jalda

If your “brain script” leads you to kill, you just need to be removed from society

If you accept strict determinism, the fact that killers should go to prison is one of the "biases formed by prior events" that will determine that most people won't become killers. Which in turn determine us as individuals in a society to create and enforce justice systems.

Keep simping for terrorists

You are the only one simping for the IDF

Alpine is Linux but not GNU

Hurd is GNU but not Linux

Ok, so Andretti made their bid supported by three arguments:

1. They had arranged a PU deal with Renault. This technically is not necessary, since a team without PU supplier is automatically assigned one. But things go always smoother when the agreement is mutual instead of forced.
2. The deal also included something similar to the Haas model, where Andretti would be able to buy many parts from Alpine. This is really important for Andretti, since all their racing experience is in spec or quasi-spec series.
3. And the deal also included the rebranding of the Renault PU as Cadillac. Andretti wanted to sell this as bringing a new constructor to the sport.

But it turns out that all three arguments are no longer true, and haven't been true for seven months. This is a huge question mark about the viability of the Andretti project.

And it is also a huge question mark on FIA's bidding process, that selected Andretti just one week ago. Did Andretti try to hide the fact that the contract had expired? Did FIA fail in the due diligence? Or maybe FIA knew about the expiration, but didn't care since they only care about their stupid dispute against FOM and the teams, and not the quality of the racing.

Friendly reminder that FIA gets their funding from the entrance fees paid by teams and drivers, so more teams equals more money for FIA, no matter how shitty those teams are. On the other hand, FOM and the teams get their money from tickets, F1TV subscriptions and sponsors, which rely (among other factors) on the popularity of the sport. So FOM and the teams have a vested interest in protecting the quality of the racing as a means to gain popularity. Both parties to this dispute are moved by greed, but only one is (accidentally) aligned with our interest as fans.

If a team doesn't have any contract with a PU supplier, they are assigned Pu with the least customers.

If Andretti enters in 2025 and don't have a PU deal, Renault will be forced to supply them. If they enter in 2026 or later, there are three PUs with only one team: Renault (Alpine), Honda (Aston martin) and Audi (Sauber), so any of them could be forced to supply them.

I bet you make this exact comment in all the threads about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, right?

First, the cost cap is great to avoid big teams outspending everyone else. But it doesn't put more money in the teams' account. If Williams or Haas or McLaren get less prize money, they will have to reduce their budget below the cost cap.

Second, I don't see how the new car rules or engine rules (which GM has failed all the deadlines) have anything to do with my rant. The existing teams will not forget how to build a chassis only because the wheelbase is a bit shorter, so it isn't an opportunity for Andretti to catch up. And in fact you are wrong, Andretti will enter in 2025, and the new car and engine rules start in 2026. So they will have to design to completely different cars in two seasons while the rest of teams will just evolve their 2023-2024 cars for 2025. Another issue for them.

With respect to the third point, I guess you're right. They don't dilute the prize pot in their first season, and the anti-dilution fee covers for the second. But it is just another temporary patch that doesn't solve the long-term problem though.

Unpopular opinion/rant: I don't think this is good news for the sport.

Of course it is about the money. In a capitalist society, everything is about the money. And I do agree that in the case of Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari it is pure greed, but what about the rest of the grid. Haas and Williams are now viable without relying on paydrivers or shady sponsors. McLaren and Aston Martin have now the resources to compete for podiums. If teams receive less prize money, F1 would be undoing all the good progress of the last few years. Is it worth it for Andretti?

But wait, adding Andretti will for sure make the pie bigger! Of course, those people at FOM and the teams are dumb and haven't accounted for the trillions of spectators than Andretti will bring. Let's not forget that this year the viewership in the USA has decreased despite an American driver. And also that Nascar is way more popular than Indycar in the USA, so an Indy team like Andretti will attract less viewers than a Nascar team like Haas (and we already know that Haas didn't attract that many).

And then there is the anti-dilution fee. Which is literally a patch, it only covers for the first year. Once the anti-dilution fee is spent, we go back to Haas and Williams (and probably Andretti themselves) fumbling for paydrivers and shady sponsors, and McLaren and Aston Martin languishing in the midfield.

But at least we would have one epic year of 11 competitive teams, right? Haas was competitive from the start, and Andretti will use the same model. In the first place, will they? It seems that Renault/Alpine are only interested in selling them PUs and gearboxes, and nothing else. Second, the (very limited) success of Haas depends on Ferrari always being a top team, despite the memes; Renault/Alpine have been an eternal midfield team for almost twenty years. And finally, Haas relies on Dallara building their chassis even more than in Ferrari's parts. Andretti has zero experience in building a chassis, they only participate in spec or quasi-spec series, and the rules prevent Dallara from providing chassis to more than one team. Honestly, I see them struggling with the 107% rule.

So what is going to add Andretti to the grid, if not their experience in designing and building fast cars? Their experience in managing a racing team? Their Indycar team is in an absolute decline. An engine partnership? For the moment, all that Cadillac-GM promises is a rebadged PU, and the deadlines to enter as an engine manufacturer go by with no sign of their interest.

And what about the future? They have great ambitions about running the team completely from the USA. Which are no different than Haas' ambitions when they entered the sport. The fact is that the people with the relevant experience in designing and building an open-wheeler car (and that includes also Indycar's Dallara) are located in two very concrete areas of Europe: England and Northern Italy. So they only have two options: either recruit existing engineers or teach new ones. If they are going to recruit people, making them to move to another continent, they would need economic incentives, so an increased cost. And if they are going to teach them, it costs both time and money. Either way, an increased cost in engineering, with the cost-cap regulations, means a competitive disadvantage.

It is always good to remember that FIA's revenue depends solely on the entry fees that teams and drivers have to pay each season, so their interest is to have as many teams as possible, with the only requisite that they are solvent enough to actually show up to the races. On the other hand, FOM and the teams depend on F1 being a enjoyable sport so viewers want to watch and/or go to the races. I think that our interest as fans are naturally aligned with those of FOM and the teams.

The teams have no say (at least formally, in practice they could boycott the races or even threat again to create their breakaway series). FIA only can add them to the entrants list. Everything else is FOM.

TV rights? FOM. Contracts with the circuits? FOM. Contracts with DHL? FOM. Contracts with Pirelli? FOM.

So if FOM said so, Andretti wouldn't be able to ship their cars, enter the circuits or even have tires.

Andretti has a stated goal of being able to fight for the F1 title in 5-6 years

When they entered the sport, Haas also claimed that they wanted to fight for the title in 5-6 years, and that their European base was just temporary and they would move completely to the US. Just like Andretti is doing right now.

Promising things is very cheap, comitting not do much.

El Manoloriano in Spanish

Of course they shouldn't. On an unrelated note, I'm so hyped for a season with only Alpine and Andretti cars on track.