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

[izzy]

The US is not interested in F1 as it has a huge home-grown motorsport tradition based on ovals and drag strips.

The rest of the world is more interested in F1, so the focus should be the rest of the world.

everyone at Liberty would sell their mothers for a winning American F1 driver, that'd fix it instantly

[SiLo]

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.

[gibells]

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.

I agree. I'm also interested in McLaren's willingness to take up Indycar. If McLaren were still works, wouldn't that be a big threat to the F1 establishment and the closest and most real threat by one of the big teams to (stop talking about it and) actually run in a rival series.

I mean, imagine if Ferrari were to enter Indy

[SiLo]

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.

I agree. I'm also interested in McLaren's willingness to take up Indycar. If McLaren were still works, wouldn't that be a big threat to the F1 establishment and the closest and most real threat by one of the big teams to (stop talking about it and) actually run in a rival series.

I mean, imagine if Ferrari were to enter Indy

A very interesting point! I can't see McLaren picking IndyCar over F1, it's likely a strategy for more US sales. It could show how teams may branch out though which could be used as a bargaining tool for "leaving".

[Jolle]

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.

I agree. I'm also interested in McLaren's willingness to take up Indycar. If McLaren were still works, wouldn't that be a big threat to the F1 establishment and the closest and most real threat by one of the big teams to (stop talking about it and) actually run in a rival series.

I mean, imagine if Ferrari were to enter Indy

McLaren isn’t running a Indycar team, they sponsor a team. As for a brand like Ferrari, I don’t see them in a spec series.

[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.

I agree. I'm also interested in McLaren's willingness to take up Indycar. If McLaren were still works, wouldn't that be a big threat to the F1 establishment and the closest and most real threat by one of the big teams to (stop talking about it and) actually run in a rival series.

I mean, imagine if Ferrari were to enter Indy

McLaren isn’t running a Indycar team, they sponsor a team. As for a brand like Ferrari, I don’t see them in a spec series.

Yet, they made the 2nd gen A1GP cars. But okay, they essentially were just tech and not an outfit.

I agree though that Ferrari would have little interest in standardized stuff.
There's an interesting piece of history where Ferrari almost went to indy decades ago and leave F1.
If i'm not mistaken it was still under Balestre's FIA reign. Had to do with engine permissions iirc,
they had a fully functional indycar competitor. It just shows Ferrari does dare to put their junk on the table
if they 'have' to.

That said, they don't really fit into Indy imho.

[gibells]

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.

I agree. I'm also interested in McLaren's willingness to take up Indycar. If McLaren were still works, wouldn't that be a big threat to the F1 establishment and the closest and most real threat by one of the big teams to (stop talking about it and) actually run in a rival series.

I mean, imagine if Ferrari were to enter Indy

McLaren isn’t running a Indycar team, they sponsor a team. As for a brand like Ferrari, I don’t see them in a spec series.

I stand corrected after having looked into it But from what I can see there is potential for future tie-ins, which makes it an interesting prospect.

[Jolle]

I agree. I'm also interested in McLaren's willingness to take up Indycar. If McLaren were still works, wouldn't that be a big threat to the F1 establishment and the closest and most real threat by one of the big teams to (stop talking about it and) actually run in a rival series.

I mean, imagine if Ferrari were to enter Indy

McLaren isn’t running a Indycar team, they sponsor a team. As for a brand like Ferrari, I don’t see them in a spec series.

Yet, they made the 2nd gen A1GP cars. But okay, they essentially were just tech and not an outfit.

I agree though that Ferrari would have little interest in standardized stuff.
There's an interesting piece of history where Ferrari almost went to indy decades ago and leave F1.
If i'm not mistaken it was still under Balestre's FIA reign. Had to do with engine permissions iirc,
they had a fully functional indycar competitor. It just shows Ferrari does dare to put their junk on the table
if they 'have' to.

That said, they don't really fit into Indy imho.

The second generation A1GP cars were just a nice opportunity for Ferrari to sell a sheik a couple of race cars to have his racing series, nothing to do with competitive in a series. They indeed build one indycar out of spite, as a warning to the FOM (or what it was called those days), but that was in a time were you had a whole variety of manufacturers in Indycar. If FCA would enter Indycar, I guess it would be under the Chrysler name, not Ferrari.

[Big Tea]

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 )

[TAG]

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.

[Big Tea]

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.

Which in most cases is not cars, its what the sponsors are selling.

[TAG]

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.

Which in most cases is not cars, its what the sponsors are selling.

You think Mercedes is in the sport not to sell cars? I know Ferrari has a bigger share of chachkies than others but they also are in the sport to sell cars. What else does F1 sell? Expensive watches, alcohol, expensive sun glasses and overpriced clothing and energy drinks.

Which country is the biggest consumer of that stuff?

[Big Tea]

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

Which in most cases is not cars, its what the sponsors are selling.

You think Mercedes is in the sport not to sell cars? I know Ferrari has a bigger share of chachkies than others but they also are in the sport to sell cars. What else does F1 sell? Expensive watches, alcohol, expensive sun glasses and overpriced clothing and energy drinks.

Which country is the biggest consumer of that stuff?

This is just the result of a google and is unverified but

The answer might surprise a lot of people, but worldwide 2016 sales for s-class:

China: 35,000+
United States: 18,803
South Korea: 6,783
Then it’s followed by Germany and Japan.

Yes, Germany sold more S-Class in South Korea than either Germany or Japan.

It may not be true.

https://www.quora.com/Which-country-pur ... nufactured

[TAG]

This is just the result of a google and is unverified but
The answer might surprise a lot of people, but worldwide 2016 sales for s-class:

Which is fine, but I was trying to understand why anyone wouldn't want to pursue the US market, it's arguably as large or larger in some segments.

The Reason the US isn't behind F1 is because there's no true US team and certainly no US drivers and success. Like it or not, the US tends to follow sports where they are succeeding in. The rise of cycling during the Armstrong years. The popularity of the Women's soccer team, it won't be any different in F1. Which is why I've found it so out of sync that Haas didn't bring in an American driver like Rossi.

[Big Tea]

This is just the result of a google and is unverified but
The answer might surprise a lot of people, but worldwide 2016 sales for s-class:

Which is fine, but I was trying to understand why anyone wouldn't want to pursue the US market, it's arguably as large or larger in some segments.

The Reason the US isn't behind F1 is because there's no true US team and certainly no US drivers and success. Like it or not, the US tends to follow sports where they are succeeding in. The rise of cycling during the Armstrong years. The popularity of the Women's soccer team, it won't be any different in F1. Which is why I've found it so out of sync that Haas didn't bring in an American driver like Rossi.

Oh of course everyone wants the US, even if its just for the size of audience, and there can not really be a 'world championship' without one of the biggest car makers. Not disputing F1 needs the US just to be complete, but I don't know if it is all about market.