[ 2020 ] Mclaren F1 Team - Renault

[Ground Effect]

Have to say that if Sainz was to leave, to get Daniel Ricciardo away from the Renault works team is just a perfect replacement.

Definitely a driver who deserves a car that can fight for podiums and by default, championships so let’s hope we make those strides with him in these next couple of years.

On a side note, did he work with James Key in any capacity in those early Toro Rosso days?

Key joined STR during the 2012 season, late on. So they would have had worked together from then till the end of 2013.

[mclaren111]

http://www.f1reader.com/list/news/lates ... ion-247392


Team looking to borrow more money...

[mwillems]

I read a few “McLaren could be the Mercedes works team if Daimler pulls the plug”

Let’s get real here. Not going to happen. With the current format the engine is the expensive part. The team itself almost pays for itself compared to that, especially with the added marketing value. Plus, McLaren is competition in expensive cars. Even Williams would be a better fit, they didn’t buy Brawn GP for no reason...

McLaren is on the way up for sure, but still not or in the near future a works team. They blew that opportunity with Honda.

This is not "unreal" at all, as of 2019 Mercedes reported they were spending an annual average $188.1 million per year on engine development and an annual average of $285.3 million on the team itself.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/csylt/2019 ... 0cceed23d8

Maclaren have a long history of being the works Merc F1 team and if Mercedes did decide to reduce their F1 expenses, it would make sense to keep the engine supply-side going (as it would be at least partially self-funded through sales to B teams) and ditch the biggest expense which is the Merc F1 team. This way they can still reap the marketing benefits of competing and most likely winning in F1.

PS, I'm extremely excited that Daniel is joining Maclaren, he and Lando will make an awesome team and both do a great job on and off track for Maclaren. Maclaren has always been one of my favorite teams, I loved watching Senna and Prost driving Maclaren's and later DC. The 1st Alsonso period was interesting for mostly the wrong reasons (F'K Mosely!) I was never a big Hamilton fan but always respected his skills. The less said about the 2nd Honda period the better! Anyway, things are really looking great for 2021 and beyond.

I'll have to dig up the article, but if I recall, Mercedes themselves only need to put $60m into the team to top up its budget, the rest comes from sponsorship. Mercedes have (understandably) one of the biggest and richest sponsor portfolios of any team. The advertising value of the Mercedes team is in the billions.

Prior to Mercedes F1 success, Toto and Mercedes were saying in an interview, that the Merc cars were viewed simply as high quality and luxury. Since the success of the F1 team they are now also Sexy and Fast. This paradigm shift in marketing view is a massive success for the team and has allowed them to reach new markets and new consumers.

So at this point, it is highly unlikely in my opinion, that they will drop the team. A few years of underperforming might change that at some point but for as long as possible I think they will want to cement the new perception of Mercedes.

[djos]

Agreed, they have every reason to stay, I was merely addressing the “what if they left F1” question.

[Mclarensenna]

I am now a McLaren fan.

I think I'll become one as well the way Williams are going...

As has been said, Ric, Lando, Merc and Seidl are a very strong lineup.

And don't forget Key & Pedromou

Yes Seidl looks like he is extremely switched on, same as james key I was reading a few old articles from last year when Seidl joined and pasted his comments below.

“The 1.5 seconds we are missing to the top cars, or even more depending on the track, is simply aero load,” Seidl stated.
Seidl said the “mission” he was given by the team was to quickly identify weaknesses, and the wind tunnel stuck out like a sore thumb.
"That is an absolute must if you have the goal of joining the top. You need a modern wind tunnel.”
"One of the big deficits we have at the moment is clearly not running our own wind tunnel in Woking. For nearly 10 years, we’ve been developing our car remotely at Toyota in Cologne."

James key joined last year and said the exact same thing basically
"Key, who joined the team this season from Toro Rosso, explained that a wind tunnel is a ‘little secret’ that helps teams extract the most from their design."

