[Deschodt]

Interesting times in F1...

At the moment I wonder if Audi will even be on the grid at all... Not only have they seen management turmoil, but the current VW plant closures and layoffs are going to make it tricky to spend Billions in F1. They have already heavily invested into building, R&D and personnel. Tricky now, sink more $ in while you lay off or pull the plug and also lose $$$.. Resell ?

I was reading an interesting interview of the Ex-renault manager guy Bruno Famin... He was explaining that the math does not work for engine manufacturers anymore. Teams get $$$ reward but engine manufacturers get nothing, AND they are both obligated to supply at least one more team if asked to, and at the same time capped to selling engines for $17 mil per season. He was explaining that doesn't even cover manufacturing costs in most cases.. in parallel to that the token system in place prevented Renault from fixing their 15-20hp deficit for the duration, in the name of cost savings... They spent billions with a B in development, and could not fix what they knew was wrong... Within the current limitations, you are essentially stuck fixing either the KERS side or the ICE side each year, you aren't allowed to do both.... Also the new model may cause trouble - How long will Ferrari be happy with a competitor badged car (Haas - Toyota) if they do well... How long will Mercedes happily "sponsor" McLaren (with their engines) likely at a financial loss, to watch them beat their own team ? Some teams are entering via a side door for cheap while engine makers are spending $$$$... Anyway, interesting shakeups ahead probably.. I could see the "few" engine makers decide to renegociate this arrangement sooner than later, and they have power!