Formula One - General Chat

[Eco]

Just now, nudge said:

Plenty. 

The most recent ones being Sauber (  ) in 2014 and Manor and Caterham at least a few times in their last seasons in F1.

And Sauber is related to Alfa Romero how? 

[Stan]

Just now, Eco said:

And Sauber is related to Alfa Romero how? 

Alfa Romeo sponsored Sauber and then just re-named the team from this season.

[nudge]

Just now, Eco said:

And Sauber is related to Alfa Romero how? 

Sauber IS Alfa Romeo. They just sold team naming rights to Alfa this season.

[nudge]

Obligatory post:

[Eco]

2 minutes ago, Stan said:

Alfa Romeo sponsored Sauber and then just re-named the team from this season.

 

1 minute ago, nudge said:

Sauber IS Alfa Romeo. They just sold team naming rights to Alfa this season.

Okay - So still slightly confused...but hell, that has happened a lot with F1 this year. 

[Eco]

Just now, nudge said:

Obligatory post:

So the engine, engineers, and etc is Sauber or Alfa Romeo? 

Or are the two companies joined in some way despite one being Swiss and another being Italian? 

[nudge]

30 minutes ago, Eco said:

Okay - So still slightly confused...but hell, that has happened a lot with F1 this year. 

Every team has a number of sponsors. The big lead sponsor is called "a title sponsor" and its name is usually included in the full team name of most constructors in one way or another. 

For example: 

Mercedes - Petronas - Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport
Ferrari - Philip Morris - Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow
Red Bull - Aston Martin - Aston Martin Red Bull Racing
Haas - Rich Energy - Rich Energy Haas F1 Team

etc.

You can see an overview here:

29 minutes ago, Eco said:

So the engine, engineers, and etc is Sauber or Alfa Romeo? 

Or are the two companies joined in some way despite one being Swiss and another being Italian? 

Sauber uses Ferrari engine and has a technical partnership with them; Ferrari gets to chose one driver for one seat in exchange (this season it's Giovinazi; last season it was Leclerc). Alfa Romeo is not a F1 engine supplier at all but they belong to the same FIAT-Chrysler group as Ferrari so there's a connection there and this connection is also the main reason why Sauber got them as the main sponsor. Engineers and other staff are all Sauber employees though. The name of the company that owns the team is still Sauber Motorsport AG. The ownership and the management structure haven't been changed. The team runs under a Swiss racing license. Alfa Romeo is the main sponsorship partner and since this season, Sauber renamed their team to "Alfa Romeo Racing" as it benefits them financially and gives them more exposure as well. But it's just a name. The companies are not joined in any way.

[Eco]

Okay - Just odd that they are called Alfa Romeo although NOTHING about them, except the sponsorship, if AR. 

[nudge]

For me it's still Sauber anyway  

[MUFC]

 

[MUFC]

 

[Eco]

Probably file this one under a 'dumb' question, but why aren't their more car brands in F1?

For instance - 

BMW
Bugatti

even American brands like 

Ford
Chevy

It just seems like F1 is really the focus of Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, and Renault. (Looking at Engines)

Hell, it may seem weird, but I wonder if Tesla would ever get into this arena. No full which would mean lighter cars, and they have already proven to be capable of making some crazy fast vehicles. 

[MUFC]

F1 cars easy to drive?

https://www.planetf1.com/news/hamilton-f1-cars-are-not-hard-enough-to-drive/

[nudge]

28 minutes ago, Eco said:

Probably file this one under a 'dumb' question, but why aren't their more car brands in F1?

For instance - 

BMW
Bugatti

even American brands like 

Ford
Chevy

It just seems like F1 is really the focus of Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, and Renault. (Looking at Engines)

Hell, it may seem weird, but I wonder if Tesla would ever get into this arena. No full which would mean lighter cars, and they have already proven to be capable of making some crazy fast vehicles. 

Well it costs a LOT of money and there's little to none direct return of investment (i.e. teams aren't making profit); the main reason why car manufacturers participate in F1 (or any other motorsport series) is usually marketing and engineering. Marketing/advertising one is obvious but it can also be a double edged sword - it can boost road car sales due to exposure and success, but it can also bring your reputation down if you are a major manufacturer and fail to build a competitive car that delivers. Engineering aspect is a bit more complicated as some technology developed for race cars can be relevant and innovative in road cars too, most of it isn't directly transferable though. For many brands financial cost of running an F1 team just can't be justified. We might get more major car manufacturers joining as engine suppliers under new regulations though.

