big stuff right first (the car) and then worry about who's driving it. CW
Paying the mechanics more wouldn't make the cars go quicker. That's not a solution for Ferrari to regain lost ground. What Ferrari needs is a strong leadership, sound structures, and a good team of engineers and designers to create the cars of tomorrow, and get out of the rut. Most of the problems at Ferrari, as far as I can judge, is that the technical staff seems to go and go at alarming rate, just like through revolving doors. There is no stability, and that's because there is probably a bad atmosphere at the Scuderia. Having 3 team principals in quick succession was just an indication.
Perhaps not, but it does show that the team is aware of them and appreciates their commitment and sacrifices. But, you want (and need) a team that has good morale. It's easier to have when you're winning. When you're not, it's easy to find things to complain about. I don't disagree. And, why LdM broke up the dream team (or allowed it to break up) is beyond me. The "All Italian" theme is great, but it's not delivering the results. As an aside, F1 is pretty boring when the same team wins and wins and wins. And, that's even true when the Scuderia is that winner. No disagrement. Continuity is important to keeping a machine working smoothly. But, MB put together a winning team in short order. Really, just buy buying Brawn (which was a winning team, already, due to what? I'd argue the car's aero design). Remember that Brawn bought Honda (was it?), which wasn't a winning team. So, if there's a common denominator, it's Ross Brawn. And, what does he do? Yup, you guessed it: engineer. Now, as an owner, principal and manager, he may have smart guys working on strategy, a competent crew doing wheel changes, and hired fast-enough drivers (but do we think that JB would have been a WDC had he not been in the Brawn?), but, in the end, you only really need to worry about those things if you don't have the car. If you have the car, you could put a monkey (sorry, I have a penchant for trying to tie things back in) in it and win. These cars (the MB, Brawn, RB, Renault, Ferrari, McL, Williams, Benetton and so on) had it right at their respective times. They launched careers and made WDCs out of many of their drivers (multiple WDCs for some) who happened to be lucky enough to be there when the designers and engineers just got the car right. All of that's not to say that if the best car has a hiccup, you don't want to position yourself to take advantage of that. But, let's hope the Scuderia can get back on track. Or, that someone can bring the fight to MB and make it something other than a processional and foregone conclusion. CW
As a follow up, consider FA. Considered by many to actually be the best driver on the grid right now. Yes, SV and LH have more WDCs, but FA was only blessed with two seasons of having a dominant car under him. So, while he may have eked out better results for the Scuderia than possible with a "lesser" driver, the Scuderia was never a serious contender. The RB smoked it. And, now that he's "developing" the McL, IF Honda ever gets their engines sorted, maybe he'll win more WDCs. But, this just serves to illustrate the point that in today's age of F1, if you don't have the car, it's REALLY hard to win. But, if you get the car right, you can win several consecutive WCCs and WDCs. Also, as an aside, at one time, I think drivers at the Scuderia (this is during Enzo's reign), weren't so highly paid. It was considered an "honor" to drive for Il Commednatore, and he famously played games with them all in order keep them uncomfortable. I don't know if job INsecurity is super at bringing out results, though, either. Drivers may make desperation moves to save their ride and career... CW
Indeed. His 2012 season was amazing. Look what he's doing this year in the McHonda, you're nuts if you think anyone else on the grid could get better results out of that thing
It's difficult to understand why there are periods of culling at Ferrari, where no job is safe, and a feeling of paranoia engulfs the management and technical staff (also the drivers) for no apparent reason. That used to exist under the Commendatore, and that still exists now. When they start losing, the top management starts sacking at random, when maybe some tweaking here and there would be enough. Ferrari had a winning team, and threw it to the dogs! Also, don't go with the impression that a superior car is enough; you need a good driver too, not only fast, but disciplined and subtle with tactics. That's why most teams try to get the best they can get, even if they haven't the top car yet. Button won with the Brawn because he had plenty of experience and seized the opportunity. Re. Ferrari, they don't seem to recruit young inexperienced drivers, do they. When was their last recruit? They rend to poach drivers from other team, but don't groom their own drivers like Red Bull or McLaren do. Wasn't Villeneuve the last one recruited outside F1? And Ickx the last one previous that? Lauda, Schekter, Amon, Schumacher, Barichello, Irvine, Massa, Capelli, Raikkonen, Alonso and others were recruited from other teams.
