[FAQ] Frequently asked questions to rec.autos.sport.f1.moderated - Part 1 of 2
Mark Jackson 19 May 2008 02:15:08
$Revision: 2.70 $, $Date: 2005/03/01 13:08:08 $
This FAQ is posted approximately twice a month. (The subject should be the same; if you do not want to retrieve it, kill the subject.) Between postings you can find a reasonably current copy at http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson/rasf1m.html. For more information about the operation of this newsgroup, and a nicely-formatted version of this FAQ, see the rec.autos.sport.f1.moderated website at http://www.rasf1m.net/.
*NOTE* The FAQ has been split into two parts to avoid it being too long for some people's rules.
Thanks to the following people who, amongst others, have had contributions culled to make the FAQ.
Kim Andrews, Paul B, Sven Baumer, David Betts, Sergiusz Boron, Alessio Bragadini, Lord Tim Brent, Stênio F. Campos, Simon "Bumble Bee Boy" Cossar, Andrew Cosstick, Emma Crawley, GD, BF Dehay, Doug Farrow, Pete Fenelon, Ken Fletcher, Mark J Frusciante, Tony Gartshore, Alan Gauton, Thomas Gmuer, Lutz Goerke, Paul Harman, Ian Hill, Mark Jackson, Jak, Alan Jones, Brian Lawrence, Jeff "Eskimo Joe", Olav K. Malmin, Julie Miles, Dave Parker, Jon Petersson, Barry Posner, Rob, Duncan Rollo, Rui Pedro Mendes Salgueiro, Martin Schmidt, Peter Scoular, Johan V, Mike Whooley, Paul Winalski. A big thanks must go to Stephen M Baines for maintaining this FAQ through mid-2001.
Apologies to anyone whose name was missed - it's not deliberate!
The FAQ may not have answers to everything you need - it is just a collection of *frequently* asked questions and their answers, not the answers to everything
Corrections and additions are especially welcome. I do try to keep up with the newsgroup, but to make sure of something being considered for the FAQ mail me at mjackson@alumni.caltech.edu.
The FAQ is divided into several sections.
This introduction (Part 1) 1. Rules, regulations and governing body (Part 1) 2. The teams and cars (Part 1) 3. The drivers (Part 2) 4. The races (Part 2) 5. The circuits (Part 2) 6. Television (Part 2) 7. Sponsors (Part 2) 8. Manufacturers (Part 2) 9. Technical stuff (Part 2) 10. Miscellaneous (Part 2)
1. Rules, Regulations and Governing Body ===========================================
Q: Who is the governing body of Formula 1? A: The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), headquartered in Paris (F) and whose President is currently Max Mosley. In 1904 various national motor clubs organized the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) to run international motor sport (reserving control of national events for themselves). The AIACR first issued an international sporting calendar and regulations in 1908, and in 1924 formed a Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) to formalize the oversignt of Grand Prix and other forms of international racing.
The term Formula 1 came into use in 1947, when the AIACR reorganized itself as the FIA. The World Championship of Drivers was begun in 1950.
Q: What are the main changes for 2005? In an effort to improve the show two-stage qualifying is planned. On Saturday cars will run one timed lap in reverse order from their finishing positions from the previous race, with the cars permitted to refuel but otherwise being impounded afterwards. The second qualifying session will be run Sunday morning, reverse order from the Saturday times, with no refueling afterwards and the grid determined by the aggregate of Saturday's and Sunday's single-lap times.
On safety grounds, and following the failure of the F1 Technical Working Group to agree on a proposal, the FIA announced in October:
* significant additional restrictions on diffusers and front and rear wings * single set of tires to be used for qualifying and race (One set each of the two available compounds for comparison on Friday; choice made early Saturday, with one new set for practice and a second set for qualifying and race.) * engines to last for two full race weekends
Agreement on improved wheel tethers and headrest protection, and on the coating of certain carbon-fiber body parts to suppress the shedding of sharp fragments in an accident, had previously been announced.
Q: Are other changes planned? A: Again on safety grounds the FIA has mandated the use of 2.4 liter V8 engines beginning in 2006 in order to reduce power (and hence speed). Significant restrictions on engine design and materials have also been mandated. A provision to permit current 3.0 liter V10 engines during 2006-07 under RPM restrictions TBA has been promised, this intended to give the independent teams a relatively low-cost option.
Radical restrictions to control costs and speeds have been floated by the FIA for 2008. All teams save Ferrari skipped a January meeting to discuss these; next scheduled meeting is in April.
Q: What is the Concorde Agreement? A: The original Concorde Agreement (so-called because it was signed at the FIA headquarters on the Place de la Concorde in Paris) was between the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) and the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA).
FISA, reorganized from the old CSI by Jean-Marie Balestre after he became its chair, was the arm of the FIA involved in sanctioning motor sport and had direct sanctioning responsibility for F1. FOCA was, as its name implies, an organization representing most of the F1 teams (but not all of them--Tyrrell and, I think, Ferrari were not FOCA members). Its president was Bernie Ecclestone, then owner of the Brabham F1 team.
Through the 1970s the FIA had gradually allowed FOCA to take a greater hand in the financial, promotional, and organizational aspects of the F1 Championship. By 1980 FOCA was organizing the races and the FIA's role was limited to rules-making and officiating. When Balestre took over as head of the CSI he set about trying to get control of F1 back from FOCA. FOCA baulked at some of Balestre's proposed rule changes, particularly the ones limiting ground effects, and a very ugly dispute ensued that threatened to split the sport. (One race was boycotted by the FOCA teams; another, organized by FOCA, was excluded from that year's Championship.) The sponsors and manufacturers (engines, tires, fuel) had the last say and forced both sides to hammer out the Concorde Agreement, which covers the whole financial and organizational side of F1 racing, collection and distribution of monies, etc.
