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Author Topic: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1  (Read 4371 times)

Offline cosworth151

Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« on: April 07, 2018, 06:43:12 PM »
Liberty Media has unveiled it's ideas for a "New Direction" for F1 starting in 2021. Some of them sound good, but any hope I had for Liberty Media has pretty well been done away with.

Here they are:

Power units (PU)

- The PU must be cheaper, simpler, louder, have more power and reduce the necessity of grid penalties.
- It must remain road relevant, hybrid and allow manufacturers to build unique and original PU.
- New PU rules must be attractive for new entrants and Customer teams must have access to equivalent performance.

Costs

- Liberty believes how you spend the money must be more decisive and important than how much money you spend.
- While there will be some standardized elements, car differentiation must remain a core value.
- Implement a cost cap that maintains Formula 1 position as the pinnacle of motorsport with a state-of-the-art technology.

Revenues

- The new revenue distribution criteria must be more balanced, based on meritocracy of the current performance and reward success for the teams and the Commercial Rights Holder.
- F1s unique, historical franchise and value must and will still be recognized.
- Revenue support to both cars and engine suppliers.

Sporting and technical rules & regulations

- It wants to make cars more raceable to increase overtaking opportunities.
- Engineering technology must remain a cornerstone but driver’s skill must be the predominant factor in the performance of the car.
- The cars must and will remain different from each other and maintain performance differentiators like aerodynamics, suspensions and PU performance. However, we believe areas
not relevant to fans need to be standardized.

Governance

- A simple and streamline structure between the teams, the FIA and Formula 1.

I have a few questions:

Quote
allow manufacturers to build unique and original PU.
Does  that mean that manufacturers will be freed from having to build to a fixed engine configuration? Can Ferrari build a V-12, Cosworth a V-8, Renault a V-6, Porsche a boxer 6 and so on?

Quote
F1s unique, historical franchise and value must and will still be recognized.
Does that apply to historical venues, too?

Quote
However, we believe areas not relevant to fans need to be standardized.
What is not relevant? Lug nuts? Camera pods?

http://autoweek.com/article/formula-one/f1-reveals-reveals-proposed-sporting-changes-2021-and-beyond
 


“You can search the world over for the finer things, but you won't find a match for the American road and the creatures that live on it.”
― Bob Dylan

Offline Scott

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2018, 09:08:12 PM »
Quote
The PU must be cheaper, simpler, louder, have more power and reduce the necessity of grid penalties.
How about eliminate the need for grid penalties, at least as far as they have anything to do with engines.
Quote
- F1s unique, historical franchise and value must and will still be recognized.
Is this the Ferrari required line?

Christian Horner actually said more equitable revenue sharing will probably be revenue neutral for RB since they will lose a little and gain a little.  Might be enough to tip the scales between the haves and the have nots if they get him on board.
Quote
areas not relevant to fans need to be standardized.
There are plenty of bits inside the cars that can be standardised, and even some safety items like mirrors that could become standard, which are basically aero wings these days.  Making the cars more raceable and able to overtake could mean some bodywork parts should also be standardised so there is no deviation to play with the aero and affect cars behind, like rear wing elements and even some body parts.  Either that, or eliminate anything more than a plank in front and back and let them go hog wild on the bodywork development. 
Quote
- A simple and streamline structure between the teams, the FIA and Formula 1.
Now we're getting into dream territory.  Until Liberty kick the FIA out of the sport, it will never be simple or streamlined.  I tend to agree with Jeri's earlier musings about running F1 like the NFL.  But that would mean the end of Liberty in the sport as well.
The Honey Badger doesn't give a...

Offline Jericoke

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2018, 04:02:02 AM »
It's always nice to have a dream.

I hope that Liberty is being public with their ideas to see how fans react to them.  'Crowd sourcing' is a good way to see which ideas are good and which ideas are bad.

They certainly won't be able to make everyone happy, and the search for new fans, technical partners and investors means alienating existing fans, technical partners and investors.  If Liberty can put a good race on track, I won't care if it's with or without Ferrari, whether it's at a historic Italian track, or a shiny new Vietnamese venue.  Words aren't going to be enough from Liberty though.  It's going to take some effort and faith for Liberty to convince people that F1 is worthwhile.

Offline Calman

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2018, 06:58:39 AM »
Words aren't going to be enough from Liberty though.  It's going to take some effort and faith for Liberty to convince people that F1 is worthwhile.

... and not with the focus on how the US audience would embrace the culture of the Sport.  They have to understand what the Global Audience "expect" from the future vision of our sport!!

As you say, if (which is F1 backwards - Bless You Mr Walker!!!) .... If Liberty delivers on the track, much of the other issues will become less important.  Personally, I can't see Ferrari leave F1 ... more of a hunch that it would likely be Mercedes in the future.

All the best,
Cal :)
Anyone Have A Decent Pen?

Offline John S

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Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2018, 12:40:18 PM »
This sums up my WTF view of Liberty's pipe dreams.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/04/08/inside-line-was-i-the-only-one-disappointed-by-libertys-presentation/

I also wonder where all the staff who get made redundant from the big teams when budgets are slashed to just a third will get work?  Can't see F1FI, Haas, Williams or Sauber taking on hundreds more.


Racing is Life - everything else is just....waiting. (Steve McQueen)

Offline cosworth151

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2018, 07:34:39 PM »
I've seen reports that the teams received a much more detailed list of proposals, maybe even financial breakdowns.
“You can search the world over for the finer things, but you won't find a match for the American road and the creatures that live on it.”
― Bob Dylan

Offline Scott

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2018, 08:50:30 PM »
I also wonder where all the staff who get made redundant from the big teams when budgets are slashed to just a third will get work?  Can't see F1FI, Haas, Williams or Sauber taking on hundreds more.

