Lauda Pushed as Replacement For Bernie

[cosworth151]

Niki Lauda is being touted as the front runner to replace Bernie Ecclestone at the helm of F1. Not surprisingly, an Austrian newspaper, Osterreich, is making the claim.

I thing the obvious best choice, by a long margin, is Tony George. After that, I'd say either Jackie Stewart or Scott Atherton.

http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/report-niki-lauda-emerging-candidate-replace-f1-boss-bernie-ecclestone

[Jericoke]

I don't think that Bernie's replacement needs to come from F1 or even motorsports.

We're looking for someone who knows how to make a deal, how to get people who don't want to cooperate and make them work together.  I say poach Roger Goodell.  I think he's worn out his welcome in the NFL, but is well equipped to deal with the house of cards that Bernie has created.

If not Goodell... then perhaps Donald Trump.  He's a man that has a proven track record of making something from nothing (seriously, watching men drive around for 2 hours as a multibillion dollar sport is making something from nothing).  He has international contacts.  He's a big personality that can deflect attention around the sport as needed.  He has a solid grip on modern social media.

[Alianora La Canta]

I think Bernie's replacement will be several people. I could see Niki being one of those people, but I suspect the actual leader (as opposed to the figurehead, a role Niki could plausibly occupy) will be a faceless ex-CEO who's quietly earned more money from previous ventures than investing in a standard index exchange would have done (something Donald Trump has failed to do, would you believe). That, or it will be someone we've never heard of from within CVC.

[lkjohnson1950]

Hi Alia! I agree, Trump is highly overrated as a businessman.

[Jericoke]

I think Bernie's replacement will be several people. I could see Niki being one of those people, but I suspect the actual leader (as opposed to the figurehead, a role Niki could plausibly occupy) will be a faceless ex-CEO who's quietly earned more money from previous ventures than investing in a standard index exchange would have done (something Donald Trump has failed to do, would you believe). That, or it will be someone we've never heard of from within CVC.

Having Bernie replaced by a team would be worse for the sport.  FOM needs to have one voice.  I'm sure that most of what Bernie 'does' is handled by a committee behind the scenes anyway.

[Scott]

I would be in the 'anyone but Lauda' camp. 

[Monty]

I think this position does have to be occupied by a Motor Racing expert and a very well respected one at that. There are so many huge egos in F1 it is essential that the promoter understands every aspect of the business/sport. Lauda is too divisive. Its a shame that the position needs to be filled soon because in a few years I would bet on Toto Wolff being the ideal candidate. Right now probably the best choice would be a promoter of another successful series or a successful team owner - where is Ross Brawn when you need him?

[Dare]

Hi Alia! I agree, Trump is highly overrated as a businessman.

Didn't the airline Lauda owned or operated go bankrupt too?
Don't  know how big a operation it was and beside if Trump is
elected president he won't have time for F1.

[Scott]

Its a shame that the position needs to be filled soon because in a few years I would bet on Toto Wolff being the ideal candidate. Right now probably the best choice would be a promoter of another successful series or a successful team owner - where is Ross Brawn when you need him?

Weren't they talking about Horner being groomed for the job last year or the year before? 

Didn't the airline Lauda owned or operated go bankrupt too?

Yes, and then a second time.  To be fair, they were just charter operations doing canned holidays. 

[Jericoke]

I think this position does have to be occupied by a Motor Racing expert and a very well respected one at that. There are so many huge egos in F1 it is essential that the promoter understands every aspect of the business/sport. Lauda is too divisive. Its a shame that the position needs to be filled soon because in a few years I would bet on Toto Wolff being the ideal candidate. Right now probably the best choice would be a promoter of another successful series or a successful team owner - where is Ross Brawn when you need him?

Why does it have to be an expert in motorsport?

It limits the pool too much, and opens the door to too much cronyism/favouritism.  (To be fair, I don't think that Todt has done this, but dipping twice into the same pot is asking for trouble)

The FIA runs the sporting aspect, the FOM handles the commercial aspect.  The commercial aspect should have little to do with automotive knowledge.  People who run a race team know what's good for the teams, but that isn't the same as what's good for the fans.

Getting the right person (or people), you'll automatically get someone who can get up to speed on the history of F1, and what has worked in the past and what hasn't.  However, they wouldn't be held down by baggage.  For example, someone like Lauda or Stewart would be expected to focus on the safety of the sport, which isn't really what we want from the FOM (that's the FIA's job).  If an outsider is brought in, he can step on any toes that need to be stepped on, and put any spin on that is needed.

If you think it must be an insider... remember that Bernie was an insider.

