Motorsports (non-NASCAR)

[Shyster]

I wonder if they have to account for donations. For example, let's say Red Bull signs McDonalds as a sponsor and puts big golden arches on the cars. In exchange, McD's pulls up a truck every day of the season and hands out free Big Macs and fries to everyone on the team. Are Red Bull's catering expenses now zero? Or let's say that Ferrari reaches out to Saudi princes and other folks who spend big money on Ferrari hypercars, and they "imply" that if those folks want to keep getting access to buy the newest super-limited Ferrari hypercars, they should pay for catering each race, or at least the races in their respective countries. Are Ferrari's catering expenses also now zero?

[tifosi77]

I would hope money spent on behalf of a team is accounted for, as that's essentially no different than the 'R&D' example.

But it's also why I'm ultimately against the idea of cost caps. A team can swim in the big pool or they can't, and spending gobs of money is no guarantee of success. Look at Toyota; they had enough money that they could've funded the entire grid in 2003 from a frickin' checking account. If teams can spend 5x as others, let them.

That said, if there is a cost cap, any transgressions must be punished with biblical severity. Else don't bother.

[Shyster]

I pulled the financial rules. Based on my quick reading, I think under my examples, the catering expenses would in fact be zero. The rules have a nested series of definitions for what counts toward costs, but the chain of definitions starts with "Total Costs," which means "all costs and losses recognized within profit or loss of the underlying books and records." So if something isn't on the books of the company, it doesn't count.

I could drive a dump truck through the holes in these rules. For example, "Marketing Costs" for created "branded F1 Team merchandise" are excluded. Let's just say I'm going to spend a couple million dollars developing some highly realistic 1:1 scale rear-wing "keychains." I mean, sure, they won't fit in one's pocket, but so long as I sell one to the team's biggest fan (who maybe immediately sells it back), that's merchandise, right?

I bet tifosi could call up the accounting department at his employer, get a couple of those "Hollywood accountants" on the job, and they could make Ferrari's expenses for an entire year equal $0.

[tifosi77]

I bet tifosi could call up the accounting department at his employer, get a couple of those "Hollywood accountants" on the job, and they could make Ferrari's expenses for an entire year equal $0.

Only if someone's contingent compensation hinged on the team being profitable.

[dodint]

neeeeeeeeeeeooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww:







We have friction!

Driveline goes in on Sunday. Huge amount of work has gone into it since my leg has healed up enough to work. Getting the driveline back in is basically the peak of the mountain, it's all downhill fiddly stuff from there.

[Shyster]

I would pay very good money for a massive book that just photographs literally everything in that building. Those Kmart-liveried Newman-Haas cars, with Michael and Mario at the wheels, were pretty much the start of my racing fandom.

[CBear3]

Ditto. Mario was always my hero, and those 80's cars in the auction actually have pickled engines in them which really makes me wish I'd won the Powerball jackpot last week.
As for the rest of the auction, way to kill the market Haas family. 40 old Indycars for sale at one time surely will depress values. I guess they just finally decided it was time to clear out.

[dodint]

I think Seinfeld did something similar. Flooded the market with old Porsches all at once and didn't optimize their value.

[CBear3]

Not quite depressed enough for my wallet though.

[tifosi77]

I have a lot of great memories connected to that team and those cars.

Mario is the only human I've ever met that has a for-real aura.

[CBear3]

And he was shorter than 14 year old me too, so that was a plus.

[tifosi77]

So RBR handed a $7 million fine for the Costcappen escapade with the only other sanction being a reduction in wind tunnel time that can't be accounted for accurately in the first place. The financial penalty is excluded from the 2022 cap reckoning. So going forward....... that's just the cost of contesting the championship then, right? Figure you'll spend your spend, then have $7 million set aside for the fine.

Either don't have a cost cop and let teams spend what they can (preferred), or apply absolutely grueling penalties for violating a cap. $7 million isn't even a good driver's salary.

[Trip McNeely]

So RBR handed a $7 million fine for the Costcappen escapade with the only other sanction being a reduction in wind tunnel time that can't be accounted for accurately in the first place. The financial penalty is excluded from the 2022 cap reckoning. So going forward....... that's just the cost of contesting the championship then, right? Figure you'll spend your spend, then have $7 million set aside for the fine.

Either don't have a cost cop and let teams spend what they can (preferred), or apply absolutely grueling penalties for violating a cap. $7 million isn't even a good driver's salary.

Their budget isn’t even reduced. So whatever they save from the wind tunnel, they can lighten their chassis or upgrade their brakes. They already have the most aerodynamic car anyways

It’s a total joke. Considering Ferrari did something similar on the shady scale with their engine a few years back and had 2 1/2 seasons ruined because of it

[tifosi77]

This is for 2021, right? Just another giant asterisk next to Max's first title, I guess.

Although it appears catering did play a big part in the overspend. The overage the FIA cited was £1.7 m, and Horner says RBR's catering expense was £1.4 m. RBR's position is food and drink should not count against the cap. 'Twas their espressos what done them in. lol

[dodint]

She's pragnart.

[CBear3]

This is for 2021, right? Just another giant asterisk next to Max's first title, I guess.

