All kinds of news about F1.

[mendis]

F1 is well past healthy work life balance for the staff that travels across the globe like mechanics, engineers etc., The more races they add, the more problematic it would become. Does anyone know if there is staff rotation in F1 teams to mitigate this problem? I think there should be 2 sets of people for each garage so each engineer/mechanic does like 12 to 13 races at max.

[organic]

F1 is well past healthy work life balance for the staff that travels across the globe like mechanics, engineers etc., The more races they add, the more problematic it would become. Does anyone know if there is staff rotation in F1 teams to mitigate this problem? I think there should be 2 sets of people for each garage so each engineer/mechanic does like 12 to 13 races at max.

With the cost cap it makes staff rotation even harder to achieve

[mendis]

F1 is well past healthy work life balance for the staff that travels across the globe like mechanics, engineers etc., The more races they add, the more problematic it would become. Does anyone know if there is staff rotation in F1 teams to mitigate this problem? I think there should be 2 sets of people for each garage so each engineer/mechanic does like 12 to 13 races at max.

With the cost cap it makes staff rotation even harder to achieve

Understandable. But this is extremely important thing that teams should make a case for and have their way through. Its just horrible to be a mechanic or engineer taking your body through such a difficult 9 or 10 months period. Hustling through time zones, facing sleep depravation, motion sickness from travel and critically, staying away from families. This should just be too easy a case to push through for a budget enlargement and have 2 sets of personnel.

[boiler]

I got it

Have an Eastern and Western hemisphere series, then have a five race playoff where the three top teams from each hemisphere compete, the grand culmination in American sports influence with a little bit of Nascar sprinkled in....

[CMSMJ1]

I got it

Have an Eastern and Western hemisphere series, then have a five race playoff where the three top teams from each hemisphere compete, the grand culmination in American sports influence with a little bit of Nascar sprinkled in....

Don't even mention it if you have thought about it..you know Liberty has!

[CaribouBread]

F1 says no to Andretti bid

https://x.com/ChrisMedlandF1/status/1752716420977131889

BREAKING: F1 has rejected Andretti's bid to join the grid in 2025 or 2026, BUT says it "would look differently on an application" for 2028 alongside General Motors' planned power unit entry

After an assessment period, F1 says an 11th team alone doesn't add value, it needs to be competitive. Also:

"While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around"

[MtthsMlw]

Guess the team name didn't have enough sponsors in it

[taperoo2k]

F1 says no to Andretti bid

https://x.com/ChrisMedlandF1/status/1752716420977131889

BREAKING: F1 has rejected Andretti's bid to join the grid in 2025 or 2026, BUT says it "would look differently on an application" for 2028 alongside General Motors' planned power unit entry

After an assessment period, F1 says an 11th team alone doesn't add value, it needs to be competitive. Also:

"While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around"

Not much of a surprise. I think it shows the Greed of F1. They don't want Andretti, but if GM wants to join then it becomes a different story.

[yinlad]

F1 says no to Andretti bid

https://x.com/ChrisMedlandF1/status/1752716420977131889

BREAKING: F1 has rejected Andretti's bid to join the grid in 2025 or 2026, BUT says it "would look differently on an application" for 2028 alongside General Motors' planned power unit entry

After an assessment period, F1 says an 11th team alone doesn't add value, it needs to be competitive. Also:

"While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around"

Not much of a surprise. I think it shows the Greed of F1. They don't want Andretti, but if GM wants to join then it becomes a different story.

You haven't actually read the statement have you? Because that's not what it says at all

[Gooch]

It quite literally says the application would be viewed differently if GM was involved?

“We would look differently on an application for the entry of a team into the 2028 Championship with a GM power unit, either as a GM works team or as a GM customer team designing all allowable components in-house,” added F1.

In this case there would be additional factors to consider in respect of the value that the Applicant would bring to the Championship, in particular in respect of bringing a prestigious new OEM to the sport as a PU supplier.

In any case, I have a feeling this will be the death of the Andretti effort. Can't imagine Andretti, GM, or Gainbridge, whoever is writing the checks really, is going to want to employee 100+ people for the next 4 years to maybe get a spot in F1.

Hard to believe that's not the goal considering there isn't even a thought of allowing them get their feet wet before GM shows up.

