Silly Season 2020/2021 (starting with silliness in 2019)

[gshevlin]

The engagement of F1 with the USA has been a catalog of ineptitude, bad events and general neglect. AFter the abandonment of Watkins Glen, supposedly due to poor local amenities such as roads and hotels, and the loss of Long Beach, which became a CART race, we had the 1980 and 1990s races held on temporary circuits all over the place (Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Detroit), then the coalescence around the Indianapolis road course, which was marked by the 2005 race debacle where 6 cars lined up. That event was horrible for the perception of F1 in the USA, it looked like arrogant Europeans flipping off the marketplace.
COTA is an excellent circuit, but the long-term viability of the race is still in question because of funding issues. Canada is a keeper, Mexico is still in question in the medium-term.
The US team (Haas) has no profile in the USA to speak of, and the situation will not change until an American driver gets a ride in a competitive car. With the current 3 team hegemony in F1, Alexander Rossi would be foolish to step back into F1, since there is nowhere he can win, whereas he has a chance to win most Indycar race weekends.
F1 has to work a lot harder to truly establish itself in the USA, and the two-tier nature of the sport has to be fixed, or Haas will not be there after 2020 either (see this week's Autosport for more hints from Gene Haas that he is running out of patience).

[Manoah2u]

The focus should be on both really, the US is a huge market and F1 has a very thin slice of it. Having America become a big market for F1 would be good for the sport. More viewers = more money = more draw for constructors and drivers.

We keep being told this, but..Pop of United States 329,093,110

China 1,420,062,022
India 1,368,737,513

( Brazil 212,392,717 Russia 143,895,551 Mexico 132,328,03 where we already have GP's and there seems no panic to keep them )

What they mean by "big" is percentage of the population that can afford what F1 is selling.

this.

the majority of those people in china & india aren't even able to afford a television, as such know what F1 is, even less be able to buy a car, or hell, even buy some of the things sponsored on F1 cars.

[sriraj1031]

We keep being told this, but..Pop of United States 329,093,110

China 1,420,062,022
India 1,368,737,513

( Brazil 212,392,717 Russia 143,895,551 Mexico 132,328,03 where we already have GP's and there seems no panic to keep them )

What they mean by "big" is percentage of the population that can afford what F1 is selling.

this.

the majority of those people in china & india aren't even able to afford a television, as such know what F1 is, even less be able to buy a car, or hell, even buy some of the things sponsored on F1 cars.

Stop talking nonsense if you do not know what countries like India china and Brazil are .. what they can or cannot afford. It is merely based on interest nothing to do with economics

[Manoah2u]

What they mean by "big" is percentage of the population that can afford what F1 is selling.

this.

the majority of those people in china & india aren't even able to afford a television, as such know what F1 is, even less be able to buy a car, or hell, even buy some of the things sponsored on F1 cars.

Stop talking nonsense if you do not know what countries like India china and Brazil are .. what they can or cannot afford. It is merely based on interest nothing to do with economics

where did i say brazil?
i know very well about those countries, been there, done that.
also, contrary to your ideas it seems, gigantic amounts of people there live in poverty,
which is exactly why F1 had no future there. the relative 'small' amount of interested people,
does not weigh up to what revenue those countries can bring in to keep F1 interested there.
China has enough wealth to maintain interest and attract but India, right now, does not.

That same goes for a lot of African countries, which is why F1 is not there.
Not because people don't like motorsports. Not because people live like neanderthals,
but because in the end, they can't afford it.

[Phil]

I think RedBull have done something brilliant by demoting Gasly and putting Albon into the Redbull. This move is not to evaluate Albon primarily, but more so to evaluate Gasly against Kvyat. If it’s a toss up, they both might get to keep their seat in a RedBull team. If one fails towards the other, they’ll make way for perhaps another young prospect.

Albon of course will also be evaluated, but i think he is less under the spotlight, despite holding the RedBull chair.

Meanwhile, if Bottas is to leave, i think he might find it difficult to find a team willing to pay him his worth.

Hulkenberg might be facing the same dilemma, but i honestly think Renault would be daft to let him go, for that price. And i doubt Hulkenberg could be paid more elsewhere.

[Capharol]

According to Autobild Motorsport, Ocon seems to sign a 2 years contract with Renault, replacing Hulkenberg, whom could be replacing Grosjean at Haas

https://www.autobild.de/artikel/formel- ... 74089.html

Wie AUTO BILD MOTORSPORT erfuhr, soll die Verpflichtung von Esteban Ocon bei Renault näher rücken. Der Franzose soll demnach zwei Jahre beim Werksteam seines Heimatlandes andocken und das Cockpit neben Daniel Ricciardo bekommen. Das würde auch bedeuten: Mercedes lässt seinen Junior Ocon ziehen. Das dürfte Teamchef Toto Wolff nur dann tun, wenn er sich selbst für eine Vertragsverlängerung mit Valtteri Bottas entschieden hat. ABMS hatte über beide Personalien bereits am Rande des GP Ungarn berichtet.

Translated.....

As AUTO BILD MOTORSPORT was told to move closer to the commitment of Esteban Ocon at Renault . The Frenchman should therefore dock for two years with the factory team of his home country and get the cockpit next to Daniel Ricciardo . That would also mean: Mercedes has his Junior Ocon pull. Team boss Toto Wolff will only do that if he has decided to extend his contract with Valtteri Bottas himself. ABMS had already reported on both personalities on the sidelines of the Hungarian GP.

