Mercedes AMG F1 Team 2012

[Ferraripilot]

AMG has heavily levied their brand on F1. Am I the only one to recognise this? They're not pulling out, but rather I believe they are allowing it to be run exclusively by Brawn with the MB board mostly out of the picture. This is an extremely wise move in getting this off the board's plate. Teams don't need boards and commitees, they need quick decision making and reaction. It will still be the Mercedes F1 team, just called AMG. Who cares what it's called when the money comes from the same place. It sounds like a management shift (to the right place) is just what was needed.



Just like Ferrari is called 'Fiat- Ferrari Marlboro F1' team, Fiat's board does not go mucking about with Ferrari's F1 team. What MB is doing I see as no different. For all we know, Brawn put the Mercedes board right at the corner of Main st and Front st and told them Ferrari does not work this way with a board, never has, never will, I know how to win championships, I've done it before, give me carte blanche and watch me win. Such a move makes perfect sense. MB said fine, since we're not running you any longer we cannot technically call you 'Mercedes', so since you have the reigns, we have to call you AMG.

Not a big deal IMO. Everyone stop with the sky is falling nonsense. Corporations have management and title shifts daily

[aral]

You seem to be ignoring the fact that the SHAREHOLDERS are calling for Merc to pull out of F1. Rebranding to AMG is NOT what the shareholders are calling for.

[Richard]

Just a second, isn't AMG the Merc premium brand? Surely strengthening the AMG link with F1 is a sign that Daimler want stronger motorsport association?

Also, is there an F1 political dosey doe going on here? As I recall, teams cannot simple change name overnight or they have to reapply for their place on the grid, forfeiting prize money and paying a new joining fee. So they have to do a 2 year transition from name A to AB to B.

[bhall]

Unanimous consent from the other teams allows name changes with no penalty.

[...]

Teams don't need boards and commitees, they need quick decision making and reaction.

[...]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Ferraripilot]

You seem to be ignoring the fact that the SHAREHOLDERS are calling for Merc to pull out of F1. Rebranding to AMG is NOT what the shareholders are calling for.

The shareholders have said nothing of the sort to my knowledge, or to anyone's knowledge. This is all conjecture at the moment and only after the board meeting will some, probably minimal information be trickled out.


Richard is correct, the name changing process is not a finger snap occurance. In this case, I believe the team can probably argue to the FIA that they are not changing the team ownership but simply the team's association within the company. It is a different designation if you will in an attempt to further boost the AMG brand. It's the same as Mercedes did last year when they changed their name from just 'Mercedes' to 'Mercedes-AMG' although because 'Mercedes' is no longer in the name there may be some fuss, will they still use the 3 pointed star? I bet yes.

[Ferraripilot]

Call me crazy, but I'm wondering if the new AMG designation means their funding will be based AMG too. Good thing AMGs are pricey and sell like candy if that's the case.

[marcush.]

Relax...anyone who does not realise the house is on fire for some time now is simply dreaming.I just had a look into Autosports end of season 2009 issue just after Mercedes had commited to the deal and yet no sign ofSchumacher joining had appeared..
Back then Zetsche emphasized how important it was to commmit Brawn himself to stay was key to making the deal happen and it is just blatantly clear DAI EXPECTED to be a Worldchampionship contender from the word go.
The involvement of board etc was never planned and would never have happened IF mercedes GP would have been close to what the plan was ...the issue is:they did at no time match what was announced ...inside and outside and needed a lot more money than budgeted..So no wonder this will have to be signed off by the board and no wonder they want to see reports what good came out of the extra spending.
As for now still underachievers..and made up explanations-after hiring three guys who might take home a princely sum each of them ....but it does not look like any superiority in aero technology ,tyre understanding ,organaisation or what have you.
Even the Mercedes Board can count or stack up this sort of numbers and will cry ROI ...
And maybe Brawn can hhise behind his non understanding of german language ..Norby can´t ...and I can imagine pretty well how he desperately is nestling for his heart pills before reporting to the board Tuesday morning ...(or whenever he has to turn up and tell the truth-laying up the powerpointpresentations and explaining what the reasons were for again not delivering what was a presented as fact-MasterPlan just a week before ,,,

[gato azul]

Call me crazy, but I'm wondering if the new AMG designation means their funding will be based AMG too. Good thing AMGs are pricey and sell like candy if that's the case.

AMG is a 100% Daimler-Benz AG owned brand (since 2005), just like Mercedes-Benz cars is a 100% Daimler-Benz AG brand.
At the end of the day the money comes out of the same pot a.k.a. Daimler-Benz AG, that is the company where you can buy shares of, and which "the shareholders" hold, and have a say about.

Now they may want to reposition their brand exposure from Mercedes-Benz towards AMG, if they feel that this would be beneficial, but that has nothing to do with where the money is coming from.
They could call the thing SMART F1 or Maybach F1 as well, if they would like - just two other brands under the Daimler-Benz AG umbrella.
If the shareholders or the board things, that the money is not well spend in F1, then it will matter little what the team is called, as long as Daimler-Benz AG is footing the bill for it.

[xpensive]

The age of corporate involvement in F1 came and went, didn't pay-off for anyone, MGP is an anachronism in that respect. Perhaps DrZ didn't look at the grid and thought they would beat BMWs and Toyotas, not fighting Saubers and Williamses?

I would xpect them to pull out as a team after this season and re-badge the engines AMG instead, that would perhaps make a little more marketing sense, if a McLaren-AMG can beat a Ferrari or a Red Bull-Renault?