FISA is no longer, its duties now being performed by the FIA's World Motor Sports Council. FOCA has evolved into Bernie's complex of companies; see "Who owns F1," below. Since the original Concorde Agreement there have been several revisions to it.
The exact terms of the Concorde Agreement are not public, but what it amounts to is that in return for contracting to show up at the GPs that make up the World Championship the teams receive a cut of the monies that FOA/SLEC takes in. Bernie's company guarantees to the TV companies and the promoters of each F1 race that at least 12 (or perhaps 16, or 20 - sources differ) cars will show up for the race (currently 20 do). The latest version of the CA limits the size of the field for F1 championship GPs to 24 cars.
The current version expires in 2008. In mid-January 2005 the FIA, Ferrari, and Bernie announced the signing of a revised Concorde Agreement, giving the teams a larger share of revenues, effective through 2012. Reaction among the other teams has been mixed at best; Bernie has given them an end-of-February deadline to sign on, which so far the other teams don't appear inclined to honor.
Q: Where can I see the Concorde Agreement? A: You can't. It's secret, although some of its known or suspected provisions are described in this FAQ.
Q: How much do the teams get for winning races? A: The FIA doesn't get involved in money. Money is controlled by Bernie through what used to be called FOCA. I believe that the Concorde Agreement describes the "prize money" for each race, and I think there are payments for the leading teams at quarter, half, three-quarter and full distance. Maybe something for most laps led too?
The revenue from TV rights is partially distributed to teams using a points system derived from historical performances. As I understand it points are awarded for:
* Placing in the constructor's championship (last 3 years) * Number of years in F1 (1 year = 4 points, 10 years = 165 points [Ferrari 50 yrs = 1200 points]) * Constructor's titles (25 points each) * Constructor's championship points (last 2 years x 2) * " " 2 (all-time / 10) * Number of wins (last 2 years, 10 points each) * All-time number of wins (1 point each)
Teams with points get a proportional share of the money. There is also a separate pool of money distributed based on the previous years constructor's championship. The *size* of the total payout (reportedly 47% of TV revenues, nothing from the sanctioning fees and other income realized by Bernie) is one of the issues behind the GPWC movement (see next question).
Q: Who owns F1? A: The FIA owns Formula 1, but has licensed the commercial rights through 2110 to a complex of companies effectively controlled by Bernie Ecclestone. The actual structure is arcane (/The Economist/ refers to "a complex tax-avoidance scheme") and the subject of legal dispute.
The key elements are: * Formula One Management (FOM), owned by the Jersey company Petara * Formula One Administration (FOA), which owns Petara and is in turn owned by Formula One Holdings (FOH) * SLEC Holdings, a Jersey company (evidently named for Bernie's wife Slavica, who controls Petara) which owns FOH.
Ownership of SLEC is divided, 25% to Bambino Holdings (another Jersey company controlled by the Liechtenstein-based Bambino Trust, whose beneficiaries are members of the Ecclestone family) and 75% to Speed Investments (yet another Jersey company). The latter, representing the fraction of his empire sold off by Bernie for a large sum, has passed through the hands of German media companies EM.TV and Kirch and now, following the latter's default, is controlled by three creditor banks (Bayerische Landesbank, Lehman Brothers, and J. P. Morgan Chase).
During the Kirch period Bambino appears to have instigated restructurings of the FOA and FOM boards that effectively place them outside of the control of FOH. The result is that although the banks "own" 75% of SLEC control of the commercial rights remains in Bernie's hands. This does not sit well with the banks (it renders their shares essentially unsaleable) and so far legal rulings have gone in their favor. However FOA recently issued new share capital, bought by Bernie for £1, which diluted FOH's holdings to 50%. Legal and financial maneuvering is expected to continue.
Complicating the picture further is a threat to the value of SLEC itself. The involvement of Kirch raised the prospect of a move of F1 TV coverage to pay-per-view, which was seen as a threat to its advertising value by the major auto manufacturers of F1 - the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (BMW, Fiat, Ford, Renault and Mercedes). As a result in 2002 EAMA laid plans to launch a competing open-wheeled racing series under the name Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) by 2008, when the Concorde Agreement expires. GPWC activities then alternated between negotiations with Bernie and overt preparations to fight him. Recently their position was weakened, first by the withdrawal of Ford from F1 and then by the defection of Ferrari - but then bolstered by sudden support from non-members Toyota and Honda, who had previously been neutral. Most recently all teams except Ferrari, Red Bull, and Jordan have signed the GPWC Memorandum of Understanding, the significance of which is however unclear.
2. The teams and cars =====================
Q: When was the last time a privateer won a race? A: The last privateer to win a GP was either Jo Siffert in the Walker Lotus-Ford at Brands Hatch in 1968, or Jackie Stewart in the Tyrrell March-Ford in Spain in 1970. (Although Tyrrell bought both chassis and engine that season some feel that the support he was receiving from Ford, Elf, and Goodyear place him at least among the semi-works ranks. It's a judgement call, there being no official body empowered to bless privateership.)
There has never been a privateer World Champion. Moss came closest in the Rob Walker-entered Cooper in 1959 when he finished third. Walker was the first privateer entrant to win a World Championship Grand Prix with Moss in a Cooper-Climax, in the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix.
The Mugen-Honda engine used by the 2000 Jordan was a factory engine in all-but-name. The last World Champion to use an off-the-shelf engine was Keke Rosberg (1982, Williams-Ford).
