F1 Today – 28/10/2015
Early payments please
Force India have request advance on their 2016 championship money to help tide them through the winter and pay suppliers. Bob Fernley deputy team principal says the request is similar to one the team made before the start of the season.
He said “The only difference between what we did at the beginning of this year and what we are planning for 2016 is just bringing it forward a month or so earlier to cash-flow it better.” He said they didn’t want to make their suppliers suffer.
He says they know the team need to start winding down as they don’t get payments through the winter as all receive payments monthly, from February to the end of November. The payments are calculated on historic and last season performance.
Fernley said Ecclestone was supportive, despite Force India and Sauber last month asking European Union authorities to investigate Formula One’s governance and distribution of revenues. The teams owners Vijay Mallya and the Sahara Group are embroiled in financial troubles in India, suffered delays to the build of their new car this year and missed most of pre-season testing.
Confident of engine deal
Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost is confident the team will strike a new engine deal in weeks. The team which has parted along with Red Bull with Renault at the end of the season, it is understood the team is to return to Ferrari engines.
Tost told Autosport that the team is “still negotiating, and we are getting closer and closer, and within the next weeks we will have a decision.” He says he hoped it would be before the end of the season or it will become very tough for the start in Melbourne.
But he said “The manufacturers decide what we get, and in the end we have to be happy to get something. If it’s one year old, this is how it is. The influence we have in this case is not on a level we maybe would expect, or wish.”
Tost added there is no reason why Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr will not form his driver line-up for next season. He said “They are doing a fantastic job.”
Why there was no deal – Wolff
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has reveal the two key conditions that the German manufacturer gave Red Bull during talks about a Formula 1 engine supply deal that took place in July.
In Austin Berine Ecclestone said Red Bull had started to cut its ties to current supplier Renault over the summer because it thought it had a Mercedes deal. This was after a meeting between Ecclestone, Wolff, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner and Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.
Wolff told Autosport “The first was we needed carte blanche from Renault as they are an industrial partner of Mercedes, and we would never do anything against them.”
“Unless Renault gave us the go ahead we couldn’t move. It would be in breach of contract, and there is a much bigger picture involving Renault and Mercedes than Formula 1, such as the joint factories in Mexico.”
He said there was concern that Red bull could have been more successful than the works team which would harm the Mercedes brand. He says the looked at the “benefit on the global side? Can we do a car scheme, joint events, joint platforms? Please come up with the person we can talk to.”
Pulling sponsorship
Swedish broadcaster MTV says that one of Valtteri Bottas’ personal sponsors is pulling its financial backing from the Williams team. Although not regarded in the paddock as a typical ‘pay driver’ the Fin did have some sponsorship
The welding company Kemppi has confirmed that it will no longer support Williams financially beyond 2015 but will support him on a personal level.
CEO Anssi Rantasalo said “We feel that we achieved what we wanted from our agreement with Williams, which expires this year. We have been able to take advantage of it really well.”
Adding “Now we are at least taking a break, then we will look at a way forward after next season.” He said they will continue to be involved with Valtteri in one way or another and with Williams through a technical cooperation.
Kemppi backing was worth some EUR 2 million (£143,00,98.30) per year to Williams, although Rantasalo would not comment on that.
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