This all day. However, I would point out that Allison leaving is simply bad luck because of the tragic circumstances of losing his wife. I don't think he leaves otherwise although I'm sure it is always challenging to be at Ferrari.
This is why he famously lost some good drivers, who had enough of his shenanjgan, and why he never managed to recruit others he wanted at the Scuderia. Phil Hill and John Surtees left when they both could have brought more victories at Ferrari. In each instance, it was internal friction that pushed them over the edge. Surtees could have won the WDC in 1966. Enzo Ferrari courted Jackie Stewart during his last season at BRM, in view to sign him for the following year. But the Scot wary of the Old Man's methods, brought a lawyer with him to discuss the contract point by point. The negotiations stalled, and Ferrari recruited Stewart's F2 team mate, Jacky Ickx instead. Jackie Stewart, instead of being star-struck by Ferrari's installation signed for the nascent Tyrrell team operating from a barn in the forest, with customer chassis and a handful of mechanics . But Stewart went on to win 3 WDC with this cottage enterprise, whilst internal tension at Ferrari were ripping the Scuderia apart!! Mario Andretti is another one who always refused to sign to Ferrari. He had one-off drives for the Scuderia, giving him the occasion to observe the politics there, but he always refused to join Ferrari full-time. Instead, he later joined Chapman at Lotus and also became WDC. So, it seems that some people didn't get easily bamboozled by Enzo Ferrari.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you could put a soup can in the car and win. But, out of the current grid, I'd bet you could put, maybe, 80% of the drivers in the MB and it would still win. IIRC, didn't Brawn come up with a unique interpretation of the rear wing design that the other teams didn't have? The so-called "double diffuser" controversy? But, I may have it a bit muddled in my own mind. I agree that the Scuderia has not been much of a talent developer. Choosing, rather, to poach established talent. Especially for the number one seat. At least, for quite a while. Prost. Schumacher. Raikkonen. Alonso. Vettel. How many WDCs do those add up to? But, they've paid handsomely for this privilege, too. They have embarked upon a program, but I question how serious they are about it. I know that Lance Stroll, Lawrence Stroll's son, was, at one time, a part of that program. I don't know of anyone else, although, I assume there must be others. Ron Dennis shepherded LH along nicely. And, others have surely been "watched over" and advanced. I'm not suggesting that these drivers didn't earn it, but were there others who weren't given the same look because they didn't have the right name or connections? Anyway, let's see. Maybe the Scuderia might learn a thing or two out of this. I'd like to see them figure it all out and get back up to the top step of the podium, but I'd honestly just like to see great racing. Really, as sacrilegious as it may be, I don't care who wins, as long as it's a nail-biter. CW
RE paying the mechanics more and making the car go faster; definitely not. The mechanics don't create anything, or do anything other than installing parts or be pit crew. They have no influence on how the car is designed or making parts better. As you said yourself as well, they go into this knowing they'll unlikely become rich of it. The guys making the real money are of course the drivers and designers of the car/engine. Paying them more is only a temporary fix, as pretty soon they've forgotten about their pay rise and waiting for the next one. Do teams rely on them? Of course. But just about any of them can be replaced if he starts moaning about his job or lack of pay (they knowingly accepted when they got the job). After all their job is relatively simple. They get assigned specific areas of the car and that's their section only, so only so much you need to know. Any spanner monkey can do it (speaking broadly). Truth is, most of the guys truly love F1, and gladly accept it. This is not the first job that has low-ish pay and people get divorced. 50% of all marriages do so I'm pretty sure it applies to just about any job, especially where the other half is away most of the time. It's not a dead end job, either. Like any job, show signs of skill/intelligence and you get promoted. There was this one guy at Ferrari, he started out in the early 90s, I forget his name but he's Indian looking, he started out sweeping the floor for Ferrari F1. Slowly but surely build his way up and was always on the camera, during the dominant Schumi years and after still. I've forgotten what he position he held at that point, but rest assured he did well for himself.
