Official 2010 F1 Pre-Season Thread

Quite an interesting response from McLaren based on the Brawn-Merc decision:



So McMerc is done for, I guess, although the McLarens will still stay merc-powered until 2015.

I'm not sure that it was a response, more like the original plan.

Merc want their own F1 team and McLaren want their own also. Now that they both have production cars that need advertising/selling
 
^ McLaren is keeping the same livery at least while they have Vodafone sponsorship and Merc engines. Once they probably switch to building their F1 engines in-house, we might expect a change of livery.

That depends on the deal McLaren has with Mercedes. If it's a simple engine supply deal they might well run Mercedes engines but with different livery (like Brawn did this year, in fact, or McLaren did in mid-nineties) from 2012 onwards. In fact, they might do so in 2010, depending on the deal they have for the buyout period. I could see Mercedes allowing that, as they'd propably want to keep the 'silver arrows' to themselves.

edit: OK, they won't change their livery for 2010 but I doubt they will keep that until the engine deal ends unless Mercedes is willing to pay for the advertisement space.
 
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Yeah, but we might have a commentators' nightmare now, since the ex-Brawns will also be some sort of silver. How they'll manage to differentiate them from the Maccas... only time will tell.

Well, that problem is already there with Toro Rosso and Red Bull tbh. I often have had problems to tell the difference on a distance.
 
I wonder what options are on the side of the McLaren Mercedes deal. I'd be surprised if the deal ran the full six years, and even more surprised if they renew the deal in 2015 for a further period. I think we'll be seeing McLaren bulding their own engines, and sooner rather than later.

I think it's a good thing for McLaren and a good thing for Formula One. McLaren are a big enough and competent enough company to continue successfully without manufacturer support and financing, and the Brawn-Mercedes deal ensures their long term survival. Presumably McLaren arent paying for the engines?

I also like the idea of F1 gradually returning back to the independents. It always seemed wrong to me that teams such as Renault, Toyota, BMW, and to a lesser extent Ferrari and McLaren could spend whatever they want as they could draw on the financial resources of the big car giants behind them. I think it was a sort of false economy which should adjust itself back as the influx of independent teams ensures they can only spend what they earn. Williams are an example of this. Once they lost the BMW deal, they had to watch exactly what they spent and without the manufacturer dollars behind them, they lost their edge. McLaren should be shielded to some extent from this as F1 is now a far less costly business, and the McLaren Group is still an extremely well funded organisation (including significant investment from the Arabs) with growth opportunities in the road and electonics divisions. A healthy sponsorship portfolio always helps too.
 
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So, who wants to place a bet on when Dennis will be re-installed as team principal?
 
I really dont think he will be. From all the interviews I have read with him he seems to be really concentrating on the road car company. He has stated that there is no way he can be sufficiently detailed in his running of both groups. Because of this he chose to just work on the road car side.
 
I wonder what options are on the side of the McLaren Mercedes deal. I'd be surprised if the deal ran the full six years, and even more surprised if they renew the deal in 2015 for a further period. I think we'll be seeing McLaren bulding their own engines, and sooner rather than later.

As far as I understand it, Mclaren get free Mercedes engines and Mercedes sponsorship for the next two years. After that they have a guaranteed option to buy engines until 2015 but they are under no obligation. My guess is that they will switch to another (most likely their own) powerplant in 2012 and the silver colour scheme will disappear at the same time.
 
Wow, you go away for the weekend, then this happens.

Aren't 44% of the teams now owned or partly owned by 2 people or organisations?
 
I really dont think he will be. From all the interviews I have read with him he seems to be really concentrating on the road car company. He has stated that there is no way he can be sufficiently detailed in his running of both groups. Because of this he chose to just work on the road car side.
and boy did he put his hand in it! MP4-12C, just ROLLS off my tongue. Mr. Clinical Ron Dennis, he should have a marketing consultant...

::also aren't all of McLaren's equipment and motorhomes, factory etc.. all silver arrow designed... its gonna be hard losing that livery!

:::whats gonna happen to Mika now?! he's torn! support Mclaren or Mercedes.. ORRR he gets best of both worlds... nicce!:lol:

McLaren are basically going to be the next Ferrari, or so they hope.
 
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Ross Brawn is probably laughing it up right now with the deals he has made. He really is the best, all of this from a full team buyout of the corpse of the old Honda team.
 
There was something about Brawn not being entitled the TV money (and numbers, and pit lane position) of Honda because of the name change. Does that mean that they will be banned to the end of the pit lane again and will get the hightest numbers, even higher than the newcomers, now that they are Mercedes GP?

Or will Ross Brawn change his name to Ross Mercedes to sell the change to the FIA? :p
 
There was something about Brawn not being entitled the TV money (and numbers, and pit lane position) of Honda because of the name change. Does that mean that they will be banned to the end of the pit lane again and will get the hightest numbers, even higher than the newcomers, now that they are Mercedes GP?

Or will Ross Brawn change his name to Ross Mercedes to sell the change to the FIA? :p

The number 1 goes with Button so were ever he ends up the number one will be on his car; as for pit position Brawn, Fry and others still own 24.9% of the team so I would think that would be unaffected.
 
Dear McLaren; this is where you return to the red/white "Marlboro" colours everyone loved. Ta.
 
as for pit position Brawn, Fry and others still own 24.9% of the team so I would think that would be unaffected.

Wait a sec... as far as i understood, it's not about team ownership, but about the team's name, or am i mistaken?
 
Wait a sec... as far as i understood, it's not about team ownership, but about the team's name, or am i mistaken?

F1 consistent? Brawn lost their position last year because there was a total ownership and name change. Bernie did say that if they had kept the Honda name they would have kept their numbers and paddock position, but that doesn't mean you will lose your numbers and position if you change your name and shuffle some ownership. I don't see Bernie doing the same thing they did last year to one of the worst teams to what is now the top team with a shit load of investment behind it.
 
Very bad news for Brawn, driver market is limited at moment, unless they want to chance Kimi. McLaren have got one over on Merc.
 
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I think The Guardian are jumping the gun a bit. Of course Button would like the McLaren terms, they're offering him exactly what he wants from Brawn. He will have taken those terms back to the Brawn negotiating table, said 'here's what McLaren are offering, match it or I walk'. The Mercedes deal could be a favouring factor if Merc want an 'international' line-up as they've supposedly said, and a world champion. They ought to be able to open their wallets and accomodate Jenson.

It's news for Kimi, too. Whether it's bad or not depends on how serious he was about staying in F1. Clearly McLaren arent going to be bullied and rightly so.
 
Mclaren will keep their livery and Brawn I expect would be the old West-McLaren livery.

It was a bit confusing with McLaren and Spyker a few years ago but you get used to it.
 
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