21 replies to this topic

[Wiggy]

In this age of bizarre rule changes, there is one glaringly obvious excess that most teams insist on having which is the ever-increasing-in-size motor homes in the paddock.

I was watching 'Teds Notebook' on sky at the weekend, and the motor homes are bordering on ridiculous for a 4-day event. Only Marrusia and Caterham stick with the 'traditional' style of two trucks with a tent between...

It was Ron and McLaren who 'wowed' the paddock at imola all those years ago, and ever since it's been another way to spend cash.

I was at spa last year and parked up at pouhon were 20+ trucks that the Mercedes team use to transport their motor home..... Surely this is an excess that could/should be kerbed?

[Wiggy]

Check out what goes into flinging up the 'energy station' every GP weekend... Cranes required...

http://www.krantrans...-energy-station

[4MEN]

Motorhomes show how elitist an stupid this sport has become. Motorhomes are just what F1 is!

[Timstr11]

I doubt the 20 trucks were only for the motor homes.

Mercedes supplies 4 teams, including their own with a powertrains. Force India also gets their gearbox. All including onsite technical support.

Surely you cannot compare it to Marussia who do not need to do all that.

[johnmhinds]

"shrug" If the big companies/teams want to waste their money on a fancy pants motorhome to do meetings in they should be allowed to.

 

It doesn't really affect the racing or take away any of the budget from the racing side of those teams.

[Wiggy]

[4MEN]

Read the license plates: FOM. Those are Bernie's Mercs.

[ollebompa]

The licence plates says FOM.

 

Edit: beaten.

Edited by ollebompa, 26 June 2014 - 20:35.

[redreni]

It was Ron and McLaren who 'wowed' the paddock at imola all those years ago, and ever since it's been another way to spunk cash up the wall.

 

 

What a charming metaphor. But I don't think that's the case. The teams are in this game to make money, they will have done a cost/benefit analysis on those motor homes, and they obviously reckon they pay for themselves. The people who pay to put their branding all over the team's stuff don't pay to have their brand associated with the ropiest, most basic motor home in the paddock. They pay to put their name on something that says "hey, look at me". They also use those motorhomes to entertain VIPs and get deals done, and again it helps if the facilities are as plush and spacious as possible, with private areas. And they're used by drivers to escape the often frenzied atmosphere in the paddock, so again, it's good if they have enough room to be comfortable.

 

And the cost of the extravagant motorhomes that pop up in Europe is probably not so great compared to the much more modest facilities that they take to the flyaway races, once transportation costs are taken into account. Because the motorhomes for the European races go by road in the team's own trucks rather than by road, then air-freight, then road again.

Edited by redreni, 26 June 2014 - 20:38.

[Wiggy]

Yeah, my bad... They were the FOM trucks, and the FIA had a bunch too... But further along were some of the 23 trucks that Mercedes take to the races...

They could carry out some huge 'fuel saving' by halving that number...

[Dolph]

Yeah, my bad... They were the FOM trucks, and the FIA had a bunch too... But further along were some of the 23 trucks that Mercedes take to the races...

They could carry out some huge 'fuel saving' by halving that number...

 

What are we talking here? From 50th to 25 th euros per year?

[Ross Stonefeld]

A lot of these motorhomes were paid for years ago. I think Sauber still use their old BMW Sauber one. Pirelli is the old Jaguar, etc. 

[Elba]

"shrug" If the big companies/teams want to waste their money on a fancy pants motorhome to do meetings in they should be allowed to.

 

It doesn't really affect the racing or take away any of the budget from the racing side of those teams.

Exactly 

Who cares? It doesn't affect the racing whatsoever.

[HaydenFan]

NBC Sports did a F1 pre-race program for Monaco. Had a bit about the motorhomes in Catalunya. Outside of a few of the top teams, most where recycled from other teams. And all teams have kept the same motorhomes for the last few years. 

 

^^^^^^ Think Ross watched the same program I did. Williams uses the old Toyota motorhome. 

 

At the end of the day, is this why F1 costs are ridiculously high? No! A team spends a few million building one, and a few hundred thousand to transport, erect, and operate (plus most don't leave Europe). 

[Jon83]

I really couldn't care less what the motorhomes are like. If the teams want to spend money on them, let them. 

 

Maybe we should just outlaw F1 altogether. 

[BullHead]

Yeah, if cost / budget capping measures ever seriously happen, the one area teams must be allowed to spend on is hospitality.

[Fastcake]

What a charming metaphor. But I don't think that's the case. The teams are in this game to make money, they will have done a cost/benefit analysis on those motor homes, and they obviously reckon they pay for themselves. The people who pay to put their branding all over the team's stuff don't pay to have their brand associated with the ropiest, most basic motor home in the paddock. They pay to put their name on something that says "hey, look at me". They also use those motorhomes to entertain VIPs and get deals done, and again it helps if the facilities are as plush and spacious as possible, with private areas. And they're used by drivers to escape the often frenzied atmosphere in the paddock, so again, it's good if they have enough room to be comfortable.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the cost/benefit analysis consisted of measuring the team next door's motorhome and deciding they were value for money. They were brought at the same time they used to have extravagant launches of this year's paint job in Berlin after all, instead of just lifting a tarp in Jerez. They wasted a ton of money on stupid things in the 2000s.

[Fonzey]

I think F1 motorhomes are excellent and are a modern tradition of the sport.

They're one of my favourite sites when attending a GP weekend (my god I long for a paddock pass) and as already mentioned, they're gold dust for sponsors.

Make them bigger and better I say!

[pingu666]

I wouldn't be surprised if the cost/benefit analysis consisted of measuring the team next door's motorhome and deciding they were value for money. They were brought at the same time they used to have extravagant launches of this year's paint job in Berlin after all, instead of just lifting a tarp in Jerez. They wasted a ton of money on stupid things in the 2000s.

 

the launches used to get alot of press attention, didnt they?

 

but the motorhomes are to impress and draw in all the sponsors they arent getting anymore

[loki]

Read the license plates: FOM. Those are Bernie's Mercs.

Yep. Those are the trucks that carry all of Bernie's money from the race...

[clown]

This isn't a cost containment issue, because it's not an unavoidable cost.
You can run a competitive F1 program without an extravagant motor home.

[Buttoneer]

This isn't a cost containment issue, because it's not an unavoidable cost.
You can run a competitive F1 program without an extravagant motor home.

McLaren use it to wine and dine their sponsors and extract additional cash, plus the catering experience they get is translated into event catering.  You can use 'Absolute Taste' for your external event too, if you can afford them, and plenty of people can.

 

Williams have a conference centre at Grove, and I expect the same experience gained at the circuits is used to cater there too.

 

It is likely that the big teams make money as a result of the capital outlay.