Q: Who owns which team? BAR - BARH Limited, which is itself owned 55% by British American Tobacco and 45% by Honda. Ferrari - Piero Lardi Ferrari 10% and the FIAT Group 56%; 15% is still held by the investment bank Mediobanca, which has sold 10% to the German Commerzebank AG and about 7% to Lehman Brothers. Former and current employees hold the remaining 2%. An IPO. mooted for some time, is currently expected in 2007. Jordan - Bought by Alex Shnaider in January 2005; he is expected to restructure (probably replace) the team and rename it Midland F1 for 2006. McLaren - TAG McLaren is 40% owned by DaimlerChrysler and 30% each by Ron Dennis and TAG Group S.A. (Mansouer Ojjeh). Minardi - Paul Stoddart. Investment by Bernie Ecclestone and any continuing involvement by founder Giancarlo Minardi have been denied by the latter. Red Bull - (formerly Jaguar, neé Stewart) Dietrich Mateschitz. Renault - Renault Sauber - Peter Sauber (37%); the remaining shares, formerly held by Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz, are currently in the hands of Credit Suisse (who are reportedly seeking other investors). Toyota - Toyota Williams - Frank Williams and Patrick Head (said to be 80/20)
Q: Who is supplying engines and tyres to which team in 2005? A: BAR - Honda [F], Michelin Ferrari - Ferrari [F], Bridgestone Jordan - Toyota [C], Bridgestone McLaren - Mercedes [F], Michelin Minardi - Cosworth [C], Bridgestone Red Bull - Cosworth [C], Michelin Renault - Renault [F], Michelin Sauber - Ferrari [C], Michelin Toyota - Toyota [F], Michelin Williams - BMW [F], Michelin
[F] Factory [C] Customer
The South Korean manufacturer Kumho has announced their intention to begin testing F1 tires in 2006 with an intended entry in 2007.
Q: What's known about possible changes to team lineups in 2005 and beyond? A: Attendant upon Ford's exit from F1 racing Jaguar have been sold to energy drink company owner Dietrich Mateschitz and will run under the Red Bull label. Cosworth have also been sold, to Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, co-owners of the US-based Champ Car series, and will continue to provide engines to Minardi and Red Bull. And Jordan has been bought by Russian-born, Toronto-based businessman Alexander Shnaider, who plans to replace the team in 2006 with "Midland F1" running Dallara-built chassis from a base in England.
Also announcing a 2006 entry is Team Dubai F1, fronted by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and advertised as the Dubai national team. Negotiations are reported to be nearly completed on obtaining technical assistance from McLaren and a supply of Mercedes engines.
Q. How much does each team spend per year? A. Estimates are all that are available, and of course they vary. The April 2004 issue of /F1 Racing/ gave the following breakdown (all figures in millions of US dollars):
Q: Is it true that there was a 6-wheel F1 car that won a race? A: The Tyrrell project 34 had small, 10 inch diameter front wheels that could be completely hidden behind the front cowling then in common use on F1 cars. This removed the front wheels from the airstream and thus reduced drag significantly, resulting in the car going faster. The problem was that the tiny front wheels didn't provide enough surface area for proper braking. The way around this was to use 4 front wheels instead of the usual 2. The car was pretty successful in its first year and actually won at Anderstorp (Swedish Grand Prix 1976) for Jody Scheckter, with Depailler second. It was less successful in 1977 because the more complicated 4-wheel front suspension assembly added a lot of weight, and Goodyear wasn't keeping up on tire development of the 10" tires. Tyrrell went back to a conventional, 4-wheel car the next year. Pictures at http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/tyrp34.htm and http://www.evil-photographer.com/cars/tyrrell/P34/P34.htm.
March also made some experiments with a 6 wheel car in 1977. The 2-4-0 (from rail locomotive terminology) sought increased traction by having a second set of rear wheels behind the first. Design and construction were very informal, development nonexistent (most running was done with only one set of rear wheels driven to avoid cracking the inadequate gearbox casing), and the car never competed; a successor machine did win several British hillclimbs in 1979 with Roy Lane at the wheel. Photo at http://www.geocities.com/simontmallett/240march1.html.
Williams produced a 6-wheel variant of their FW08 in 1982, of similar layout to the March. The idea this time was to extend the area under the car available to venturi tunnels and to allow the rear wing to be mounted further back on the car. Cars were built and tested, but right about the time that they were ready to race the FIA came out with new regulations restricting F1 cars to 4 wheels mounted on 2 axles, so it never raced for the FIA World Championship. The cars still exist and have appeared in several historic races. Photo at http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/large/689-1.jpg.
Q: Is it true about a "fan car"? A: The Brabham BT46B, which Niki Lauda drove to victory in the 1978 Swedish GP.
This was an idea borrowed from Jim Hall's Chaparral CanAm cars. The idea was to put skirts on the sidepods to seal the undercar area, then to mount an extractor fan at the back to remove the air under the car, thus sucking it down onto the track. To get around the "moveable areodynamic device" ban, Brabham claimed that the fan was there to help cool the engine.
Whilst this wasn't false, it wasn't the full reason behind the fan; the car actually squatted down onto the track if you blipped the throttle while it was stationary.
But its biggest problem was that it was very successful, so all the other teams protested. There was also one legitimate (IMO) concern--the fan tended to pick up debris from the track and blow it into the face of a driver following closely. In any event, the car was very soon banned by the FIA because the fan was ruled to be an aerodynamic aid not in a fixed position relative to the sprung part of the car.