[FrukostScones]

Merc: VES/RUS
Ferrari: HAM/LEC
RB: VET/ALB
McLaren: NOR/SAI
Renault: RIC/OCO
Sauber: RAI/WEH
HAAS: MAG/HUL
ToroRosso: KYV/GAS
Racing. STR/PER
Williams: BOT/LAT

Merc: HAM/RUS
Ferrari: VES/LEC
RB: VET/RIC
McLaren: NOR/SAI
Renault: OCO/PER
Sauber: RAI/WEH
HAAS: MAG/HUL
ToroRosso: KYV/GAS
Racing. STR/GRO
Williams: BOT/LAT

[Big Tea]

I think RedBull have done something brilliant by demoting Gasly and putting Albon into the Redbull. This move is not to evaluate Albon primarily, but more so to evaluate Gasly against Kvyat. If it’s a toss up, they both might get to keep their seat in a RedBull team. If one fails towards the other, they’ll make way for perhaps another young prospect.

Albon of course will also be evaluated, but i think he is less under the spotlight, despite holding the RedBull chair.

Meanwhile, if Bottas is to leave, i think he might find it difficult to find a team willing to pay him his worth.

Hulkenberg might be facing the same dilemma, but i honestly think Renault would be daft to let him go, for that price. And i doubt Hulkenberg could be paid more elsewhere.

They have made it clear they are evaluating all drivers, and the best option gets the seat next year.
If its Albon, they should increase the budget of STR and make them a full mid field team.

[selvam_e2002]

my feeling is,

Gasly will be out for 2020. Vettel to RB then Albon back to sister team.

[Phil]

If they did indeed sign Bottas for next year, expect Mercedes to make a big push for Verstappen for 2021. The good thing about Bottas is that there is no pressure to sign him for more than a yearly renewal.

[GPR-A]

We keep being told this, but..Pop of United States 329,093,110

China 1,420,062,022
India 1,368,737,513

( Brazil 212,392,717 Russia 143,895,551 Mexico 132,328,03 where we already have GP's and there seems no panic to keep them )

What they mean by "big" is percentage of the population that can afford what F1 is selling.

this.

the majority of those people in china & india aren't even able to afford a television, as such know what F1 is, even less be able to buy a car, or hell, even buy some of the things sponsored on F1 cars.

Check facts before claiming anything.

Ferrari Records Over 10 Per Cent Sales Growth In 2018

Sales in the European region grew 13.1 per cent while sales in America increased by 6.7 per cent. China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were up 12.6 per cent and other sales in other Asian countries increased by 7.8 per cent.

Ferrari aims for a steady presence in India

With an annual sale of 20-25 units, India holds an extremely low portion of company's global sales. Unruffled by this fact, Knechtel believes that strengthening brand value is more important, which is a steady process but will ultimately pave the way for growth.

He added that although the sales figures in India are not very impressive, the company is getting good response for the premium models like the 488 Pista and the 812 Superfast.

Highlighting more on buying trends in India, he said Indian customers are more interested in buying top of the Ferrari line-up – models such as the 488 as compared to entry-level cars like the California. Because of the sportscar-minded market of the Indian buyers, the demand of premium Ferrari range is the highest among the overall sales of the country.The additional value and versatility of higher range is attracting more customers here, he pointed out.

Sales figures from 2016 to 2017. While the sales figures are higher in EMEA and Americas, the buying trend is stagnant, but the asian markets is where the trend is rising. As a business house, it is natural that they would focus on capturing the new and upcoming markets.

Ferrari Corporate Report - 2017 is another record year


Luxury Vehicles Market 2019 Share, Size, Business Growth, Opportunities, Worldwide Trends, Regional Demand, Vehicle Type, Services and Industry Overview, Statistics 2024

In the United States luxury car market, over the past few years, it is the crossovers and SUVs, which have been experiencing growth in sales. In 2016, the two leading players in the market, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus did not see any of its non-SUV models experience growth in sales. Demand for luxury cars in Europe had been at a low for nearly two decades and started recovering gradually from 2014. Even though challenging economic conditions still prevail in many European markets, players such as BMW have been able to maintain volumes of their higher end models. In 2017, the luxury car segment in China is seeing strong growth. The millionaires in China increased by 10% in 2016 year-on-year. Despite the government’s austerity drive, sales of super-luxury and supercar sales have not slowed down in China.

[zeph]

the majority of those people in china & india aren't even able to afford a television, as such know what F1 is, even less be able to buy a car, or hell, even buy some of the things sponsored on F1 cars.

Ignorant much?

[Zarathustra]

How about:

Ocon to Renault
Hulkenberg back to ‘Stroll racing’
Perez to Haas

?

[DChemTech]

How about:

Ocon to Renault
Hulkenberg back to ‘Stroll racing’
Perez to Haas

?

Perez is already close to extending with the Strollators, right? I expect him to stay where he is. He knows the people well, and the team won't hold him back. Even if Sir Lancealot is first driver on paper, as long as Perez typically outperforms him, it should not lead to conflict - issues may occur if Lance gets closer though.

[Big Tea]

This may surprise some - most millionaires

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millionaire