The wind tunnel will be ready in 2 years which started mid last year so guess is mid 2021 hopefully?
The interesting thing is why didn't Mclaren build a new wind tunnel these past 10 years seeing how important it is. It looks like its main reason they have not been competitive. Well better late than never. But any car designed by this new wind tunnel in 2021 in effect wont hit the track untill the 2022 season. So it will take time to see the results from the upcoming wind tunnel but hopefully in 2022 they can fight for the championship!

[ScottR267]

Just been thinking from sponsorship side. With Carlos leaving, for sure Estrella Galicia will follow. Now, do you guys think Coca Cola would make a step up in its sponsorship of Mclaren? Now that they will be the solo drinks sponsor for the team

Estrella will inevitably go seeing as they are a sponsor of Carlos’ and have followed him from team to team. Coca Cola won’t be the only drinks sponsor left with Huski chocolate however all 3 businesses are in different drinks fields. I’d like to see Coca Cola step up their sponsorship however personally can’t see as surely they would have done so already by now given its their second full year (if you can count it that is). Hasn’t their sponsorship receded this year given that the brand is not on the drivers uniforms?

I think because it was announced so late before the Aussie GP it will be on the uniforms when’s we get back to racing

https://www.mclaren.com/racing/partners ... a-company/

On the release on the website it says the brand will be on the cockpit of the cars and drinks bottles of the drivers only. If they wanted it on the overalls from memory they managed that to do so last year given the extension was announced the day prior to Australia. Also on the pictures from the pit lane the team managed to get Coca Cola on the cockpit ready for the Aussie GP

[Ground Effect]

I think I'll become one as well the way Williams are going...

As has been said, Ric, Lando, Merc and Seidl are a very strong lineup.

And don't forget Key & Pedromou

Yes Seidl looks like he is extremely switched on, same as james key I was reading a few old articles from last year when Seidl joined and pasted his comments below.

“The 1.5 seconds we are missing to the top cars, or even more depending on the track, is simply aero load,” Seidl stated.
Seidl said the “mission” he was given by the team was to quickly identify weaknesses, and the wind tunnel stuck out like a sore thumb.
"That is an absolute must if you have the goal of joining the top. You need a modern wind tunnel.”
"One of the big deficits we have at the moment is clearly not running our own wind tunnel in Woking. For nearly 10 years, we’ve been developing our car remotely at Toyota in Cologne."

James key joined last year and said the exact same thing basically
"Key, who joined the team this season from Toro Rosso, explained that a wind tunnel is a ‘little secret’ that helps teams extract the most from their design."

The wind tunnel will be ready in 2 years which started mid last year so guess is mid 2021 hopefully?
The interesting thing is why didn't Mclaren build a new wind tunnel these past 10 years seeing how important it is. It looks like its main reason they have not been competitive. Well better late than never. But any car designed by this new wind tunnel in 2021 in effect wont hit the track untill the 2022 season. So it will take time to see the results from the upcoming wind tunnel but hopefully in 2022 they can fight for the championship!

I recall McLaren having issues with the local council or conservationists a while back, regarding expansion and building a new wind tunnel, workshops etc. I think they had gotten approval and those plans probably hit a snag at some point, or maybe funds? But I do know they had been looking to do this since the early part of the last decade.

[cbbcisace]

Estrella will inevitably go seeing as they are a sponsor of Carlos’ and have followed him from team to team. Coca Cola won’t be the only drinks sponsor left with Huski chocolate however all 3 businesses are in different drinks fields. I’d like to see Coca Cola step up their sponsorship however personally can’t see as surely they would have done so already by now given its their second full year (if you can count it that is). Hasn’t their sponsorship receded this year given that the brand is not on the drivers uniforms?

I think because it was announced so late before the Aussie GP it will be on the uniforms when’s we get back to racing

https://www.mclaren.com/racing/partners ... a-company/

On the release on the website it says the brand will be on the cockpit of the cars and drinks bottles of the drivers only. If they wanted it on the overalls from memory they managed that to do so last year given the extension was announced the day prior to Australia. Also on the pictures from the pit lane the team managed to get Coca Cola on the cockpit ready for the Aussie GP

Not a lot to go off but if you look at the new f12020 game Carlos has his new overalls and Coca-Cola on the front of his overalls

[alexx_88]

Mercedes and Toto Wolf have spoken about the effect of the Mercedes team and it's success on sales of Mercedes cars. Since the F1 team started winning championships, the marketing value of the Mercedes team has been in the billions (plural). They may well go, but in my opinion not sooner rather than later.