[aral]

You seem to be ignoring the fact that the SHAREHOLDERS are calling for Merc to pull out of F1. Rebranding to AMG is NOT what the shareholders are calling for.

The shareholders have said nothing of the sort to my knowledge, or to anyone's knowledge. This is all conjecture at the moment and only after the board meeting will some, probably minimal information be trickled out.

I suggest that you refer to last years AGM, when there was a heated debate about Merc involvement in F1. It was put to the meeting, and the status quo remained. Since then, there have been rumblings from financial investors etc, about the issue. It is not "all conjecture". You may not like it, but it is proven fact.

[marcush.]

I wonder if there really was a debate in the shareholders meeting .Formula 1 and Mercedes Grand Prix is not even mentioned in the official shareholders meeting summary or in any presentation if I´m not mistaken .The next main shareholder meeting is only in april 2013 ,so if Daimler is planning to bow out it is something thatis strategically planned to achieve ´something or the other way round shareholders would drag a decision point on the agenda ..but that would effectively only allow to finish DAI involvement at the end of 2013,methinks... but then what about concorde ?
The DAI board has a Female member -especially to look for compliance matters - I think this will be a huge stumbling stone for anything to be signed -affecting the supply of engines /powertrains as well of course...there is no way to differentiate this.
On top of this :Renault/Nissan/Infinity and DAI have embarked into a big Partnership to concentrate effort and create synergies...that´s not in line with competing on the track doing completely separate development for the same objective -creating a f1 powertrain-is there the danger of losing a second of only three powertrain supplies? Or having rebadged renault and AMG kers? I would not be surprised.

[xpensive]

Perhaps yet another reason to suspect that the V8s will stay beyond 2013 marcush?

[marcush.]

also a point worth considering....it may again culminate into something we had not long ago with radical slashing of budgets
etc to save the show.?
I more and more get the impression the whole thing just has too many basic errors and only Mr.E. has the power to keep it all alive somehow-obviously as a means of making him even more rich than he already is ,but then why not?
But back to the team and its short term prospects.
Is there any hint they have realised and acknowledged to commiting to a upgrade that may arrive in time to be raced 2012 or are they still committed to the original plan to Understand the tyres and that´s enough to win ?

[ArchAngel]

...Is there any hint they have realised and acknowledged to commiting to a upgrade that may arrive in time to be raced 2012 or are they still committed to the original plan to Understand the tyres and that´s enough to win ?

The lack of activity in the car thread, with not even wild speculations or wishlists of updates, seem to ominously foretell the latter. Still, I'm hoping against hope that there will be a few substantial performance-enhancing updates, and not just an updated tyre warmer, pit crew uniforms, and driver drinks bottle. [-o<

[Ferraripilot]

Relax...anyone who does not realise the house is on fire for some time now is simply dreaming.I just had a look into Autosports end of season 2009 issue just after Mercedes had commited to the deal and yet no sign ofSchumacher joining had appeared..
Back then Zetsche emphasized how important it was to commmit Brawn himself to stay was key to making the deal happen and it is just blatantly clear DAI EXPECTED to be a Worldchampionship contender from the word go.
The involvement of board etc was never planned and would never have happened IF mercedes GP would have been close to what the plan was ...the issue is:they did at no time match what was announced ...inside and outside and needed a lot more money than budgeted..So no wonder this will have to be signed off by the board and no wonder they want to see reports what good came out of the extra spending.
As for now still underachievers..and made up explanations-after hiring three guys who might take home a princely sum each of them ....but it does not look like any superiority in aero technology ,tyre understanding ,organaisation or what have you.
Even the Mercedes Board can count or stack up this sort of numbers and will cry ROI ...
And maybe Brawn can hhise behind his non understanding of german language ..Norby can´t ...and I can imagine pretty well how he desperately is nestling for his heart pills before reporting to the board Tuesday morning ...(or whenever he has to turn up and tell the truth-laying up the powerpointpresentations and explaining what the reasons were for again not delivering what was a presented as fact-MasterPlan just a week before ,,,

I have to disagree, I just don't see it as being all that bad. Corporate restructures are a daily occurrence and that's more what I see this as. Sure Daimler expected world championship status, but Brawn and Norb are not collectively foolish enough to guarantee anything such as that in a short time frame. Adrian Newey took 5 seasons to do something with Red Bull, and they had all kinds of staff changes as well. As far as I'm concerned, this is just another corporate happening over at Daimler in their attempt to reach their goal which is of course WCC status contention.

Regarding W03, I cannot see the team writing off W03 as a whole. It's a wonderfully better machine than W02, just very fickle with tires. It's won a race, been fastest at Monaco, and in general been a good step. With the tires being what they are this year I am hesitant to say anyone's points status position truly represents their car's worth as every weekend seems to be a bit of a gamble. For instance, the Mclaren and Lotus IMO are the finest cars out there yet the RB has maintained remarkable consistency and Ferrari have been extremely fortunate with weather for their results yet only recently have they a semi-decent car. W03 seems to operate in a very wide window of operation with tires when it's running its proper downforce arrangement, thus it's killing these very fickle tires. The point is that I'm sure no one saw this coming when W03 was being developed but that doesn't mean it was a badly developed car.

I'm hoping Daimler sees beyond the results and continues properly with W04. And since these shifting changes being mentioned are not taking place until 2014, I'm sure their 2013 results will heavily weigh on whether or not such changes will take place at all. Who knows, maybe they'll have it just right next year and rubbish any previous talks. We know too little and can only conjecture from a business point of view what might be best.