While Formula 1 is closing the 2021 season with five grands prix over the next six weeks, the last fortnightly break was full of interesting news and rumors, so let’s take a look at the undercut.
Sauber’s Andretti buyout fizzled out – Look at it any way you want, but a couple of things come into play here. Let’s face it, Andretti riding in would never happen. Trust me, if Michael tried as hard as he did to own Sauber as he did in his dismal 1993 Formula One season at McLaren, it’s no wonder the sale didn’t continue.
And how about Toto Wolff advising current Sauber owner Finn Rausing against the sale so generously, even though the wealth of the mega-rich Swede is more than 15 times the net worth of the Mercedes F1 CEO and shareholder?
Thank you, Toto, but I’m sure Mr. Rausing knows exactly what he’s doing!
But what is very real, and more than likely the real reason the buyout failed, is that with the cost cap now in effect and the new FIA F1 financial rules, the F1 is now in place and the F1 is now at the beginning of a serious commercial sports investment era , a commercial franchise era if you will, and as Zak Brown points out, teams are about to become multi-billion dollar companies.
And that includes Haas for all naysayers.
Predictions for the championship 2021 – F1 fandom has whined about the lack of competition at the top of the field year after year, and now they’ve managed to argue over who has an advantage. Just forget who is the best until they win and enjoy in the meantime.
In the press, Toto Wolff reminds George Russell of internal limits at Mercedes – Come on, Toto, are you serious? If, as you publicly stated, Russell is really the future of Mercedes, why would you want to gag that guy in the first place?
Red Bull questions Mercedes ride height optimization – Take a break, Christian. You guys have been using Heave dampers for years to do very similar things, buddy.
Pat Symonds predicts that by 2022 cars will be tenths slower, not seconds – It looks like the F1 PR machine is feeling the need to get into damage control. I have to disagree, Pat, and I’m still predicting the cars will be 3 to 3½ seconds slower next year. And while we’re at it, if you’ve deliberately changed the F1 goal posts from speed to closer race, why does it really matter how much faster or slower the cars get?
The desperation of Formula 1 to conquer the USA – I am not sorry to admit that I absolutely disagree with the need to be accepted by a country that does not get Formula 1, what I have explained here >>>
Netflix – Who loves it and who hates it? I don’t care who the hero and who the villain is. If you’re a purist like me, Drive to Survive is the F1 version of Days Of Our Lives, a soap opera for an audience that doesn’t feel like understanding F1 for what it really is.
Fan poll from F1 – Feedback is only as good as the questions asked. The F1 worldwide fan survey didn’t ask any of the big, tough questions. Are the current power supplies relevant? Are Pirelli tires crap? Are the new regulations necessary for 2022? Do you see where i’m going?
Nico Rosberg on the advantage in the driver standings – Come on, Nico. You couldn’t hack it any longer and ran away, so please shut up!
Who will be Wingman of the Year 2021? – Sergio Perez has some better results and all of a sudden he will have a big impact on the result? If Perez leads Max on Sunday in a highly unlikely scenario, waiting for a home win, won’t he still be told to let Verstappen through? And, as far as Bottas’ head can go, is it already in an Alfa Romeo? I think both Lewis and Max deserve real wingmen.
Last but not least,
Anthony Hamilton speaks – Anthony Hamilton recently swept out of the woods telling us that Lewis will be the last of the Mohicans and that he expects his son and Max to kiss and cuddle to celebrate after the championship is decided. That was new to me.
What a fortnight!
Get Mexico City.
Only 6 days left until #MexikoGP! 
# F1 # F1esta pic.twitter.com/gP3vHy56eD
– Mexican Grand Prix
(@mexicogp) November 1, 2021
The post The Undercut: Mark’s hot gossip in front of Mexico first appeared on monter-une-startup.