Q: Why were Tyrrell thrown out of the 1984 championship? A: This is from Autocourse:
"In the afterglow of 1984's chase-the-McLaren story, the FISA-versus-Tyrrell affair still rankles as being as distasteful as it was ill-considered. Whether or not Tyrrell was plying his 012 cars with lead ballast during a late-race pit stop or - and this is more far-fetched - mixing additive to the water injected into the engine to ward off piston and valvegear failures has become a moot case. What is more relevant is not only the way that FISA conducted his trial - for example, introducing fresh evidence at an appeal hearing and barring Tyrrell from approaching expert witnesses who had analysed water samples for FISA - but also the severity of the fine. If Andrea de Cesaris and Niki Lauda have their practice times discounted on the days at Dijon and Dallas where the Ligier was found to be running with an empty fire extinguisher bottle and the McLaren declared to have a rear wing 2mm too wide, then excluding Tyrrell from the World Championship for infringements committed during Martin Brundle's gutsy drive to second in Detroit ranks as a kneejerk reaction of an inappropriate magnitude.
But the decision was final, costing Tyrrell his FOCA membership and USD 1,000,000 in concessionary travel arrangements to transcontinental races. Underlying the season had been the backstage arguments over the proposed 195-litre fuel capacity maximum intended for 1985: to stick at the current 220-litre allowance required team unanimity - and Ken Tyrrell was the only dissenting voice. Naturally, after he was barred from the Championship, so 220 litres became a fixed part of the '85 technical regulations, neatly, tidily and with no outward fuss."
Q: Who won the constructors championship in the year....? A: 2004 Ferrari (I) 2003 Ferrari (I) 2002 Ferrari (I) 2001 Ferrari (I) 2000 Ferrari (I) 1999 Ferrari (I) 1998 McLaren (GB) 1997 Williams (GB) 1996 Williams (GB) 1995 Benetton (GB) 1994 Williams (GB) 1993 Williams (GB) 1992 Williams (GB) 1991 McLaren (GB) 1990 McLaren (GB) 1989 McLaren (GB) 1988 McLaren (GB) 1987 Williams (GB) 1986 Williams (GB) 1985 McLaren (GB) 1984 McLaren (GB) 1983 Ferrari (I) 1982 Ferrari (I) 1981 Williams (GB) 1980 Williams (GB) 1979 Ferrari (I) 1978 Lotus (GB) 1977 Ferrari (I) 1976 Ferrari (I) 1975 Ferrari (I) 1974 McLaren (GB) 1973 Lotus (GB) 1972 Lotus (GB) 1971 Tyrrell (GB) 1970 Lotus (GB) 1969 Matra (F) 1968 Lotus (GB) 1967 Brabham (GB) 1966 Brabham (GB) 1965 Lotus (GB) 1964 Ferrari (I) 1963 Lotus (GB) 1962 BRM (GB) 1961 Ferrari (I) 1960 Cooper (GB) 1959 Cooper (GB) 1958 Vanwall (GB)
(The Constructors Championship originated in 1958.)
This FAQ is posted approximately twice a month. (The subject should be the same; if you do not want to retrieve it, kill the subject.) Between postings you can find a reasonably current copy at http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson/rasf1m.html. For more information about the operation of this newsgroup, and a nicely-formatted version of this FAQ, see the rec.autos.sport.f1.moderated website at http://www.rasf1m.net/.
*NOTE* The FAQ has been split into two parts to avoid it being too long for some people's rules.
Thanks to the following people who, amongst others, have had contributions culled to make the FAQ.
Kim Andrews, Paul B, Sven Baumer, David Betts, Sergiusz Boron, Alessio Bragadini, Lord Tim Brent, Stênio F. Campos, Simon "Bumble Bee Boy" Cossar, Andrew Cosstick, Emma Crawley, GD, BF Dehay, Doug Farrow, Pete Fenelon, Ken Fletcher, Mark J Frusciante, Tony Gartshore, Alan Gauton, Thomas Gmuer, Lutz Goerke, Paul Harman, Ian Hill, Mark Jackson, Jak, Alan Jones, Brian Lawrence, Jeff "Eskimo Joe", Olav K. Malmin, Julie Miles, Dave Parker, Jon Petersson, Barry Posner, Rob, Duncan Rollo, Rui Pedro Mendes Salgueiro, Martin Schmidt, Peter Scoular, Johan V, Mike Whooley, Paul Winalski. A big thanks must go to Stephen M Baines for maintaining this FAQ through mid-2001.
Apologies to anyone whose name was missed - it's not deliberate!
The FAQ may not have answers to everything you need - it is just a collection of *frequently* asked questions and their answers, not the answers to everything
Corrections and additions are especially welcome. I do try to keep up with the newsgroup, but to make sure of something being considered for the FAQ mail me at mjackson@alumni.caltech.edu.
The FAQ is divided into several sections.
This introduction (Part 1) 1. Rules, regulations and governing body (Part 1) 2. The teams and cars (Part 1) 3. The drivers (Part 2) 4. The races (Part 2) 5. The circuits (Part 2) 6. Television (Part 2) 7. Sponsors (Part 2) 8. Manufacturers (Part 2) 9. Technical stuff (Part 2) 10. Miscellaneous (Part 2)
1. Rules, Regulations and Governing Body ===========================================
Q: Who is the governing body of Formula 1? A: The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), headquartered in Paris (F) and whose President is currently Max Mosley. In 1904 various national motor clubs organized the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) to run international motor sport (reserving control of national events for themselves). The AIACR first issued an international sporting calendar and regulations in 1908, and in 1924 formed a Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) to formalize the oversignt of Grand Prix and other forms of international racing.
