Formula 1's Latest Rumours and Talk: Lotus' Finances, Williams' Strategy, More
Mercedes and Ferrari have presented a united front against FIA plans to cap the cost of Formula One engine supplies.
Reports suggest FIA President Jean Todt wants a limit of around £8 million, a significant reduction from the current levels. But the two manufacturers, who between them supply seven of the 10 teams currently on the grid, say their own outlay and business model has to be respected.
Away from the race track, Lotus have until July 20 to come to an agreement with creditors if they want to avoid a winding-up petition.
While their survival isn't realistically in any doubt—their owners won't put the team's future at risk—it's yet another reminder of the financial challenges faced by the small and medium-sized teams.
Elsewhere, Valtteri Bottas hopes Williams will learn from the team orders incident at Silverstone, GP2 superstar Stoffel Vandoorne accepts he is not guaranteed a promotion to F1 and the FIA is set to warn teams about "fake" pitstops after Mercedes tried to fool Williams at the British Grand Prix.
Read on for a full roundup of the top stories from the last few days.
Valtteri Bottas Hopes Williams Will Learn from Silverstone
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Valtteri Bottas hopes Williams will have learned lessons after the team-orders controversy at the British Grand Prix.
Felipe Massa led the Finn in a Williams one-two in the early stages, closely followed by the two Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Though Bottas was clearly quicker at that stage of the race, Williams first told their drivers to not fight each other; by the time they told Bottas he could attack his team-mate, Massa was settled and no further opportunities arose.
Hamilton undercut both at the first round of stops, before rainfall late in the race saw the two FW37s finish fourth and fifth. But Bottas feels things may have been different had he been allowed to attack from the off.
He is quoted by Autosport, saying:
"We need to have a better look at how we could have got the best outcome.
I won't say any more, but possibly there could have been something we could have done better.
I just hate thinking 'if'. This was the outcome.
Of course we need to analyse if something could have been better and possibly there were things.
I don't want to say too much. It was quite clear I had a bit more pace at that point, but this is racing.
"
At Massa's pace, Williams were never going to achieve the goal revealed by the team radio message aired on the live TV broadcast—to pull away from the two Mercedes. The only way even one of the FW37s could have done that is if the other held up Hamilton and Rosberg.
Given that Bottas was quicker, the ideal scenario for Williams—with the benefit of hindsight—would have been for the Finn to get ahead and streak clear. Massa, slower at that stage, would have been the "cork in the bottle."
While risky—there are no guarantees Massa on his own could have held off the W06s—that tactic would have presented Williams with their best chance of a race win had it remained dry.
But then, there's also a strong argument in favour of just letting them race from the first lap to the last...
FIA Set to Clamp Down on 'Fake' Pit Stops
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The Formula One teams will be reminded that "dummy" pit stops are not tolerated after Mercedes tried the trick on Williams during the British Grand Prix.
Once common, the now-illegal tactic involves sending the mechanics out into the pit box in order to make a rival team think you're going to do a stop. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff appeared to have forgotten it wasn't allowed, later admitting this was what his team had been trying to do.
But an FIA spokesman told Motorsport.com:
"At the time, what Mercedes did was okay as no one knew that they were not actually going to stop. In fact we still don't really know.
However, in view of the fact that they were alleged to have said that it was a "dummy" stop, they may have put their foot in it rather.
Going into the pit lane like this, for no valid reason, is not allowed but the difficulty would be proving it was a clear breach.
We have no intention of giving them a few chances and will be speaking to all the teams in Hungary about this and warning them that we will want to see (and hear) evidence that they were actually intending to stop.
"
While the offence (or rather, the more broad rule that mechanics should not be in the pit lane unless a stop is taking place) is covered in the F1 Sporting Regulations, no specific punishment for guilty teams is listed.
But interestingly, Mercedes might have punished themselves had their trick worked out. Williams would surely have brought in Felipe Massa, meaning Lewis Hamilton would have been unable to use the undercut to get by.
Excessive tyre wear late in the race from the earlier stop would not have been an issue because it rained and everyone switched to intermediates. The eventual outcome could well have been the same—but maybe not.
Either way, while it's not the worst example of poor sportsmanship, it's good to see the FIA clamping down on such tricks.
Manufacturers Give Cool Reception to Power Unit Cost Plans
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Mercedes and Ferrari have given a lukewarm reception to FIA plans to dramatically reduce power unit costs in the future.
FIA President Jean Todt told the press in June that he hoped to push through some level of cost reduction. F1i states he has a figure of around £8 million in mind—a significant drop from the current level of £12 to £15 million.
However, Mercedes and Ferrari, who between them supply seven of the 10 teams on the grid, aren't so keen. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told Auto Motor und Sport (h/t Phillip van Osten of F1i):
"We take the FIA's request seriously. But the current price is calculated according to our original business model. We acknowledge it's an important bit, so we are sharpening our pencils and looking at the situation and we promise to come back with an answer as to whether it is feasible or not.
