Hiring pat Symmonds is a MAJOR coup, bravo!
LOL - Pat Symonds, the former Renault F1 engineering head who was banned from Formula One in 2009 after a Singapore Grand Prix crash scandal
then hired by the FIA.....water under the bridge now if Flavio becomes their driver development director....
Well, with Andretti you have to lower your standards. Seriously, I don't remember this....is he still tainted?
It won’t help him.The Saudis want to control sports (see LIV Golf). They’ll outbid all comers if it gets to that point.
Well lets ask Penske lol. This is a joke of a hire in terms of that 1 issue. Cheating. Sorry but its entirely 'cringe' as you state.
Are you offering to hire me as a hitman;-)?! What is the pay offer . . . Just a joke before someone gets huffy;-)
So Michael Andretti wants to form a "Team in waiting", just in case ... He copies the "British Shadow Cabinet" formed under the same principle; often it never gets to power ...
I would think Liberty would WANT a 'name' USA entry? Or at the very least another one... But are there any decent American-born drivers capable of F1? Any that are sooo good they don't have to bring their checkbooks? No. Letsee, Eddie Cheever Sr, Danny Sullivan, Scott Speed? Any others over the last 40 years? (No, not Michael)
Nothing to do with NOT wanting an American team, IMO. Liberty is baulking at the idea of having to pay 11 team, rather than 10. Apart for the increase in operating costs, logistics, that would make a big difference in their bank balance and profit. The existing teams don't want a reduced share, and there is nothing to say FOM would make 10% more by 2025/26. That's why Liberty proposed the Andretti/Cadillac 2028 as their entry year. By 2028, they hope to have boosted their income to pay the11th team without pain, OR they expect that one of the teams will be for sale for Andretti to buy before that; which would solve everyone's problem.
But gee, hasn't Liberty been claiming their viewership is up about 300%? And how much it costs to attend an F1 event - and they still sell out? They should be swimming in money... By 2028, if the USA economy DOES take a crap, I'm thinking Caddy will pull out their backing before they even get going.
I can only offer my modest explanation. Probably that some of Liberty claims regarding viewership have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Also, increased turnover doesn't always translate with increased profit. Liberty has spent a hell of a lot since they took over F1...
Pulling out is only effective if done early enough. At some point you have signed up for significant cost over the next couple of years, so you might as well give it all you got and enjoy the ride. PU development is neither cheap nor particularly well suited to repurposing, so starting now and pulling out in 2028 may not be an optimal business strategy.
More roadblocks put up by F1, how convenient that these new Concorde Agreement rules would start in 2026. As many of you know, the head of F2 and F3 has virtually closed the doors to entry even though Andretti said he's wants to have teams in both. From curmudgeon Joe Saward: https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2024/05/22/green-notebook-from-cogoleto/ "Much of the new deal is not contentious, but there are things that need to be sorted out. It is all secret, by the way, so knowing what is in it is not easy. The prize money structure is likely to be changed to give the smaller teams a better share and the extra money that Ferrari receives will remain, but it will be capped and no longer a percentage of the revenues. There is also a new system for new entries, which will require applicants to fulfil certain requirements (as yet unknown, but likely to include racing and winning in Formula 2 and Formula 3) and a bigger anti-dilution fee that applicants will have to pay to get access to the prize money. There may also be a first year without any prize money to make sure that any new teams are serious. The FIA’s involvement in this is minimal as it has the separate Concorde Implementation Agreement, which runs until 2030, covering governance and associated fees, which are index-linked."
Isn't this another slap in the face of both Andretti and the FIA. F2 and F3 success as a new requirement. [Wasn't there at least one of these teams that applied along with Andretti for F1 entry?]. Foregoing the first year of prize money is understandable. Sounds too much like the denial of Andretti had a lot more to do with the negotiations for the new Concorde than any of the other storylines. Saw a report today that the US Congress is going to convene a hearing on the rejection of Andretti. Liberty needs to be paying attention for their other business interests and how the entire FOM could be exposed to public dissemination.
UNLESS you have stockholders (in the USA) that demand you cut costs. I know it's a different circumstance, but do you remember Team Beatrice?
CEO of Liberty Media, Greg Maffei, told Mario Andretti, "I will do everything in my power to see that Michael [Andretti] never enters Formula 1." This is getting ridiculous!!!! https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/mario-andretti-formula-1-owner-personally-threatened-shut-team-andrett-rcna153601 Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm not saying that they won't pull out. All I'm saying that it doesn't seem to be the best strategy.
I remember Team Beatrice, also known as Haas Lola, although Lola wasn't involved in it. It was called Haas Lola, because Carl Haas was the US Lola importer. Team Beatrice operated like Haas F1 does now by outsourcing as much as they could. The chassis were designed and built in England by a company called FORCE (Formula One Race Car Engineering). No problem with engine, they simply used a Ford unit like most on the grid. Ford was also co-sponsor. The team attracted ex-WDC Alan Jones and Patrick Tambay as drivers. They folded after 2 season when the main sponsor, the food company Beatrice, withdrew.
Liberty Media CEO seems to find himself in more investigations. DOJ and Live Nation/Ticketmaster investigation. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/liberty-media-ceo-live-nation-ticketmaster-1235893591/