The term Formula 1 came into use in 1947, when the AIACR reorganized itself as the FIA. The World Championship of Drivers was begun in 1950.
Q: What are the main changes for 2005? In an effort to improve the show two-stage qualifying is planned. On Saturday cars will run one timed lap in reverse order from their finishing positions from the previous race, with the cars permitted to refuel but otherwise being impounded afterwards. The second qualifying session will be run Sunday morning, reverse order from the Saturday times, with no refueling afterwards and the grid determined by the aggregate of Saturday's and Sunday's single-lap times.
On safety grounds, and following the failure of the F1 Technical Working Group to agree on a proposal, the FIA announced in October:
* significant additional restrictions on diffusers and front and rear wings * single set of tires to be used for qualifying and race (One set each of the two available compounds for comparison on Friday; choice made early Saturday, with one new set for practice and a second set for qualifying and race.) * engines to last for two full race weekends - unless a car fails to finish the first race, *unless* the Stewards decide the driver chose not to finish (as opposed to "failed" to finish). Stay tuned for further obfuscations from the FIA. . . .
Agreement on improved wheel tethers and headrest protection, and on the coating of certain carbon-fiber body parts to suppress the shedding of sharp fragments in an accident, had previously been announced.
Q: Are other changes planned? A: Again on safety grounds the FIA has mandated the use of 2.4 liter V8 engines beginning in 2006 in order to reduce power (and hence speed). Significant restrictions on engine design and materials have also been mandated. A provision to permit current 3.0 liter V10 engines during 2006-07 under RPM restrictions TBA has been promised, this intended to give the independent teams a relatively low-cost option.
Barring unanimous consent of the teams, regulations should be otherwise stable through 2007. Radical restrictions to control costs and speeds have been floated by the FIA for 2008. All teams save Ferrari skipped a January meeting to discuss these; next scheduled meeting is April 15.
Q: What is the Concorde Agreement? A: The original Concorde Agreement (so-called because it was signed at the FIA headquarters on the Place de la Concorde in Paris) was between the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) and the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA).
FISA, reorganized from the old CSI by Jean-Marie Balestre after he became its chair, was the arm of the FIA involved in sanctioning motor sport and had direct sanctioning responsibility for F1. FOCA was, as its name implies, an organization representing most of the F1 teams (but not all of them--Tyrrell and, I think, Ferrari were not FOCA members). Its president was Bernie Ecclestone, then owner of the Brabham F1 team.
Through the 1970s the FIA had gradually allowed FOCA to take a greater hand in the financial, promotional, and organizational aspects of the F1 Championship. By 1980 FOCA was organizing the races and the FIA's role was limited to rules-making and officiating. When Balestre took over as head of the CSI he set about trying to get control of F1 back from FOCA. FOCA baulked at some of Balestre's proposed rule changes, particularly the ones limiting ground effects, and a very ugly dispute ensued that threatened to split the sport. (One race was boycotted by the FOCA teams; another, organized by FOCA, was excluded from that year's Championship.) The sponsors and manufacturers (engines, tires, fuel) had the last say and forced both sides to hammer out the Concorde Agreement, which covers the whole financial and organizational side of F1 racing, collection and distribution of monies, etc.
FISA is no longer, its duties now being performed by the FIA's World Motor Sports Council. FOCA has evolved into Bernie's complex of companies; see "Who owns F1," below. Since the original Concorde Agreement there have been several revisions to it.
The exact terms of the Concorde Agreement are not public, but what it amounts to is that in return for contracting to show up at the GPs that make up the World Championship the teams receive a cut of the monies that FOA/SLEC takes in. Bernie's company guarantees to the TV companies and the promoters of each F1 race that at least 12 (or perhaps 16, or 20 - sources differ) cars will show up for the race (currently 20 do). The latest version of the CA limits the size of the field for F1 championship GPs to 24 cars.
The current version expires in 2008. In mid-January 2005 the FIA, Ferrari, and Bernie announced the signing of a revised Concorde Agreement, giving the teams a larger share of revenues, effective through 2012. Reaction among the other teams has been mixed at best; Bernie has given them an end-of-February deadline to sign on, which so far the other teams don't appear inclined to honor.
Q: Where can I see the Concorde Agreement? A: You can't. It's secret, although some of its known or suspected provisions are described in this FAQ.
Q: How much do the teams get for winning races? A: The FIA doesn't get involved in money. Money is controlled by Bernie through what used to be called FOCA. I believe that the Concorde Agreement describes the "prize money" for each race, and I think there are payments for the leading teams at quarter, half, three-quarter and full distance. Maybe something for most laps led too?
The revenue from TV rights is partially distributed to teams using a points system derived from historical performances. As I understand it points are awarded for:
* Placing in the constructor's championship (last 3 years) * Number of years in F1 (1 year = 4 points, 10 years = 165 points [Ferrari 50 yrs = 1200 points]) * Constructor's titles (25 points each) * Constructor's championship points (last 2 years x 2) * " " 2 (all-time / 10) * Number of wins (last 2 years, 10 points each) * All-time number of wins (1 point each)
Teams with points get a proportional share of the money. There is also a separate pool of money distributed based on the previous years constructor's championship. The *size* of the total payout (reportedly 47% of TV revenues, nothing from the sanctioning fees and other income realized by Bernie) is one of the issues behind the GPWC movement (see next question).
Q: Who owns F1? A: The FIA owns Formula 1, but has licensed the commercial rights through 2110 (yes, for over a century) to a complex of companies effectively controlled by Bernie Ecclestone. The actual structure is arcane (/The Economist/ refers to "a complex tax-avoidance scheme") and the subject of legal dispute.