"
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene was similarly cautious, quoted by Van Osten as saying: "Let me know another product somewhere in the world where you have to sell something at a set cost. We are negotiating to make sure we will offer the engine at the best possible price, but we can't give a present to anyone. We cannot ask for less than what it costs."
Engine costs take away a substantial part of all customer teams' budgets; per BBC Sport's Andrew Benson, an average midfield outfit spends £100 million per year—£12 million to £15 million is a substantial chunk of that, and for a smaller team it's an even bigger percentage.
The individual cost of each power unit is not especially high (in F1 terms). The cost to the manufacturer is not so much in the raw materials and manufacture, but in the research and development of the product, plus all the upgrades and improvements.
Much of this was carried out before 2014, and customer contracts were set at a price to allow them to claw some of it back. As much as it would be nice for the smaller teams, Mercedes and Ferrari answer to their parent companies—expecting them to simply write off a chunk of this outlay isn't realistic.
But then, reducing engine costs would be no more than slapping a new coat of paint over a wall of shattered bricks.
The root cause of the smaller teams' financial difficulties is the current revenue distribution model in which larger teams receive far more than their fair share and the smaller teams survive on far less. Autosport recently published a breakdown of who received what in 2014, and it doesn't make pleasant reading.
Ferrari, fourth in the championship, received $164 million (£106.47 million). Tenth-placed Sauber received just $44 million (£28.57 million).
Were this absurd gulf closed up, the cost of the engines wouldn't even be an issue.
Maybe the next time Todt finds the time to think about F1, he could turn the few guns the FIA has left in that direction.
Stoffel Vandoorne Not Guaranteed Formula 1 Progression
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Stoffel Vandoorne has revealed he isn't guaranteed to progress to a Formula One race seat even if he wins the GP2 title in 2015.
The Belgian has won four of the five feature races in the category so far this year, scored four additional podiums, qualified on pole three times and has a commanding 65-point lead over his nearest challenger.
But speaking to press midweek, he revealed his future is not secure. He is quoted by ESPN, saying:
"It's always been a very competitive sport, everybody knows that. There have always been drivers that have done well and haven't got to Formula One. We know it's still similar at the moment, and even if I win the championship there is no guarantee that I will be in Formula One next year. I'm certainly trying my best and pushing really hard for it and really hope to be there next year.
I do have regular talks with Ron [Dennis] and Eric [Boullier] and they made it clear to me that winning GP2 is my main focus this season, I'm really aware of that. Of course I want to be in Formula One next year, it's what I've been working for since I was a kid, but GP2 is the main focus at the moment. I have a contract with McLaren and I'm fully focused on doing the job and what I'm asked to do.
"
Vandoorne joined the McLaren Young Driver Programme in 2013 and has a fearsome record in the lower formulae. He was ready for F1 at the end of last season and possibly at the end of the season before that.
Indeed, GP Update reports Vandoorne told Belgium's Le Soir newspaper that he turned down the Toro Rosso seat eventually given to Daniil Kvyat, feeling McLaren offered more long-term opportunities.
F1 is where he belongs in 2016, but there are a number of hurdles standing in his way. McLaren have three candidates for one seat alongside Fernando Alonso—Jenson Button, Kevin Magnussen and Vandoorne. As good as Vandoorne is—and he's very good—winning that battle may prove tough.
His immediate future could rely on McLaren and Honda forging close links with a midfield team. This would allow him to learn the ropes in a relatively low-pressure environment before stepping up to the big time when the moment is right.
Lotus Play Down Winding-Up Petition
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Lotus deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi has played down the significance of the team's recent legal drama.
Per crash.net, Lotus faced a winding-up petition at the Companies Court on Monday July 6. The hearing was postponed until July 20, reportedly to allow the team and its creditors to reach an agreement.
But speaking at an FIA event in Mexico, Gastaldi indicated everything was under control. He told Motorsport.com's Luis Ramirez:
"We have a couple of suppliers and we are negotiating with them. We have everything under control, but these things should not happen. It is unfair to families who work in the factory know that we have these problems.
But we are in an unexpected situation in terms of paying our bills.
"
He went on to lay the blame for Lotus' current difficulties at the door of F1's overall financial model, adding:
"The problem is that the teams are not all in the same boat or have the same agenda.
These famous Strategy Group meetings have repeated the same agenda 15 times, and have not advanced a single centimetre because there is no agreement. It is a problem of structure.
Ultimately, if the big teams want to only see Mercedes and Ferrari on the track then everyone else will have to go.
"
Under UK law, a winding-up petition is a very serious thing to face. It can be served by a creditor against a company that owes them money; if successful, the UK Government website states the company will be forced into liquidation.
This would see the company's assets "liquidated"—sold in order to pay off the debts. If this happens, the Lotus F1 team would cease to exist.
A slightly less catastrophic option for the money-owing company would be to enter administration, but this too would threaten the team's future and would not be a guarantee against future liquidation.
The good news is that Lotus are unlikely to end up down either of those routes. Paying off the debt or reaching an agreement with the creditor/s in question would solve the problem, and the owners of Lotus—Genii Capital—could easily afford to do that in an emergency.
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