F1 – Toto Wolff: Formula 1’s future engineer

Once in the strategic axis F1 crossedEurope. Few of the races that have been held are far from that old world That stimulated interest, sponsorship and financial resources. Not that other countries did not participate in the big wagon, but the core of the class had very specific limits. Over the years, we have witnessed a geographical and geopolitical rearrangement that has dissolved the old block to create other centers of gravity scattered here and there around the world.

In the last decades of the last century, some Asian countries, thanks to gradual productive development, acted as magnets by moving the fulcrum of industrial capitalism towards the east. reality like Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong (Later absorbed by China), MalaysiaAnd the IndonesiaAnd the Thailand And the China They themselves have become poles of mass production, at low cost and increasingly specialized (read here). These have recently been joined by countries referred to as the black gold holders who fill the entire category in petrodollars.

F1. The strategic role of the United States

but that is not all. The United State, who always had economic interests in the series, took more and more power. and space. Needless to say, the decisive acceleration came and when Liberty Media Got the stock package F1 from the hand Bernie Ecclestone. in the presence of Hass So joined the entertainment giant, which has begun to make its specific weight tangible by radically changing connectivity and introducing modular elements. motorsports Brand United States of America.

A development still in progress that led, among other things, to two races on US Federation soil (you love Me And the Austin) which will become three when, next year, Las Vegas GB. Elements that do nothing but confirm two proofs: the first is that Liberty Media intends to move the hub to the land where its assets are located; The second tells us that American audiences are increasingly drawn to events that were once more exciting to European viewers.

It goes without saying that in this context, other “Made in the USA” franchises would like to look for F1. This is the case in Andretti Globalthe indicated fact Mario Andrettiwho has been pressing for months to embrace circus. Convincing attempts, but so far they have yielded somewhat futile results. Above all, they faced the reluctance of the other squads that crouched in their ivory towers. In fact, in their vaults.

Obviously, there is money involved. as always. sports regulations F1 It is expected that a maximum of 13 registered teams can be reached. But it’s not very automatic to exceed the current number of 20 cars on the grid. Ten facts that make up the chessboard today Circus World Champion They believe they have created a very stable and productive business model. for themselves.

So it’s hard to imagine other teams looking favorably on the entry of another actor who has to swallow a large slice of the profits he organizes. Concorde Charter whose drafting, no more than a year ago, risked blowing up the whole wagon. This particular document is critical to the bureaucratic performance of F1 It states that each new team wishing to enter the category must pay a real tax of $200 million. A beautiful personality. But it’s still a unique solution that in the long run doesn’t cover all the resources that another team’s presence sucks in.

Toto Wolf Repeat again that the possibility of Andretti does not excite him and perhaps his colleagues. And who even looks positively at the entrance to a competitor Mathematical “dangerous” is like Volkswagen Which, however, has the advantage of not breaking that imaginary circle of ten contenders. “Andretti is a great name and I think he’s done exceptional things in the United States. But this is a sport and a business, and we need to understand what it can do for usWolf explained as reported by Motorsport.

“If an international and multinational company or group gets into Formula 1 and can demonstrate that it will spend a lot of dollars on activation and marketing in different markets, it is clearly a very different value proposition for all the other teams. With 10 seats, it is always hoped that the value will increase. It certainly won’t happen by giving new things to people who can’t increase the overall value of F1“.

F1. The circus can’t handle the expansion

Simple Vienna Director’s SpeechAnd the polished and linear: Volkswagen is a subject that, through its brands that bring significant media commercial appeal, can increase the intrinsic value of F1 without altering the solid balances that generate advantages for those who belong to those elite ten subjects.. A new team, among other things without an engineer behind it, will not be able to generate value. Indeed, it can be stolen by those who acquired it after a long process of technical, sports and financial stability.

wolf He frequently revealed himself in the first person, attracting the fatal rage of AndrettiBut his strategic vision is widely shared in F1. Red Bull and Ferrari They’re on the same wavelength the other teams track but basically enjoy the status quo with the relevant political and financial benefits. The only team that wholeheartedly supported the cause of Andretti and the Alps Which was unaffected by sporting magnanimity because it hoped – and still is – to customize its V6 engines for a client team. This is very difficult given the imminent entry of the German giant Wolfsburg.

hopes for Andretti So it is reduced to a flicker despite the strategic axis of F1 now leaning towards United States of America. The 10-point model has ensured that the game will survive even in stormy moments like those caused by the pandemic crisis and the uncontrolled rise in prices we are still seeing. VolkswagenUnlike the assembler, he would be able to further solidify the tower that had emerged unscathed from many attacks.

author: Diego Catalano – Lord save her