The key elements are: * Formula One Management (FOM), owned by the Jersey company Petara * Formula One Administration (FOA), which owns Petara and is in turn owned by Formula One Holdings (FOH) * SLEC Holdings, a Jersey company (evidently named for Bernie's wife Slavica, who controls Petara) which owns FOH.
Ownership of SLEC is divided, 25% to Bambino Holdings (another Jersey company controlled by the Liechtenstein-based Bambino Trust, whose beneficiaries are members of the Ecclestone family) and 75% to Speed Investments (yet another Jersey company). The latter, representing the fraction of his empire sold off by Bernie for a large sum, has passed through the hands of German media companies EM.TV and Kirch and now, following the latter's default, is controlled by three creditor banks (Bayerische Landesbank, Lehman Brothers, and J. P. Morgan Chase).
During the Kirch period Bambino appears to have instigated restructurings of the FOA and FOM boards that effectively place them outside of the control of FOH. The result was that although the banks "own" 75% of SLEC control of the commercial rights remained in Bernie's hands. This did not sit well with the banks (it rendered their shares essentially unsaleable) who instituted various legal proceedings. After a number of legal decisions (which seemed to favor the banks) and financial maneuvers a settlement was reached in late March; no details have been announced, although reports suggest a victory for the banks.
Complicating the picture further is a threat to the value of SLEC itself. The involvement of Kirch raised the prospect of a move of F1 TV coverage to pay-per-view, which was seen as a threat to its advertising value by the major auto manufacturers of F1 - the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (BMW, Fiat, Ford, Renault and Mercedes). As a result in 2002 EAMA laid plans to launch a competing open-wheeled racing series under the name Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) by 2008, when the Concorde Agreement expires. GPWC activities then alternated between negotiations with Bernie and overt preparations to fight him. Recently their position was weakened, first by the withdrawal of Ford from F1 and then by the defection of Ferrari - but then bolstered by sudden support from non-members Toyota and Honda, who had previously been neutral. More recently all teams except Ferrari, Red Bull, and Jordan signed the GPWC Memorandum of Understanding (the significance of which is unclear) and plans for the 2008 series have appeared to advance on a serious basis.
2. The teams and cars =====================
Q: When was the last time a privateer won a race? A: The last privateer to win a GP was either Jo Siffert in the Walker Lotus-Ford at Brands Hatch in 1968, or Jackie Stewart in the Tyrrell March-Ford in Spain in 1970. (Although Tyrrell bought both chassis and engine that season some feel that the support he was receiving from Ford, Elf, and Goodyear place him at least among the semi-works ranks. It's a judgement call, there being no official body empowered to bless privateership.)
There has never been a privateer World Champion. Moss came closest in the Rob Walker-entered Cooper in 1959 when he finished third. Walker was the first privateer entrant to win a World Championship Grand Prix with Moss in a Cooper-Climax, in the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix.
The Mugen-Honda engine used by the 2000 Jordan was a factory engine in all-but-name. The last World Champion to use an off-the-shelf engine was Keke Rosberg (1982, Williams-Ford).
Q: Who owns which team? BAR - BARH Limited, which is itself owned 55% by British American Tobacco and 45% by Honda. Ferrari - Piero Lardi Ferrari 10% and the FIAT Group 56%; 15% is still held by the investment bank Mediobanca, which has sold 10% to the German Commerzebank AG and about 7% to Lehman Brothers. Former and current employees hold the remaining 2%. An IPO. mooted for some time, is currently expected in 2007. Jordan - Bought by Alex Shnaider in January 2005; he is expected to restructure (probably replace) the team and rename it Midland F1 for 2006. McLaren - TAG McLaren is 40% owned by DaimlerChrysler and 30% each by Ron Dennis and TAG Group S.A. (Mansouer Ojjeh). Minardi - Paul Stoddart. Investment by Bernie Ecclestone and any continuing involvement by founder Giancarlo Minardi have been denied by the latter. Red Bull - (formerly Jaguar, neé Stewart) Dietrich Mateschitz. Renault - Renault Sauber - Peter Sauber (37%); the remaining shares, formerly held by Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz, are currently in the hands of Credit Suisse (who are reportedly seeking other investors). Toyota - Toyota Williams - Frank Williams and Patrick Head (said to be 80/20)
Q: Who is supplying engines and tyres to which team in 2005? A: BAR - Honda [F], Michelin Ferrari - Ferrari [F], Bridgestone Jordan - Toyota [C], Bridgestone McLaren - Mercedes [F], Michelin Minardi - Cosworth [C], Bridgestone Red Bull - Cosworth [C], Michelin Renault - Renault [F], Michelin Sauber - Ferrari [C], Michelin Toyota - Toyota [F], Michelin Williams - BMW [F], Michelin
[F] Factory [C] Customer
The South Korean manufacturer Kumho has announced their intention to begin testing F1 tires in 2006 with an intended entry in 2007.
Q: What's known about possible changes to team lineups in 2005 and beyond? A: Attendant upon Ford's exit from F1 racing Jaguar have been sold to energy drink company owner Dietrich Mateschitz and will run under the Red Bull label. Cosworth have also been sold, to Kevin Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, co-owners of the US-based Champ Car series, and will continue to provide engines to Minardi and Red Bull. And Jordan has been bought by Russian-born, Toronto-based businessman Alexander Shnaider, who plans to replace the team in 2006 with "Midland F1" running Dallara-built chassis from a base in England.
