richard_leeds wrote:Surely it should be ...
Fiat - Lancia or Alfa Romeo - Ferrari
Smart - Merc C AMG edition - AMG (ie SLS)
Looks like a pretty similar strategy to me. One could say Merc are stronger in the middle section, whereas as Ferrari only have Fiat/Lancia/Alfa
The move to rebrand F1 as AMG could work with Merc evolving an AMG range like VW have Porchse. That's a good analogy, let explore that. If there was an Audi F1 team that was re badged to Porshce F1 or Bugatti F1, we would not be saying that was a sign of bowing out would we? We'd be getting excited about it.
As it happens none of us can figure it out. The performance of the team and the precedent of of previous manufactures would indicate Merc would be thinking of bowing out soon. This re-branding to strengthen ties to their newly launched high performance brand confuse the picture. It could be a double bluff, or an attempt to establish high octane branding for AMG roadcars. Both are plausible IMHO
Frankly, I have no idea what you're talking about here. Volkswagen and Porsche do not have the relationship you imply. Porsche actually controls Volkswagen AG. But, aside from an being extremely convoluted situation because of the way Porsche and Volkswagen have sniped at each other for years, it's completely immaterial to the discussion. So, let's just them alone, shall we?
First off, I think we need to dispense with the idea that Fiat's relationship with Ferrari, and therefore with F1, is in any way analogous to Daimler AG's relationship with Mercedes and/or F1. Ferrari is not Fiat's chosen banner under which it competes in F1. Ferrari competed in F1 before it was acquired by Fiat and would very likely continue to do so if it was acquired by any other conglomerate. Moreover, it competes in F1 with zero funding/input from Fiat.
I think Fiat's relationship with Ferrari is best summed up like this: "Hey, look at this diamond in our portfolio," and that's as far as it goes.
I don't know how/why Ferrari was introduced into this discussion. It's comparing throats to lozenges.
Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, is a
division of Daimler AG. It has zero autonomy. What Daimler AG says Mercedes-Benz does, because they are one and the same. This is the sole reason why we're even talking about how they choose to compete in F1.
Daimler AG got into F1 under the Mercedes-Benz banner in a partnership with Ilmor to be an engine supplier. Eventually, they came to own Ilmor outright. Daimler never gave any indications whatsoever that it had higher F1 aspirations until McLaren decided it wanted to build its very own road cars, which threw a wrench into Daimler's plans for obvious reasons.
In order to remain in F1 and not effectively compete against itself commercially, it acquired Brawn GP, which it thought was a turnkey F1 World Championship operation. The reasons why this hasn't exactly been the case have been well documented in this thread.
Now it seems Daimler is looking for a way out, but not completely. Ideally, I'm sure they'd want Ron Dennis to scale back McLaren's road car aspirations so they could re-enter into what was a pretty fruitful partnership, but that ain't happening. The next best solution then is to try to spin off the Brackley-based F1 team while continuing to supply it with engines, but that ain't happening quickly. The next, next best solution then is to re-brand the Brackley-based F1 team.
Maybach F1 doesn't make sense, even if Daimler wasn't planning on killing the marque next year. Freightliner F1 is equally nonsensical. Smart F1 actually does make some sense, but I can understand a reluctance to go that route. That leaves only AMG.
If I was Dr. Z, first, I'd shave. Then I'd sell the Brackley-based F1 team back to Ross Brawn for one euro. Given the team's results, that price might be subject to negotiation, but it is what it is. Daimler simply must get this embarrassment off its books.
