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F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: Calman on April 18, 2019, 12:30:50 AM

Title: So, Luke!! ... What have you heard???
Post by: Calman on April 18, 2019, 12:30:50 AM
Billionaire Mazepin in talks with Williams about an acquisition ...

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/35202/rumour-billionaire-mazepin-in-talks-with-williams-about-an-acquisition-.html

This could be the icing on the ..... hang on, I thought Mazepin was only involved in the top of a wedding cake?  :DD

Best Regards,
Cal :)
Title: Re: So, Luke!! ... What have you heard???
Post by: guest3164 on April 18, 2019, 06:12:22 PM
The Mazepin is beneath the icing if I am being pedantic  :tease:

To be honest, I think if it happens the team is no longer Williams and I move on to follow another team, perhaps Renault or McLaren (ie, another team with no hope of winning  >:D ).  I have no interest in seeing Williams become some Russian billionaire's play thing
Title: Re: So, Luke!! ... What have you heard???
Post by: John S on April 18, 2019, 06:36:41 PM
Don't worry Luke there's a history of selling out the under performing team to someone with deep pockets, and Frank brings a new version onto the grid the following year.  ;)

Remember Canadian Oil magnate Walter Wolf took control of 'Frank Williams Racing Cars' for 1976 season and raced as Wolf-Williams Racing', next year when the team was rebranded as 'Walter Wolf Racing' Frank's new outfit 'Williams Grand Prix Engineering' appeared on the scene.

Once present Williams team gets rebranded as 'Dynamo Uralchem Racing' next year there's room for a new entrant 'Williams Unicorn GP'.  :-*

 
Title: Re: So, Luke!! ... What have you heard???
Post by: Calman on April 18, 2019, 06:52:37 PM
The Mazepin is beneath the icing if I am being pedantic  :tease:

To be honest, I think if it happens the team is no longer Williams and I move on to follow another team, perhaps Renault or McLaren (ie, another team with no hope of winning  >:D ).  I have no interest in seeing Williams become some Russian billionaire's play thing
I feel you sugar coated your response a little there Luke!

If Mazepin is at the heart of the future plans, I think there will be a lot of tiers!!! ... no wedding, just one big funeral  :D

Best Regards,
Cal :)
Title: Re: So, Luke!! ... What have you heard???
Post by: guest3164 on April 18, 2019, 08:07:19 PM
I love Marzipan but I get the feeling I will dislike Mazepin! 

I know at some point, Sir Frank will cease to be involved with Williams, but I just hope it is not this way, with the father of some driver buying the team to give his son a seat (I feel mixed emotions about Strollin' Rollin').  As someone who has spent years studying and being involved in history, it is as much Williams' past as their future that interests me and the link is the Williams family. 

However, Williams Unicorn Racing does have a nice ring to it, and Williams have a history with animals.  After all, they did try out the Walrus Tusk front nose! 
Title: Re: So, Luke!! ... What have you heard???
Post by: Calman on April 18, 2019, 08:18:51 PM
It will be a sad day when Sir Frank steps down, a far as any team involvement, as some still question how Claire has handled things in the last few years.

This is the last article I read on this whole Mazepin speculation ...
https://f1i.com/news/337613-is-billionaire-dmitry-mazepin-in-talks-to-take-over-williams.html

I've seen her on the grid several times in the past, right??

Best Regards,
Cal :)
Title: Re: So, Luke!! ... What have you heard???
Post by: Alianora La Canta on April 21, 2019, 02:43:16 AM
This makes me feel better about Williams' long-term chances.

The Mazepins are to the Strolls what Johnny English is to James Bond. Say what you like about Lawrence and Lance, they have successfully got an actual team into their possession and an actual seat for "the chosen one" to drive that didn't result in the powers-that-be laughing in their faces. In comparison, please let me tell you about the Mazepins:

Now, Nikita Mazepin has been hovering around the international junior series for the past three-and-a-bit years. So far, his biggest feat has been second in last year's GP3 series. The second most notable thing he's managed to do is punch Callum Ilott on the nose and get himself banned from the paddock for a day as a result (lest anyone think this was a minor remedy, there was a F3 race during that day that Nikita should have been in...) 

He's not scored a point in F2 yet this season and not likely to get the top-10 position needed to get anything towards his Superlicence petition, let alone the top-5 he needs to get enough points to make it to F1 in 2020 (Nikita is 20 short of the 40 required).

Now, part of the plan for Nikita to learn how to be speedier was to work with a team. That had been Force India. As you doubtless remember, last August, the perfect opportunity was presented for the Mazepins to purchase Force India. However they managed to present a lesser offer than the Strolls (in terms of long-term future, if not necessarily in terms of pure bid price), so lost the seat for Nikita. Strollin' Rollin' does not appear to have missed them. The Mazepins are still bitter about it.

So, when Williams declared the rumours of the Mazepin talks were false (https://www.racefans.net/2019/04/18/mazepin-not-in-talks-to-buy-williams-says-company/), I wasn't surprised. More likely, the negotiation was for some method of getting Nikita into a Williams for some upcoming test days, and how much that's going to cost Dmitry. As the team needs skilled development rather more than it needs funds, I suspect the price will be rather high.

Even if the Mazepins had been trying to buy the team (which I would suggest will only happen if Nikita's driving improves), they would be bound to mess it up anyway, with the team either not being sold or ending up in other hands. This is good because I prefer F1 teams to be run by people who know what they are doing, and the Mazepins don't give me that vibe. Hence, they're more Johnny English than James Bond. Though... ...I have seen at least one comment suggesting that Dmitry Mazepan resembles a Bond villain.
Title: Re: So, Luke!! ... What have you heard???
Post by: guest3164 on April 21, 2019, 07:49:55 AM
"So Mr Mazepin, do you expect me to talk?"

"No Mr Williams, I expect you to sell, muahahaha"

That was a good post though Ali, sums up the perils of selling out to rich daddies.  Stroll senior has done it the right way, although I do resent the fact that Lance is on the grid indefinitely due to his dad owning the team, it cannot be easy for the team working on his car etc unless there is genuine equality between both cars.  Still, I would rather have the team on the grid than not, and definitely in Stroll's hands than Mazepin's.  Williams is financially okay, it just needs to be smarter in how it operates.  Far smarter.
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