Also announcing a 2006 entry is Team Dubai F1, fronted by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and advertised as the Dubai national team. Negotiations are reported to be nearly completed on obtaining technical assistance from McLaren and a supply of Mercedes engines.
Q. How much does each team spend per year? A. Estimates are all that are available, and of course they vary. The April 2004 issue of /F1 Racing/ gave the following breakdown (all figures in millions of US dollars):
Q: Is it true that there was a 6-wheel F1 car that won a race? A: The Tyrrell project 34 had small, 10 inch diameter front wheels that could be completely hidden behind the front cowling then in common use on F1 cars. This removed the front wheels from the airstream and thus reduced drag significantly, resulting in the car going faster. The problem was that the tiny front wheels didn't provide enough surface area for proper braking. The way around this was to use 4 front wheels instead of the usual 2. The car was pretty successful in its first year and actually won at Anderstorp (Swedish Grand Prix 1976) for Jody Scheckter, with Depailler second. It was less successful in 1977 because the more complicated 4-wheel front suspension assembly added a lot of weight, and Goodyear wasn't keeping up on tire development of the 10" tires. Tyrrell went back to a conventional, 4-wheel car the next year. Pictures at http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/tyrp34.htm and http://www.evil-photographer.com/cars/tyrrell/P34/P34.htm.
March also made some experiments with a 6 wheel car in 1977. The 2-4-0 (from rail locomotive terminology) sought increased traction by having a second set of rear wheels behind the first. Design and construction were very informal, development nonexistent (most running was done with only one set of rear wheels driven to avoid cracking the inadequate gearbox casing), and the car never competed; a successor machine did win several British hillclimbs in 1979 with Roy Lane at the wheel. Photo at http://www.geocities.com/simontmallett/240march1.html.
Williams produced a 6-wheel variant of their FW08 in 1982, of similar layout to the March. The idea this time was to extend the area under the car available to venturi tunnels and to allow the rear wing to be mounted further back on the car. Cars were built and tested, but right about the time that they were ready to race the FIA came out with new regulations restricting F1 cars to 4 wheels mounted on 2 axles, so it never raced for the FIA World Championship. The cars still exist and have appeared in several historic races. Photo at http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/large/689-1.jpg.
Q: Is it true about a "fan car"? A: The Brabham BT46B, which Niki Lauda drove to victory in the 1978 Swedish GP.
This was an idea borrowed from Jim Hall's Chaparral CanAm cars. The idea was to put skirts on the sidepods to seal the undercar area, then to mount an extractor fan at the back to remove the air under the car, thus sucking it down onto the track. To get around the "moveable areodynamic device" ban, Brabham claimed that the fan was there to help cool the engine.
Whilst this wasn't false, it wasn't the full reason behind the fan; the car actually squatted down onto the track if you blipped the throttle while it was stationary.
But its biggest problem was that it was very successful, so all the other teams protested. There was also one legitimate (IMO) concern--the fan tended to pick up debris from the track and blow it into the face of a driver following closely. In any event, the car was very soon banned by the FIA because the fan was ruled to be an aerodynamic aid not in a fixed position relative to the sprung part of the car.
Q: Why were Tyrrell thrown out of the 1984 championship? A: This is from Autocourse:
"In the afterglow of 1984's chase-the-McLaren story, the FISA-versus-Tyrrell affair still rankles as being as distasteful as it was ill-considered. Whether or not Tyrrell was plying his 012 cars with lead ballast during a late-race pit stop or - and this is more far-fetched - mixing additive to the water injected into the engine to ward off piston and valvegear failures has become a moot case. What is more relevant is not only the way that FISA conducted his trial - for example, introducing fresh evidence at an appeal hearing and barring Tyrrell from approaching expert witnesses who had analysed water samples for FISA - but also the severity of the fine. If Andrea de Cesaris and Niki Lauda have their practice times discounted on the days at Dijon and Dallas where the Ligier was found to be running with an empty fire extinguisher bottle and the McLaren declared to have a rear wing 2mm too wide, then excluding Tyrrell from the World Championship for infringements committed during Martin Brundle's gutsy drive to second in Detroit ranks as a kneejerk reaction of an inappropriate magnitude.
But the decision was final, costing Tyrrell his FOCA membership and USD 1,000,000 in concessionary travel arrangements to transcontinental races. Underlying the season had been the backstage arguments over the proposed 195-litre fuel capacity maximum intended for 1985: to stick at the current 220-litre allowance required team unanimity - and Ken Tyrrell was the only dissenting voice. Naturally, after he was barred from the Championship, so 220 litres became a fixed part of the '85 technical regulations, neatly, tidily and with no outward fuss."
Q: Who won the constructors championship in the year....? A: 2004 Ferrari (I) 2003 Ferrari (I) 2002 Ferrari (I) 2001 Ferrari (I) 2000 Ferrari (I) 1999 Ferrari (I) 1998 McLaren (GB) 1997 Williams (GB) 1996 Williams (GB) 1995 Benetton (GB) 1994 Williams (GB) 1993 Williams (GB) 1992 Williams (GB) 1991 McLaren (GB) 1990 McLaren (GB) 1989 McLaren (GB) 1988 McLaren (GB) 1987 Williams (GB) 1986 Williams (GB) 1985 McLaren (GB) 1984 McLaren (GB) 1983 Ferrari (I) 1982 Ferrari (I) 1981 Williams (GB) 1980 Williams (GB) 1979 Ferrari (I) 1978 Lotus (GB) 1977 Ferrari (I) 1976 Ferrari (I) 1975 Ferrari (I) 1974 McLaren (GB) 1973 Lotus (GB) 1972 Lotus (GB) 1971 Tyrrell (GB) 1970 Lotus (GB) 1969 Matra (F) 1968 Lotus (GB) 1967 Brabham (GB) 1966 Brabham (GB) 1965 Lotus (GB) 1964 Ferrari (I) 1963 Lotus (GB) 1962 BRM (GB) 1961 Ferrari (I) 1960 Cooper (GB) 1959 Cooper (GB) 1958 Vanwall (GB)
(The Constructors Championship originated in 1958.)
