Vettel I am sure is set financially for the rest of his life . My guess is he takes some time off to enjoy life after the 2020 season . Then he will hit a point where either the wife/kids are driving him nuts or the competitive juices start boiling . He can do sports car racing or maybe Formula E . He will find a drive if he wants one .

LOL wouldn't that be cool if Vettel eventually won the indy 500?

Sky sports is doing such a great job during these times.

I really enjoyed hearing this inside scoop and watching this all the way to the end!

https://youtu.be/6kclITJVjEU

Sometimes I wonder about you guys. Like, what do you use for brains?

So it starts...

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-supercar-maker-mclaren-axes-quarter-of-workforce-11994843

Cookie pop up prevents viewing. Find another link, please.

That is very unfortunate.

I hope those let go can find suitable employment.

Lots of stuff going on.

Williams is for sale. Toast.

Toto is out next year as Merc team manager

Merc is rumored to be selling out (part of) the team to wolff and stroll in exchange for shares of aston martin.
I suspect it's all over but the crying.

On the lighter side, Kimi got a cool present from Ferrari

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590761745.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1590761745.jpg

Yes on Kimi and Williams, but no on Toto per mercedes lastest release (translation by me, might use other words if you find it in english)..

Wolff is indeed a shareholder in Aston Martin (42 million euros) - 0,95% of the capital. He also owns 30% of the mercedes F1 team - the guy is not poor ;-)

Mercedes said: « rumors about us leaving F1 are unfounded and irresponsible" - " The sport just took good measures to face the consequences of Covid 19 and ensure its long term stability and future" - "Our intention is clear: to continue racing in Formula 1 as a factory team and to do so with our partner and team principal Toto Wolff ».

Make of that what you will. It is F1 after all ;-)

I am just guessing that Toto Wolff made most of his money as compensation from Mercedes. It is almost funny how much he sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not too surprising as he is a big man from Austria. No doubt he is a very smart and talented man.

maybe
https://www.planetf1.com/news/toto-wolff-mercedes-future/

His 30% ownership of the team doesn't hurt either. Interesting that now at the end, he finally refers to the team as "this joint company".

"Wolff, who joined Mercedes in 2013 and played an integral role in the team’s current run of six championship doubles, owns 30 percent of the Mercedes Formula 1 team, the other 70 belonging to Daimler.
The Austrian recently alluded to a change.

'It is not just about whether I am now extending my contract as team manager, but we are also discussing what we are going to do with this joint company' he told ORF."

Contrary to all of the doom and gloom apocalyptic news headlines, you have to think that the new F1 business model is starting to make more sense, as in the Pre-JeanTodt days. The Piranha Club used to actually make money. Even Eddie Jordan could somehow make things work for a time. As in those days, the costs will be brought down to a level within reach of sponsorship support.

IF Williams is able to somehow find bridge capital, then they will survive. It seems that McLaren will have to downsize to survive, as well as find around 200M to stay afloat until either sponsorship money arrives, or car production resumes. I think they can do it. Even the British government has an interest in making sure that McLaren do not vanish.

On The Other Hand:
The prize money from racing will be non-existent if there is no spectators, correct? Or are they divvying up TV rights money?

The glam parties will go away. The hospitality 'motorhome' palaces will go away. No more grid girls. And the Jean Todt experiment of selling Tech to environmentalists (dumb idea) and tech nerds (even dumber idea) is over. It was too expensive and there is no market for that.

What no one realizes about Bernie E, is that he is the world's greatest salesman. He found a niche, realized that there was a market among the world's elite wealthy for a travelling global party. The car races were sort of the backdrop. The real objective was the party. He spoke about this, saying that people who buy Rolexes are his customer, not some pimply-faced teenager who rides the bus and walks around with earbuds stuck in his head. The vocal masses do not understand this, as they do not think about the big picture. Liberty Media totally missed this point too. The company is not run by people who have built or run an empire. When they kicked the grid girls to the curb, opened the paddock to the hoi polloi with their selfie sticks and giant foam #1 fingers and face paint, it was over.

Now the F1 model is to make the races more like American football games, with pitched on track battles, Nascar TV style graphics, music like American NFL or boxing TV broadcasts, etc. Is there a market among the unwashed masses for European tech battles set in a hyper political fishbowl? I don't think so, but the question is intriguing nonetheless.

Confirmed! 1st Race is Austria on 5 July :cool:

I maintain my position....is F1 still a thing? Does anyone care? Aren't we supposed to loath the burning of hydrocarbons in the arms of Gaia and embrace the electric slot cars that are the wave of the future?

Dennis

money in F-1 is nothing like american racing
the race winner gets NO money just points and a plate or cup
ticket money goes to pay the fee for the race NOT to the team or drivers
most tracks get gov funds to cover the difference in the tickets sales vs the race fees
most tracks do not sell inc texas enuff tickets to cover the fees
the only funds to the teams is the TV money from the points based end of year ranking paid out over the next racing year from the sport

btw the WDC gets nothing but a tytle [he does mostly get paid more by the team next year but not always [D HILL] ]

Let’s get racing!

In case you missed them.

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You may not like Hamilton or Mercedes or the color blue but you have to have respect for this team for what they have been able to do and how they do it.

World Championships, Constructor titles, reliable & fast cars and on top of that they take the time to create honest vids like these and their uber candid PitWall series. In these days of media spin-cycles, obfuscation instead of transparency and deflecting blame, Mercedes is doing it 'right' in my mind. Without a doubt the pressure to perform in the team must be incredibly high but with an obvious common goal in mind and a management structure clearly aligned with the goal I imagine it is a rewarding experience. Definitely the bar has been raised and re-set.