I don't disagree with any of that. But, the guy who's distracted by his wife's divorce attorney isn't, maybe, paying the requisite amount of attention to the task at hand. The mind can wander, and all it takes is to forget something simple (and it's missed in an inspection), and the whole race may be over. Maybe there's a steaming pile of ex-race car, even. There's also the driver's life at stake, so they have an interest in making sure that every one of their crew guys is happy (enough) and focused, too. I'm not suggesting that they'd get paid millions of dollars, each. But, if you get a bump of, say, 15-20%, maybe that's enough. For a guy who's making a modest sum, it might make the difference. And, across the entire team, maybe that amounts to a fair amount (a million?). And, if you have a crew that knows and does their jobs without fail or complaint for months on end, maybe it's worth keeping them a little happier? Maybe not, though. They can all, even the driver, be replaced, if necessary. But, there's a saying, "don't be penny wise and pound foolish", for a reason. CW
Currently there are four Drivers within Ferrari's Driver Academy programme. Antonio Fuoco: 20132016: GP3 Series Guanyu Zhou: 20142016: European Formula 3 Charles Leclerc: 20162016: GP3 Series Giuliano Alesi: 20162016: GP3 Series
Villeneuve and Ickx had made some F1 races before racing for Ferrari. About Massa, he was somehow groomed by Ferrari. He raced for Sauber first, but just because Ferrari put him there. And then there was Jules Bianchi.
I seriously doubt that divorce thoughts have anything to do with retirements or forgetting to put wheels on or whatever. If they did, the amount of money they made would be irrelevant, because at any rate the person in question will have be absent minded, then. The guys get bonuses. This isn't based on wins, of course, because that would mean that working for any of the lower end teams you'll never see a bonus in your life. It's performance based on how they do against their rival teams. Is their bonus significant? I think that depends on numerous factors, such as team wealth, amount of mistakes made, performance over the year (i.e. Williams from 2013 to 2014, they went from 9th to 3rd, which is a huge cash injection for the team. The mechanics surely had a nice christmas bonus) and so on. Mechanics working for a team forever at the very back of the grid will likely not make great money, though.
A stressed, overworked, underpaid and demotivated crew can certainly make a difference. Motivation, good energy and harmony are key. Stress can lead to mistakes, and we have all witnessed plenty of races lost or won at the pitstop.
As per my doubts expressed earlier: When Niki Lauda Ate Humble Pie - WTF1 If Lauda was 15 seconds slower, I call utter BS on some Ford BOD lapping 1.5s slower.
Who says any of the mechanics/pit crew aren't motivated then? It's rare to see a stop longer than 3.5 seconds, and when it does happen it's normally a stuck wheel nut or bad entry from the driver. It's extremely unlikely to see a genuine mistake or laziness by the pit crew affect the race, or see a car break down.
Motivation can be influenced by feeling Valued. Feeling Valued is often linked to Pay. No two people are the same. Fatigue and innocent mistakes can arise from being overworked and underpaid. It always depends on the individual.
A pay rise (be it 20% or 50%) and the harder work after that only lasts temporarily. People are more motivated by getting a bonus. Give a salesman 150K a year but with little to no bonus, or 30K a year with the possibility of earning 120K or more in bonus, which one will give you better performance? The one earning less money, every single time. The article above states that the mechanics earn between £30-60K PA. That's well above average. In the UK, a normal mechanic earns between £12-18K PA, so F1 mechanics earn well above the norm. No one is putting a gun against their heads. Most if not all of the guys have been keen racing/F1 enthusiasts well before they got a job in F1, so in a way this is a dream job for them.
like everything you get what you pay for, paying your crew a little more might not translate directly to a win, but you can buy a little bit more consistency. I worked on many different teams in many different series, I knew a lot of talented mechanics and crew members who just could not keep it together week after week. When someone joins a crew, it becomes their life, and few people are in a position where they can commit to something like that.
