Ron is back after the most disastrous season Mclaren has ever had, it probably will not be pretty at the Woking
Martin Whitmarsh is not officially out yet but someone has to fall on the proverbial sword (or get passed though by it) to make sure everything is in tip top shape for Honda's arrival in 2015.
Don't bet against Bernie.
Ecclestone stepping down from F1's board was a move long anticipated and planned if the case went to trial. It's a pro forma move, he's still in charge. Bernie is 86 years old so he's not going to jail but yes, at some point he will either retire or keel over in mid-deal. Frankly I hope for him it's the latter. It's not that F1 cannot run without him but it's unseemly to see how many are ready to kick Mr. E when he's down. Of course part of it is Ecclestone's own fault, he has not designated a successor though he has "groomed" Red Bull's Christian Horner, someone sure to be vetoed by every other team.
Bernie is a man who lives for all those politics and deals, dirty and not, which have made fortunes for investors and teams over the years. Despite all he has going on at his age, Bernie still finds time to flip G6's for a few million profit.
He's a born shark, don't bet against him, you don't think headlines about a US based F1 team (CVC ) and a Nürburgring buyout (Germany) happened by chance do you?
Lotus has a radical new nose?
Pirelli here to stay for the next three seasons
Ricciardo banned from surfing.
There is some irony in Red Bull, of all teams, banning Daniel Ricciardo from surfing in the wake of poor Schumacher's accident while Ferrari put out a statement to the effect of "our drivers are grown ups, we trust they can decide what is dangerous and what is not"
It'll be good to see Ron back on the pit wall sportin' the headphones. The real question is, will Ron really be listening in for sound team strategy, or will his head phones be hooked up to pipe in Beats by Dre? We'll see. But its good that he's back to smooth/enhance/solidify relations with Honda for 2015. Bruce McLaren provided the ideals, the mythos, and Ron brought those aspects to life in the organization. He's got one mighty mountain to climb. Jenson ain't no spring chicken, and Magnussen, well, until he gets his first win I'll say he's really just Ralphie from A Christmas Story. If he fondles his trophy the way Ralphie did the leg lamp, my theory will be proven correct!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, thanks ;)
ReplyDeleteAdditional footage, Meek onboard full SS03. FFW to 7m30 for the snowy bit:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vclbcO8ncEg
Don't forget Bernie, way back when, offered all the teams a piece of the commercial rights. They turned him down.
ReplyDeleteWell that's a simplified position, with all due respect. From everything I've read that offer came with some serious compromises, and BE has always pitted the teams against each other when it comes to working out the deals, so I wouldn't be surprised if we start hearing about some of those shenanigans...just as soon as he's not around to retaliate.
ReplyDeleteObviously the world of F1 is complicated, and the various corporate influences and goals make things much more so, but in the end the whole sport has been a genuine boon for one particular group of professionals ; LAWYERS. Of the corporate type. ;D
well yes, he's a piranha in a shark tank. But there is no way he could have been there all these years if it had not been convenient for a lot of people.
ReplyDelete