What?  Did a union rep just walk into the meeting?  Redundant staff?  You're kidding me.
The Honey Badger doesn't give a...

Offline Jericoke

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2018, 09:00:21 PM »
This sums up my WTF view of Liberty's pipe dreams.

https://www.grandprix247.com/2018/04/08/inside-line-was-i-the-only-one-disappointed-by-libertys-presentation/

I also wonder where all the staff who get made redundant from the big teams when budgets are slashed to just a third will get work?  Can't see F1FI, Haas, Williams or Sauber taking on hundreds more.

Simple: if you have three teams with 600 people, and 7 teams with 300 people, then you can have 13 teams with 300 people,and everyone has a job.

Offline Calman

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2018, 05:52:09 AM »
It's way beyond Liberty Media's comprehension, but it's time for them to realise how "fragile" the F1 playing field has become and one poor decision on their part, could spell disaster for the future of F1.

All the best,
Cal :)
Anyone Have A Decent Pen?

Offline Jericoke

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2018, 03:08:49 PM »
It's way beyond Liberty Media's comprehension, but it's time for them to realise how "fragile" the F1 playing field has become and one poor decision on their part, could spell disaster for the future of F1.

All the best,
Cal :)

1)  I'm pretty sure that Liberty knew they were buying a house of cards.

2)  I'm pretty sure that Liberty knew that the house of cards was being held up by Bernie's machinations.

3)  I'm pretty sure that Liberty turfed Bernie knowing that his approach wouldn't work forever.  If the whole thing is going to collapse, it's better to do it sooner, rather than later.  Just staying on the course that Bernie plotted wouldn't work for anyone except Bernie.  So Liberty has to make changes no matter what.  I think that Liberty is trying to keep what they can, but is willing to break a few eggs.

Offline Alianora La Canta

Re: Liberty Rolls Out "New Direction" for F1
« Reply #10 on: April 09, 2018, 05:46:56 PM »
The document looked like a hodge-podge wish list, with many items contradicting one another. This is not a coherent set of purposes that could be actioned, underlining the need for a F1 Aims Group (something it's needed for rather longer than the F1 Strategy Group has existed). As Yogi Berra once said, "If you don't know where you are going, you probably won't get there."

As for specific items on the list:

It is not within Liberty's remit to decide engines - that is for the FIA. They are trying to make the sports side gel with the road vehicle side, so are unlikely to permit any configuration not currently seen (or likely to soon be seen) on a production road car. Alas.

"Historical franchise" would include circuits, but historically F1 has been as much about the Almighty Dollar as the Awesome Racetrack, so expect the lower-paying or otherwise less co-operative historical venues to be at regular risk anyway.

Streamlined FIA/Liberty is legally impossible - thank you Max and Bernie. Should the powers that be wish to unite, they will need to appeal to the EU to get permission to breach their settlement of the 17-year-old millstone obliging their separation.

Engines: Cheaper, more powerful and reducing need for grid penalties - given the FIA insistence on endurance/road-relevance (that Liberty, for all its wishing, can't change), you can only have one out of the three - assuming "grid penalties" is substitutable for "sporting penalties for insufficiently enduring components". If "louder" is part of the mix, that militates against "cheaper" and possibly "grid/sporting penalties". Simpler conflicts everything except, possibly, cheaper. Make your mind up, Liberty!

If F1 is not careful, it could lose every manufacturer. But it is more likely that those manufacturers will cause the powers-that-be to change faces (if not necessarily attitudes). Is that what Liberty and the FIA want for themselves? Is that what they want for each other?

You can't have 13 teams with 300 people* if it is recognised that cost caps don't stop manufacturers, any team which spends in multiple currencies (which is all of them, due to regulations, the Liberty and FIA having different nationalities and the search for excellence) and anyone in a country that doesn't use the exact same protocols as whichever one gets used as the measuring metric) from overspending on purpose. Or that due to tax laws, it would be up to 2 1/2 years before the discrepancy could be noted, let alone penalised. For a global series (as opposed to one that is basically all in the same nation, or in the USA/Canada shared accountancy agreement area), cost caps are unworkable. If Liberty's plan is based on that concept, it will fail, and savvy potential team owners will know that well enough to stay away.

Any other cost reduction measure will need proof that it works (standardising unseen components has been tried for the past 15 years, with zero detectable success) before anyone signs up. With teams rejecting proposals for 2019, such evidence is unlikely to exist by 2021.

I know Liberty must break some eggs. I just don't think they've considered which eggs they need to break and which they need to keep; they still seem to be like a classic Doctor Who villain and want unlimited rice pudding.

* - Every team, including Sauber is currently above 300, simply to keep up with the necessary performance to be in F1. The second-smallest team by headcount (Force India; Sauber is smaller and Toro Rosso a few people larger) is on 405 staff now, and thinks it is understaffed in comparison to its relatively small budget (believing the magic number for its position to be 450). Williams and Renault are heading for 700 people (the average for a team is probably about 600 people) and Mercedes has nearly 1500 people. Even if all of them were spread between 13 teams, that would still be around 460 people each. So yes, talk of reducing team headcount will involve mass redundances out of the sport, not just swapping between teams.

That is the sort of staffing that makes a difference these days. Then people wonder why Carlin, whose F2 team is about 60 people, laughed when I jokily suggested they join F1 next year so that they could propel Lando Norris to a debut win...
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