- 29 Jul 09, 09:14#137593
Get some Coffee, i may be a while 
Given the recent BMW story, i was having a think about the future of F1.
As we are seeing, and tbh i don't think we have seen the last of manufacturer removal from F1, large scale manufacturers are losing the financial stomach for F1.
This has always been the case, but with the recent financial downturn, they are looking to see where every penny can be saved. to them, they make no money off points in a championship, or from race wins. The kudos of a championship winning car does not influence the buyer anymore, in fact it may even put them off, such is the distain for anything that doesn't produce water and fairies out the spout, by our more and more brainwashed consumers, that "Green is good!".
F1, and most motorsport in general is unpopular (at least thats what the non motoring minded would like us to believe), the gloamorous image of spending billions on a couple of cars to go .03 secnds faster than the other team looks arrogant and pointless in many consumers eyes, and the manufacturers cannot afford to be seen to not be making safe, clean, boring cars.
As a result, F1 will gradually lose the big manufacturers....
However this is not the end of F1, in fact i think it is far from it.
F1 used to be bespoke chassis, customer engines and various tyre manufacturers, there were battles between the engine builders, the chassis builders and the tyre manufacturers.
Now it has become a battle between, aerodynamic experts, 3 engine builders, and 1 tyre manufacturer sitting laughing that all the teams have to use their products.
Mclaren, Ferrari and Renault are the teams that have always been big names, but only renault is a major car manufacturer that has been in F1 for years with any success. Ferrari is still a small scale manufacturer, in the grand scheme, Mclaren is still technicallly a privateer.
With the advent of USf1 and the other pricvateer teams, will we see a return to specific teams who's only desire to be in F1 is to win races and championships, no marketing rubbish, no smooching sponsors, just a team, a car and drivers, regulation may allow more free ideas exploration again, let the technology run rampant, have an engine that revs to 22,000rpm, it will be great, but fragile, or have an engine that revs lower but the car is smoother, sleaker\grippier and can hold the ground better at corners and overtake the faster car.
This may all be conjecture, but if F1 returns to bespoke privateer teams with manufacturer engines, we may see a return to a second golden age of f1 racing.
Or it may all just go down the pan!
Given the recent BMW story, i was having a think about the future of F1.
As we are seeing, and tbh i don't think we have seen the last of manufacturer removal from F1, large scale manufacturers are losing the financial stomach for F1.
This has always been the case, but with the recent financial downturn, they are looking to see where every penny can be saved. to them, they make no money off points in a championship, or from race wins. The kudos of a championship winning car does not influence the buyer anymore, in fact it may even put them off, such is the distain for anything that doesn't produce water and fairies out the spout, by our more and more brainwashed consumers, that "Green is good!".
F1, and most motorsport in general is unpopular (at least thats what the non motoring minded would like us to believe), the gloamorous image of spending billions on a couple of cars to go .03 secnds faster than the other team looks arrogant and pointless in many consumers eyes, and the manufacturers cannot afford to be seen to not be making safe, clean, boring cars.
As a result, F1 will gradually lose the big manufacturers....
However this is not the end of F1, in fact i think it is far from it.
F1 used to be bespoke chassis, customer engines and various tyre manufacturers, there were battles between the engine builders, the chassis builders and the tyre manufacturers.
Now it has become a battle between, aerodynamic experts, 3 engine builders, and 1 tyre manufacturer sitting laughing that all the teams have to use their products.
Mclaren, Ferrari and Renault are the teams that have always been big names, but only renault is a major car manufacturer that has been in F1 for years with any success. Ferrari is still a small scale manufacturer, in the grand scheme, Mclaren is still technicallly a privateer.
With the advent of USf1 and the other pricvateer teams, will we see a return to specific teams who's only desire to be in F1 is to win races and championships, no marketing rubbish, no smooching sponsors, just a team, a car and drivers, regulation may allow more free ideas exploration again, let the technology run rampant, have an engine that revs to 22,000rpm, it will be great, but fragile, or have an engine that revs lower but the car is smoother, sleaker\grippier and can hold the ground better at corners and overtake the faster car.
This may all be conjecture, but if F1 returns to bespoke privateer teams with manufacturer engines, we may see a return to a second golden age of f1 racing.
Or it may all just go down the pan!
- By darwin dali