[Cs98]

Basically F1 calling their bluff with the whole GM engine entry. It's easy enough to see how this would've played out. Andretti gets in, pretty soon afterwards that rhetoric about GM building its own engine would cool down and sometime down the line a convenient excuse would be made as to why it was not necessary/possible, by which point Andretti would already have their grid spot and F1 would have no method of removing them. That final comment from F1 is cold, but unfortunately true, Andretti is the one who stands to gain, not F1.

[taperoo2k]

F1 says no to Andretti bid

https://x.com/ChrisMedlandF1/status/1752716420977131889

BREAKING: F1 has rejected Andretti's bid to join the grid in 2025 or 2026, BUT says it "would look differently on an application" for 2028 alongside General Motors' planned power unit entry

After an assessment period, F1 says an 11th team alone doesn't add value, it needs to be competitive. Also:

"While the Andretti name carries some recognition for F1 fans, our research indicates that F1 would bring value to the Andretti brand rather than the other way around"

Not much of a surprise. I think it shows the Greed of F1. They don't want Andretti, but if GM wants to join then it becomes a different story.

You haven't actually read the statement have you? Because that's not what it says at all

I have 'it would look differently on an application" for 2028 alongside General Motors'. That's the condition for Andretti to get a spot on the grid, it has to be with GM. Maybe it's F1 calling Andretti's bluff. Liberty would love to have GM enter into F1. As it opens a whole slew of marketing opportunities to increase the growth of F1 in the US. Which is one of the world's biggest sporting markets. It's all about the profits with Liberty, not the sport. Otherwise, we'd not be seeing so many new street circuits on the calendar.

[mwillems]

F1 is well past healthy work life balance for the staff that travels across the globe like mechanics, engineers etc., The more races they add, the more problematic it would become. Does anyone know if there is staff rotation in F1 teams to mitigate this problem? I think there should be 2 sets of people for each garage so each engineer/mechanic does like 12 to 13 races at max.

It was mooted a few years back, but not sure it happened, not to any great amount. But Vasseur is suggesting rotation is needed particularly for 2024 and says the budget cap isn't an issue:

"Each race that we are adding to the calendar, we have an extra [allowance] on the budget cap"

“Secondly, we need to have the best approach for the mechanics, because it’s part of the performance, it’s part of the reliability.

“It was not strange that there were more mistakes in the pit stops in Abu Dhabi than some [other races]. I think that everybody was exhausted.”

https://www.pitdebrief.com/post/vasseur ... -needed-2/

[yinlad]

Not much of a surprise. I think it shows the Greed of F1. They don't want Andretti, but if GM wants to join then it becomes a different story.

You haven't actually read the statement have you? Because that's not what it says at all

I have 'it would look differently on an application" for 2028 alongside General Motors'. That's the condition for Andretti to get a spot on the grid, it has to be with GM. Maybe it's F1 calling Andretti's bluff. Liberty would love to have GM enter into F1. As it opens a whole slew of marketing opportunities to increase the growth of F1 in the US. Which is one of the world's biggest sporting markets. It's all about the profits with Liberty, not the sport. Otherwise, we'd not be seeing so many new street circuits on the calendar.

But it's not about 'greed' or 'not wanting Andretti' as your post stated. It's about mitigating risk of their alleged engine supplier not turning up, pulling out or being unable to deliver the goods when promised.

The point of them saying that if GM were also committing to providing engines for 2025, they'd have paid more credence to the partnership. It's a valid concern.

F1 is interested in making money. If they have said no to a potential massive foot into the American market through Andretti, they have good reason to do so. F1 doesn't give 2 sausages about the existing teams, all of who (well, minus Merc and maybe 1 or 2 more) make losses in the millions every year and F1 are throwing more and more races at. Something no team is happy about given the strain it has on finances and personnel. F1 is not about the money for the teams racing.

I'm glad F1 are doing the due diligence for this, the last thing we need is another HAAS. American or not, no one is interested in watching two Andretti cars running around 2s off the pack.

[Gooch]

There are valid concerns but I’m not sure how much more commitment you can ask for from GM. They are registered as a PU supplier. They know rushing it would mean an uncompetitive car (see the much more experienced Mclaren and Honda, obviously) and have clearly stated in their press release that they are currently working on the PU.

Do we really think they are sharing the letterhead with Andretti on a whim? No better way to disenfranchise yourself permanently with the fickle European motorsports establishment than to flake out. If GM were wishy washy about the idea I think they would have waited much longer to declare entry, similar to how the Audi buyout was known for months before they made an announcement.