Although it appears catering did play a big part in the overspend. The overage the FIA cited was £1.7 m, and Horner says RBR's catering expense was £1.4 m. RBR's position is food and drink should not count against the cap. 'Twas their espressos what done them in. lol

This is the biggest joke. Everybody else has catering budgets that figure into the cap and made it work Horner.
The whole thing is a farce, and the FIA continues to look like a bunch of clowns.

[Trip McNeely]

Ferrari pitwall at it again

Leclerc needs to just leave

[dodint]

Such a great day today:

Putting this car away for the winter knowing that it actually starts is YUGE.

[tifosi77]

[tifosi77]

To me, Penske was the McLaren of Indycar. (The Marlboro livery didn't help lol) They were often my 'enemy' team in the category, but you had to respect them. They were a class apart during this era, and this car was a big reason for that. There's a moment in the video that shows a full side-on profile of the car in road/street course trim, and damn if that's not just exactly how a single seat racing car should look.

[dodint]

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the paddock,
Not a motor was stirring, not even an impact ;
The stockings were hung by the pit fence with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The drivers were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of championships danced in their heads;
And mamma in her checkered flag, and I in my Bell,
Had just settled down for a long winter's spell,

When out on the grid there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
To the back of the trailer I flew like a shift,
Unlocked the rampdoor, and let down the lift.

The moon on the crest of the new-paved front straight,
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects so late,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a formula car, screaming by in top gear.

Such a noise caused the chief steward to immediately
arise,
And by the look on his face he had words for this guy,
He shouted aloud in his most gruff voice,
“It’s quiet time now, GET OFF OF THE COURSE”!

Then sound control had been stirred from its slumber,
And yelled to the chief steward, “I’ve never seen such
a DB number!”
The chief of tech said, upon seeing this fellow,
“I’ve never seen that car, and I know it has no
annual”.

The chief steward demanded to know this driver’s
intent,
To which registration replied, “Maybe he’s a late
registrant.”
Suddenly timing and scoring appeared from yonder,
And chimed in “That car on course has no transponder.”


Though I couldn’t see the driver, he went by so quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than Schuey his crew they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, JACKMAN! now, TIRE CHANGER! now, CREWCHIEF and
FUELMAN!
On, ENGINEER! on FABRICATOR! on, MANAGER and TIREMAN!
Beyond the tech shed! to base of the pit wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As valves that before the busted cam fly,
When they meet with a piston, mount to the sky,
So to the base of the timing tower the crewman they
flew,
With a hauler full of “go fast” bits, and St. Nicholas
too.

And then, in a flash, I heard on the grid
The roaring and thunder that each piston did.
As I drew on my pitboard, and was turning about,
into Victory Lane, St. Nicholas had arrived, without
doubt.

He was dressed all in Simpson, from his head to his
boots,
And his suit was all tarnished with oil and soot;
A bundle of speed parts he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a vendor just opening his pack.

His face shield -- how it twinkled! his helmet decals
shone!
His patches were like a mural, his name scripted like
a pro!
His neck restraint was the best design we’d seen yet,
And his gloves and his boots were a perfectly matched
set;

His tools spoke volumes, he used all that they had,
A mouse, a keyboard, a computer, and CAD;
This just confirmed what we already knew,
More than a great driver, he is a great designer too.

The parcels for the stockings that he brought along,
Dripped of technology that helped engines make song;
A look at the sides of his car showed there had been
no rubbing here,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to fear;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to pacing,
And filled all the stockings; with parts for racing,
Then flipping the master power switch, and laying his
finger on the starter,
And into first gear, back down pit road, but no
farther;

He sprang from his car, to his team gave a holler,
And immediately they loaded the car back in the
hauler.
But I heard him exclaim, as they tore out from the
line,
"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND SHIFT IN TURN 9!"

[tifosi77]

Ho ho ho

[tifosi77]

Arrived in Vegas last night, went to dinner w Mrs Tif and MIL at a brasserie inside Paris Hotel overlooking the Bellagio fountains. Since that part of The Strip is approaching the biggest stop on the new F1 circuit talk turned to that upcoming F1 race, which is apparently being met with enthusiasm by locals. They were like "You should look into getting tickets", and I was like "I don't think you understand, this is F1......." And so I checked.

GA 3-day entry, standing room only, $500, which is actually not as much as I was expecting. T1 grandstand tix are $2,500 for 3 days (inclusive of food and n-a beverages). Almost all ticket options are already sold out. What's left is mostly the 'experience' packages offered by the resorts and start at around $10,000.

Also dodint's favorite part of the layout, the bit that looked like a car park, which will be the T1/pit area....... that was one of the locations the Raiders were considering for the Death Star, but the F1 rights people apparently bought up all that land. They will be building permanent garage/pit facilities there and that part of the track will be there year round, a la Singapore.

[meecrofilm]

And good stuff dodint

[tifosi77]

Whoops, this bit....

Also dodint's favorite part of the layout, the bit that looked like a car park, which will be the T1/pit area....... that was one of the locations the Raiders were considering for the Death Star, but the F1 rights people apparently bought up all that land.

... is actually a couple blocks north of the proposed stadium land/airport. I regret any confusion my earlier remarks may have caused.