[Irisado]

I don't think that Bernie's replacement needs to come from F1 or even motorsports.

I disagree.  We actually need someone to come in and run the show who is passionate about Formula 1 and truly understands what the sport needs.  Someone who has little or no knowledge of the sport is unlikely to be able to do that.

If not Goodell... then perhaps Donald Trump.

Please no.  His behaviour is thoroughly odious and his politics are truly repugnant.

Why does it have to be an expert in motorsport?

Because to get Formula 1 out of the mess in which it currently finds itself requires someone who has a deep understanding of what is required to bring back exciting, dynamic, and engaging racing.  An outsider is very unlikely to be able to do that.  Remember, a motorsport insider can be someone outside of the Formula 1 paddock, so it's more open than you might think.

The FIA runs the sporting aspect, the FOM handles the commercial aspect.  The commercial aspect should have little to do with automotive knowledge.  People who run a race team know what's good for the teams, but that isn't the same as what's good for the fans.

There is a problem here though.  Ecclestone has increasingly blurred the lines between handling the commercial side of Formula 1 and shaping the rules governing the sport.  His influence often ends up making the rules, so if we have someone who has no real interest in the sporting side of things, yet is able to influence the rules, there is likely to be an adverse outcome for Formula 1.

If you think it must be an insider... remember that Bernie was an insider.

He made himself an insider and the other team owners at the time let him get away with it.  It's not as though he was appointed or had to go through a proper application process.  I would hope that, this time around, the process might be somewhat more regulated.

[Monty]

I agree about the need for passion. I also have a huge worry about Corporate CEOs running anything. Generally, they cannot move their focus away from profit. It is all they know. They have no respect for 'people' they only see staff as Direct or Indirect expenses. They have no respect for enthusiasts they just become potential customers and enthusiastic spectators will be dropped in favour of a more profitable client - TV stations or worse; pay-per-view internet companies. Of course F1 has to make money and due to the ridiculous situation that a Commercial company actually 'owns' F1 most of that money doesn't come back into the sport. So we can only hope that the 'boss' of F1 understands the sport and the fans and tries to mitigate the commercial pressures.

[Jericoke]

I agree about the need for passion. I also have a huge worry about Corporate CEOs running anything. Generally, they cannot move their focus away from profit. It is all they know. They have no respect for 'people' they only see staff as Direct or Indirect expenses. They have no respect for enthusiasts they just become potential customers and enthusiastic spectators will be dropped in favour of a more profitable client - TV stations or worse; pay-per-view internet companies. Of course F1 has to make money and due to the ridiculous situation that a Commercial company actually 'owns' F1 most of that money doesn't come back into the sport. So we can only hope that the 'boss' of F1 understands the sport and the fans and tries to mitigate the commercial pressures.

I don't know about Europe or around the world, but professional sports has become a MASSIVE entertainment business.  Teams owned by 'corporate types' rake in hundreds of millions of dollars annually.  Teams owned by former players or 'insiders' flounder and fail.

Wayne Gretzky's hockey team is a byword for failure in the NHL
Michael Jorden's TWO basketball teams are jokes of the NBA

On the other hand, the New York Yankees are one of the most recognizable businesses in the world, and that's directly on account of George Steinbrenner, an investor, realizing that the Yankees would flourish by turning their legacy into the stuff of legends and myths.  He was no baseball insider, but rather a man who knew how to make something from nothing.

Can Niki Lauda turn F1 into a legendary sport that everyone recognizes?

Yes, these sports run by CEOs are on the lookout for the bottom lines.  BUT, the ones that are run right are run by people who recognise that the bottom line is paid for by fans.  It's a business, but if you know your customer and give them what they want, then they're happy to fund it.  If someone is more passionate about the racing than worrying about the fans, then how does that help anyone?

[Scott]

I fall on Jeri's side of the argument on this one.  I would much rather have a dispassionate  Corporate CEO running F1 who knows what a brand is and how to protect and nurture it, someone who recognizes the importance of F1 to thrive, not to extract everything they can from it.  Someone who can see a bit further down the road than Bernie (or just over the steering wheel) and make long term decisions for the sport. 

Whoever runs the FOM should also put the gun to the FIA's head to sort out the sporting side, or explain the FIA that their services will no longer be needed.  The most important thing needed in F1 is competition, and every decision and regulation should be based around that.  It's the team's job to balance their books, not the FIA's.

[cosworth151]

I agree about the FIA. The only purpose they serve is to make Bernie look good in comparison.

I'd hate to see the sport fall into the claws of some corporate suit who thinks that a car is just something the chauffeur brings.