Mercedes "100% aligned" with Ferrari over F1 future
- Published on 20 Jan 2018 14:43
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- By: Fergal Walsh
Head of Mercedes-Benz Dieter Zetsche says that the German team is on the same page as Ferrari regarding the future of Formula 1, stating that the two are "100% aligned". The two manufacturers endured a championship fight in 2017, with Mercedes coming out on top.
Towards the end of the season, Liberty Media revealed its plans for the future engine regulations to current and interested manufacturers. The schemes were met with negativity from both Mercedes and Ferrari, with the latter threatening to withdraw completely from F1 if it felt the sport was not heading in the correct direction.
Mercedes dominated F1 for the first three years of the V6 hybrid era which commenced in 2014, and it has expressed concern over Liberty's plans to standardise certain engine parts, which would undo its hard work of producing the most complete power unit.
"We are the good cop and the bad cop,” Zetsche told Autocar. “We beat each other like crazy on the track and try to get every tenth of a second of advantage but at the same time we are 100% aligned on our thoughts in Formula 1 and our strategic actions in Formula 1. We are good friends. We are there to stay in Formula 1 but of course the platform itself has to stay meaningful and develop positively."
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Replies (14)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Thats very... erhm... comforting? I am legit not sure if thats a good thing. It seems like all four manufacturers more or less want to retain most of the current regulations, allthough Honda seem more willing to negotiate with the FIA as of present. So if the teams or manufacturers get the final say, the current stuff will likely be retained.
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
I generally think it's a good thing. Not that I care for their vision of retaining the current Formula, but more so because I would hate for F1 to move in the standardised parts direction. I think that will be greatly detrimental to the sport in the long run.
Thus far I think Liberty has been hit and miss at best, so I appreciate the fact that we have a strong voice of reason for the long term value and integrity of the sport.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I sort of think so, especially since I despise the thought of standardized units. They might aswell give um all Mercedes units to rebadge if thats the case, and noone want that. And I mean, if not even Honda want it, you know its a terrible terrible TERRIBLE idea, and if anyone should want it, its them (in theory, though they are far too stubborn, for better or worse). But I find Mercedes and Ferrari to be far too tough in their stance. We've seen that the MGU-H really hasnt benefitted the show much, to want to retain it then is just not a good idea. I'd prefer it if they were willing to negotiate and compromise. No standardisation though (AFAIK only Aston Martin want that, and lets be honest, its not likely that they will join even if that happens).
I like what Liberty is doing, I appreciate that they helped keeping Monza on track, and I like their keenness on making F1 more accessible, less exclusive. I also appreciate them hiring people like Brawn and Whitmarsh, people with experience from F1 and who know the language and values of the sport. They have some things they should reconsider for sure, but I think they've been off to a pretty promising start. But, like I almost say between every breath I take nowadays, we'll have to see. Its still early days, and knowing corporations, they can find very interesting ways in fucking things up.
boudy
Posts: 1,168
Doesn't really matter wether they agree since they don't run the show.
mbmwe36
Posts: 533
Make no mistake, a united Ferrari and Mercedes very much run the show. Ferrari damn near runs the show without Mercedes!
If Ferrari and Mercedes were to leave and join a new series, F1 - or Renault 1.6, rather - would probably be on life support within a few years, if not ceasing to exist altogether.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Yeah, Ferrari and Mercedes have ridiculous amount of power as of present.
f1dave
Posts: 782
No other sport is run by the competitors. Let the rules be set and ALL teams meet them or find another place to play.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
True, but other sports are not as dependant on manufacturers for it to run.
RogerF1
Posts: 501
Simply put, too much power and influence in two teams and the predominant engine suppliers. Kills the competivity in the long term. I don’t recall any teams being so dictatorial in their past heyday, not in recent years with Red Bull, McLaren and NOT Ferrari in the Schumi years. No standardised parts for sure but F1/FIA have to wrestle back control or we are stuck with (mostly) boring dominance we have now for the foreseeable future - until one of them gets fed up of winning maybe or the corporate bean counters see diminishing returns and cut and run. Merc are the new boys, do they have the stamina to match Ferrari, McLaren, Williams and stay faithful if lean years come or are forced on them by change to suit the sport overall not just them, then the marketing boys call it a day! As we say in the UK “it’s not their train set”.
boudy
Posts: 1,168
The issue I have with the likes Mercedes /Ferrari is that the control who will win the championship effectively. The supply of engines has been not been on the same level to their customers. When was the last time that an customer team overtook an factory team just on speed alone? That rarely happens. When HAM released the full potential of that Mercedes engine in Brazil you could see the power difference between the force India pu and the factory pu. Also they have not been willing the supply either Redbull or mclaren with an competitive pu. What they want is not to give their competitive edge away and why should They? No it is absolutely imperative that other pu suppliers find there way into F1. Otherwise the series becomes untenable.
The owners must continue with their route for the lifeline of the series is the support of multiple factory teams. Would love for Williams to get support from BMW, force India Porsche or any other combo.
It remains to be seen if any of the changes will actually become real. Good luck to the new owners.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
BMW-Williams will likely not happen, the two parted ways with bad blood betwen them. And of all the teams on the grid, I find a Williams departure from Mercedes unlikely. But I'd love to see BMW, a VW brand, Toyota and Ford back in F1.
RenaultFM1
Posts: 100
Let's say Austin Martin want to enter with an engine but some engine parts that Mec/Fer/Renault they rather would buy. Example they could buy the turbo from Mec and integrate that to their own engine. They would save lots of money and same time mec would get development cost reduced. In a normal car I would not care if my Audi had an turbo from another company. I buy Audi because Design and as long the logo on the engine says Audi I'm good.
f1ski
Posts: 726
its a big game of chicken and they will lose. Should mercedes and ferrari leave they other teams would receive more money as RBR MB and ferrari take home far more money than other teams based on the seasons results. Take that inequity away and the other teams will make far more money. They want to protect their privileged status like the whites did with apartheid in South Africa. To me F1 with greater parity may bring in more sponsors.
Barron
Posts: 625
We are slowly driving towards a significant crossroads. The big test is whether the average F1 fan has brand awareness and loyalty. That’s a given with Ferrari but the others, not so much. With the other “brands” it’s more about the value of the drivers. If there was a split and F1 retained 90% of the ‘star’ drivers, I believe that the majority of the fan base would stay with it. This is why the teams are ramping up emphasis on their junior drivers. They want to build fan loyalty early and then they (the manufacturers) will truly control the sport, which is a Very Bad Thing.