Many major manufacturers have taken part in F1 in one way or another in the past. Talking about the ones you mentioned, Ford actually developed the Cosworth engine in the late 60s that was very successful and they also competed as a team in F1 under the Jaguar name until 2005 but then sold its assets to Red Bull due to rising costs and little on-track success. They were said to be somewhat interest in a potential return due to hybrid technology which is highly relevant to their road cars but only if there are budget caps as they still consider it too costly. On top of that, they run a successful GT programme in IMSA and WEC and participate in NASCAR and rally. BMW spent numerous years in F1 too both as engine supplier and as a team (with Sauber) but in the end the costs were deemed to high and they now concentrate their efforts in touring and GT cars. Chevrolet target audience is pretty much the US so it makes more sense for them to participate in IMSA, NASCAR and Indy instead of wasting money on a global racing series that aren't too popular in the US compared to the domestic motorsport events. Bugatti doesn't even have a racing programme; their cars are just luxury hypercars showcasing the technology. 

Many brands are now focusing on Formula E simply because the electric technology is more relevant and so they can use the series to develop it for their road cars. Plus it's also much cheaper. That's also where I could see Tesla in the future instead of F1 as to be fair there's just no point for an electric car manufacturer to join a internal combustion/hybrid power unit based racing series...

[Eco]

12 minutes ago, nudge said:

Well it costs a LOT of money and there's little to none direct return of investment (i.e. teams aren't making profit); the main reason why car manufacturers participate in F1 (or any other motorsport series) is usually marketing and engineering. Marketing/advertising one is obvious but it can also be a double edged sword - it can boost road car sales due to exposure and success, but it can also bring your reputation down if you are a major manufacturer and fail to build a competitive car that delivers. Engineering aspect is a bit more complicated as some technology developed for race cars can be relevant and innovative in road cars too, most of it isn't directly transferable though. For many brands financial cost of running an F1 team just can't be justified. We might get more major car manufacturers joining as engine suppliers under new regulations though.

Many major manufacturers have taken part in F1 in one way or another in the past. Talking about the ones you mentioned, Ford actually developed the Cosworth engine in the late 60s that was very successful and they also competed as a team in F1 under the Jaguar name until 2005 but then sold its assets to Red Bull due to rising costs and little on-track success. They were said to be somewhat interest in a potential return due to hybrid technology which is highly relevant to their road cars but only if there are budget caps as they still consider it too costly. On top of that, they run a successful GT programme in IMSA and WEC and participate in NASCAR and rally. BMW spent numerous years in F1 too both as engine supplier and as a team (with Sauber) but in the end the costs were deemed to high and they now concentrate their efforts in touring and GT cars. Chevrolet target audience is pretty much the US so it makes more sense for them to participate in IMSA, NASCAR and Indy instead of wasting money on a global racing series that aren't too popular in the US compared to the domestic motorsport events. Bugatti doesn't even have a racing programme; their cars are just luxury hypercars showcasing the technology. 

Many brands are now focusing on Formula E simply because the electric technology is more relevant and so they can use the series to develop it for their road cars. Plus it's also much cheaper. That's also where I could see Tesla in the future instead of F1 as to be fair there's just no point for an electric car manufacturer to join a internal combustion/hybrid power unit based racing series...

I swear you are better than Wikipedia. 

[nudge]

7 minutes ago, Eco said:

I swear you are better than Wikipedia. 

Haha I'm just a motorsports freak and watch or follow pretty much all major racing events. With the exception of Formula E but that will also change next season as Porsche enters the series!

[Eco]

12 minutes ago, nudge said:

Haha I'm just a motorsports freak and watch or follow pretty much all major racing events. With the exception of Formula E but that will also change next season as Porsche enters the series!

Yes, if you being a freak means that you are more knowledgeable than 95% of people on here, then you are a:

1. Book freak
2. Bundesliga freak
3. Canadian Territory freak
4. Language freak
5. Whiskey Freak
6. Racing Freak

.....

[nudge]

2 minutes ago, Eco said:

3. Canadian Territory freak

 

[Eco]

2 minutes ago, nudge said:

 

[MUFC]

2 hours ago, Eco said:

Probably file this one under a 'dumb' question, but why aren't their more car brands in F1?

For instance - 

BMW
Bugatti

even American brands like 

Ford
Chevy

It just seems like F1 is really the focus of Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda, and Renault. (Looking at Engines)

Hell, it may seem weird, but I wonder if Tesla would ever get into this arena. No full which would mean lighter cars, and they have already proven to be capable of making some crazy fast vehicles. 

When Hamilton won his first title in 2008, he passed Glock to seal it. Glock was in a Toyota who use to be in F1 back then. Oh Lewis, Oh Brazil, Oh Glock, Oh Massa, Oh change of conditions.

[MUFC]

 

[Tommy]

On 21/05/2019 at 04:14, MUFC said:

 

Who would have thought that 20 years later he becomes a drivelling idiot with attention deficit disorder. 

[nudge]

BMW with a class ad and friendly banter regarding Zetche's retirement

 

[MUFC]

https://www.planetf1.com/news/rosberg-on-schumi-a-toilet-helping-him-beat-hamilton/

[MUFC]

https://www.planetf1.com/news/ferrari-sign-up-for-formula-1-e-sports-series/