TBK-Light.com

I was laughed at for suggesting it, but turns out I might be right - kind of.

Rumours are now saying Ricciardo may be off to Mercedes - as it's reserve driver.

Lol. Well, it IS a Merc drive. If true this silly season has certainly been one to remember.

I think it's very smart. He's either in the box seat to get a Mercedes seat, or he'll have one year's experience with Mercedes to take to another team.

Better than floundering at the back of the grid with Alfa, Williams or Haas.

Indeed. Is a great addition to Mercedes though, they have a great asset if something happens to George or Lewis (it'll not happen)

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

Summary: STFU Toto.

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Looks like the Porsche-Red Bull deal is DOA. Can't fault RB's reasons for turning it down.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/why- ... /10364603/

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Today appeared in the news that VW might be selling part of Porsche to fund their EV development and one of the potential bidders is Dietrich Mateschitz

but they might follow the Volvo path and get bought by a chinese auto industry

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

At some point Red Bull is going to need a major outside partner for financials. I can't see the entire F1 side (now an engine maker) being standalone from the energy drink's side. Is the F1 side financially viable without the energy drinks money, as in, if there was no Red Bull branding/money is the team financially stable enough to produce an engine along with the race team?

At some point the money from the drinks side will stop or be diminished.

I dunno, they've made this business model work for almost 20 years so I'd say it's proven at this point. If all RBF1 needs is money, seems like a branding powerhouse is a better way to get it than a massive manufacturing bureaucracy that has an agenda to connect its products with F1 cars. And energy drinks are arguably a more future-proof product than sports cars at this point.

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Totally agree - I don't think they have too much to worry about financially. In addition to all the motorsports stuff, they also own 7 professional football teams and a couple of ice hockey teams. Football is enough of a cash generator that the F1 teams might be the only things they do that aren't permanently profitable.

But how does Dieter's potential replacement feel about it? Does (s)he want to spent a good portion of the profits on all that or are they greedy and want that profit for themselves? Or do they recognize the potential all those teams have for the brand in general? Or does Dieter already arrange that his successor has to keep funding it?

Genuine question btw since it wouldnt be the first time a successor destroys what the previous boss has build up.


Regarding Ricciardo: If he takes the Mercedes reserve role he is out of F1. Is getting too old and cant show what he can do every race weekend. If he goes to Haas or Williams he'll have a decently rated teammate. If he gets his groove back he can show it on track. Even if the car is a backmarker. Other teams can still see what he does with that car.
He will be well down the line of potential replacements would Hamilton call it quits after 2023. If they cannot lure any of the top drivers they surely wont opt for the guy that is close to his retirement and hasnt raced for 1 season and hasnt performed in the 2 years before that unless they absolutely have to.

Between the Oracle money, and the Bybit money, and the prize money, and the budget cap, I would be surprised if the racing team was not making a profit.

RBPT is another matter.

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Dan Wheldon ¦ 1978-2011
Marco Simoncelli ¦ 1987-2011
Jules Bianchi ¦ 1989-2015
Justin Wilson ¦ 1978-2015

Yeah, I know he's mad and I don't care. I do not care. I did not care then. I do not care now. I'm here to race him.

one of the reasons there's been a spike of interest in starting new teams is that the business model for f1 teams is projected to become extremely profitable even for the smaller teams. this is why andretti is so keen to get in now, but also why all the other teams are being greedy motherfuckers. they don't want to share their pie

https://the-race.com/formula-1/f1-on-verge-of-having-10-profit-making-teams-wolff/

Jeeez hahahah they need to extend this theme at the of the season. So they can add Zandvoort blunder and what more is to come

Autosport has uploaded the best timeline story so far about the Piastri saga.
Alpine realy tried to slander Piastri's name with that loyalty b@ll.

Zak Brown knew Riciardo was already done, so that tweet of Riciardo staying with mclaren in 2023 was just against all odds but good for negotiating to buy the contract off.

Webber apollogised to Riciardo the way things went but i think he shouldnt have to.
He got at least a bag full of money and his name/image than going completely Damon Hill 1999.

Slightly F1 related (Ralph Firman involved in bringing back Van Diemen name), but imagine a formula car and a sports car had a baby... yuck!

https://www.motorsport.com/openwheel/ne ... /10365496/

It kinda reminds me of some of the prototypes used in Brazil endurance series

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ALPINE SKIING CRASHES SPREADSHEET

CanAm in their latter years used to pick F1 chassis and do their mods

a March 811


and a Williams FW07

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now

They did it with a Jordan 191 too but cant find the picture atm

the Jordan used to race in Interserie, that mixed various cars, like the 1990 Minardi



funny that the driver was a shady character named James Taylor, but I dunno if he was also a singer

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Motorsports trend for 2024: everything is a bad taste joke now