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redfiona99I haven't been saying much about the Formula 1 because it makes me sad and all the things that have happened and the problems of the smaller teams seem inter-related.
Jules Bianchi
Who was the victim of a godawful random and unpredictable accident (ignore the idiots that say it was predictable and therefore preventable. They are wrong.).
It would have been bad enough whoever it had happened to, because Formula 1 works hard on its safety. But Jules was special.
He was going to be our next Ferrari world champion.
And he was good enough to justify that comment, because he dragged the Marussia, the most alleged car on the grid this year, into a points-scoring position in what was acknowledged as one of the drives of the season.
Which leads into
the travails of the back of the pack
The two points Bianchi won for Marussia would have got them 10th in the constructor's championship which is the last position where you win money. It wouldn't have solved all their problems but it would probably have paid off their creditors, made it easier to sell the team and made it more likely that they would have raced in 2015.
I also think, and this is where I go back to being sad about the whole thing, that if Bianchi had been available to race for Marussia, it's less likely that Marussia would have gone to the wall in the first place because a) I'm sure they could have squeezed Ferrari for more money, b) Marussia could have got some temporary sponsors a lot easier because the camera loves Jules (everyone loves Jules) and c) he would have made Marussia a lot more attractive proposition to buyers, because Marussia would have had him as a driver next year (unless Ferrari were going to give Kimi another lump sum holiday).
the cost of running an F1 team
Is enormous. Like ridiculously big.
And the resources that the smaller teams have are significantly less than what the big guns have. This makes it hard for the smaller teams to catch up with the performance of the big teams. Which leads to a vicious cycle of not as good performance. Occasionally a team can break through, but it's v. rare. Let's be honest here, the only team that actually make money in F1 are Ferrari, and that's because they have awesome lawyers who have made it so that the other teams subsidise them. (No, I'm not joking.)
And everyone has been telling Bernie that this is a bad system for years. And of course he doesn't listen. He also has a way of making himself be just on the right side of the argument i.e. pointing out that if he forwarded Marussia the money they would be due at the end of the season, if they made it, it would be unfair to the other teams, particularly Sauber and Caterham, who were still fighting Marussia for 10th place in the constructor's championship. And he's not wrong in that.
And he's also got a point when he says that team bosses need to learn how to cut their cloth to suit their purses (he didn't say that, but something to that effect), because they're not there to have fun, they're there to be businesses, and if they can't manage that, then they shouldn't be there. He's not wrong there either. (Interview with Bernie here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29970352)
It's just that Formula One's history is built on privateer teams (Ferrari themselves, for goodness's sakes), and they are the one's who are feeling the pinch right now. Williams, the glorious and wonderful Williams team, would be in a right pickle if they hadn't had an amazing year this year. And the only way they can keep going is if they keep out-performing their budget which gets harder as the gap gets greater and it's a vicious cycle.
That's what needs to be sorted, and there's no way that's going to happen unless the three big teams (Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes) agree and, as Christian Horner didn't quite put it, why would the turkeys vote for Christmas?
Jules Bianchi
Who was the victim of a godawful random and unpredictable accident (ignore the idiots that say it was predictable and therefore preventable. They are wrong.).
It would have been bad enough whoever it had happened to, because Formula 1 works hard on its safety. But Jules was special.
He was going to be our next Ferrari world champion.
And he was good enough to justify that comment, because he dragged the Marussia, the most alleged car on the grid this year, into a points-scoring position in what was acknowledged as one of the drives of the season.
Which leads into
the travails of the back of the pack
The two points Bianchi won for Marussia would have got them 10th in the constructor's championship which is the last position where you win money. It wouldn't have solved all their problems but it would probably have paid off their creditors, made it easier to sell the team and made it more likely that they would have raced in 2015.
I also think, and this is where I go back to being sad about the whole thing, that if Bianchi had been available to race for Marussia, it's less likely that Marussia would have gone to the wall in the first place because a) I'm sure they could have squeezed Ferrari for more money, b) Marussia could have got some temporary sponsors a lot easier because the camera loves Jules (everyone loves Jules) and c) he would have made Marussia a lot more attractive proposition to buyers, because Marussia would have had him as a driver next year (unless Ferrari were going to give Kimi another lump sum holiday).
the cost of running an F1 team
Is enormous. Like ridiculously big.
And the resources that the smaller teams have are significantly less than what the big guns have. This makes it hard for the smaller teams to catch up with the performance of the big teams. Which leads to a vicious cycle of not as good performance. Occasionally a team can break through, but it's v. rare. Let's be honest here, the only team that actually make money in F1 are Ferrari, and that's because they have awesome lawyers who have made it so that the other teams subsidise them. (No, I'm not joking.)
And everyone has been telling Bernie that this is a bad system for years. And of course he doesn't listen. He also has a way of making himself be just on the right side of the argument i.e. pointing out that if he forwarded Marussia the money they would be due at the end of the season, if they made it, it would be unfair to the other teams, particularly Sauber and Caterham, who were still fighting Marussia for 10th place in the constructor's championship. And he's not wrong in that.
And he's also got a point when he says that team bosses need to learn how to cut their cloth to suit their purses (he didn't say that, but something to that effect), because they're not there to have fun, they're there to be businesses, and if they can't manage that, then they shouldn't be there. He's not wrong there either. (Interview with Bernie here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/29970352)
It's just that Formula One's history is built on privateer teams (Ferrari themselves, for goodness's sakes), and they are the one's who are feeling the pinch right now. Williams, the glorious and wonderful Williams team, would be in a right pickle if they hadn't had an amazing year this year. And the only way they can keep going is if they keep out-performing their budget which gets harder as the gap gets greater and it's a vicious cycle.
That's what needs to be sorted, and there's no way that's going to happen unless the three big teams (Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes) agree and, as Christian Horner didn't quite put it, why would the turkeys vote for Christmas?