Could you provide some references on Daimler saying that? I just looked at their financial report for 2018 and 2019 and F1 is only mentioned in passing, while referring to Formula E as well. As an experienced investor myself and knowing how financial reports normally refer to what they regard as key factors in the success of the brand, this really doesn't bode well.

I genuinely don't see them staying if they stop winning.

https://www.daimler.com/documents/inves ... t-2018.pdf
https://www.daimler.com/documents/inves ... t-2019.pdf

[cbbcisace]

Estrella will inevitably go seeing as they are a sponsor of Carlos’ and have followed him from team to team. Coca Cola won’t be the only drinks sponsor left with Huski chocolate however all 3 businesses are in different drinks fields. I’d like to see Coca Cola step up their sponsorship however personally can’t see as surely they would have done so already by now given its their second full year (if you can count it that is). Hasn’t their sponsorship receded this year given that the brand is not on the drivers uniforms?

I think because it was announced so late before the Aussie GP it will be on the uniforms when’s we get back to racing

https://www.mclaren.com/racing/partners ... a-company/

On the release on the website it says the brand will be on the cockpit of the cars and drinks bottles of the drivers only. If they wanted it on the overalls from memory they managed that to do so last year given the extension was announced the day prior to Australia. Also on the pictures from the pit lane the team managed to get Coca Cola on the cockpit ready for the Aussie GP

Btw this might help my point

[diffuser]

People talking about Merc selling. Even if that was on the table BEFORE all this, nobody will be willing to spend top dollar for a F1 team that isn't racing. The F1 calender for the foreseeable future is unknown and playing to empty stands if they're lucky. Income prospects are probably down more that 50%. With no end in sight. With empty stands, I can see that many venues, from a business prospective, there is no upside to holding a GP.

Untill we get a vaccine or herd immunity status quo is my bet.

[mwillems]

Mercedes and Toto Wolf have spoken about the effect of the Mercedes team and it's success on sales of Mercedes cars. Since the F1 team started winning championships, the marketing value of the Mercedes team has been in the billions (plural). They may well go, but in my opinion not sooner rather than later.

Could you provide some references on Daimler saying that? I just looked at their financial report for 2018 and 2019 and F1 is only mentioned in passing, while referring to Formula E as well. As an experienced investor myself and knowing how financial reports normally refer to what they regard as key factors in the success of the brand, this really doesn't bode well.

I genuinely don't see them staying if they stop winning.

https://www.daimler.com/documents/inves ... t-2018.pdf
https://www.daimler.com/documents/inves ... t-2019.pdf

I'll look for the rest, but here is the advertising value of Merc F1 to mercedes.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mercedes-f1-value/
http://www.silverarrows.net/news/merced ... ion-wolff/

Here is an article stating that in 2016 Daimler only had to put in £30m because the rest was in sponsors:

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/13220 ... -explained

Ahh here we go, in 2018 Daimler paid 64.3m

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/mer ... ances-2018

To make it clear, that is 240m in income not from a parent company...! If anyone has time, dig up what Mclarens revenue was that were not from intra company or investor sources. I reckon it will be close to 100m less.

[Bill]

The wind tunnel thing seem to me like a lame excuse from Mclaren.The Toyota wind is amongst the best in the business it can accommodate a full car even though only 60% model is allowed. Mclaren main problem is simply they don't have the budget of the top three teams, that may change with the cap.

[Ground Effect]

I’m going to miss those incredible starts Carlos used to make. He’s so good off the line. Hope Danny Ric will be just as good.

[Tim.Wright]

I'll look for the rest, but here is the advertising value of Merc F1 to mercedes.

https://www.planetf1.com/news/mercedes-f1-value/
http://www.silverarrows.net/news/merced ... ion-wolff/

I'm always skeptical of numbers like these as it's basically the marking department telling everyone what an amazing job they've done.