This FAQ is posted approximately twice a month. (The subject should be the same; if you do not want to retrieve it, kill the subject.) Between postings you can find a reasonably current copy at http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson/rasf1m.html. For more information about the operation of this newsgroup, and a nicely-formatted version of this FAQ, see the rec.autos.sport.f1.moderated website at http://www.rasf1m.net/.
*NOTE* The FAQ has been split into two parts to avoid it being too long for some people's rules.
Thanks to the following people who, amongst others, have had contributions culled to make the FAQ.
Kim Andrews, Paul B, Sven Baumer, David Betts, Sergiusz Boron, Alessio Bragadini, Lord Tim Brent, Stênio F. Campos, Simon "Bumble Bee Boy" Cossar, Andrew Cosstick, Emma Crawley, GD, BF Dehay, Doug Farrow, Pete Fenelon, Ken Fletcher, Mark J Frusciante, Tony Gartshore, Alan Gauton, Thomas Gmuer, Lutz Goerke, Paul Harman, Ian Hill, Mark Jackson, Jak, Alan Jones, Brian Lawrence, Jeff "Eskimo Joe", Olav K. Malmin, Julie Miles, Dave Parker, Jon Petersson, Barry Posner, Rob, Duncan Rollo, Rui Pedro Mendes Salgueiro, Martin Schmidt, Peter Scoular, Johan V, Mike Whooley, Paul Winalski. A big thanks must go to Stephen M Baines for maintaining this FAQ through mid-2001.
Apologies to anyone whose name was missed - it's not deliberate!
The FAQ may not have answers to everything you need - it is just a collection of *frequently* asked questions and their answers, not the answers to everything
Corrections and additions are especially welcome. I do try to keep up with the newsgroup, but to make sure of something being considered for the FAQ mail me at mjackson@alumni.caltech.edu.
The FAQ is divided into several sections.
This introduction (Part 1) 1. Rules, regulations and governing body (Part 1) 2. The teams and cars (Part 1) 3. The drivers (Part 2) 4. The races (Part 2) 5. The circuits (Part 2) 6. Television (Part 2) 7. Sponsors (Part 2) 8. Manufacturers (Part 2) 9. Technical stuff (Part 2) 10. Miscellaneous (Part 2)
1. Rules, Regulations and Governing Body ===========================================
Q: Who is the governing body of Formula 1? A: The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), headquartered in Paris (F) and whose President is currently Max Mosley. In 1904 various national motor clubs organized the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) to run international motor sport (reserving control of national events for themselves). The AIACR first issued an international sporting calendar and regulations in 1908, and in 1924 formed a Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) to formalize the oversignt of Grand Prix and other forms of international racing.
The term Formula 1 came into use in 1947, when the AIACR reorganized itself as the FIA. The World Championship of Drivers was begun in 1950.
Q: What are the main changes for 2005? In an effort to improve the show two-stage qualifying is planned. On Saturday cars will run one timed lap in reverse order from their finishing positions from the previous race, with the cars permitted to refuel but otherwise being impounded afterwards. The second qualifying session will be run Sunday morning, reverse order from the Saturday times, with no refueling afterwards and the grid determined by the aggregate of Saturday's and Sunday's single-lap times.
On safety grounds, and following the failure of the F1 Technical Working Group to agree on a proposal, the FIA announced in October:
* significant additional restrictions on diffusers and front and rear wings * single set of tires to be used for qualifying and race (One set each of the two available compounds for comparison on Friday; choice made early Saturday, with one new set for practice and a second set for qualifying and race.) * engines to last for two full race weekends - unless a car fails to finish the first race, *unless* the Stewards decide the driver chose not to finish (as opposed to "failed" to finish). Stay tuned for further obfuscations from the FIA. . . .
Agreement on improved wheel tethers and headrest protection, and on the coating of certain carbon-fiber body parts to suppress the shedding of sharp fragments in an accident, had previously been announced.
Q: Are other changes planned? A: Again on safety grounds the FIA has mandated the use of 2.4 liter V8 engines beginning in 2006 in order to reduce power (and hence speed). Significant restrictions on engine design and materials have also been mandated. A provision to permit current 3.0 liter V10 engines during 2006-07 under RPM restrictions TBA has been promised, this intended to give the independent teams a relatively low-cost option.
Barring unanimous consent of the teams, regulations should be otherwise stable through 2007. Radical restrictions to control costs and speeds have been floated by the FIA for 2008. All teams save Ferrari skipped a January meeting to discuss these; an April 15 meeting was attended only by Ferrari, Red Bull, and Jordan.
Q: What is the Concorde Agreement? A: The original Concorde Agreement (so-called because it was signed at the FIA headquarters on the Place de la Concorde in Paris) was between the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) and the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA).
FISA, reorganized from the old CSI by Jean-Marie Balestre after he became its chair, was the arm of the FIA involved in sanctioning motor sport and had direct sanctioning responsibility for F1. FOCA was, as its name implies, an organization representing most of the F1 teams (but not all of them--Tyrrell and, I think, Ferrari were not FOCA members). Its president was Bernie Ecclestone, then owner of the Brabham F1 team.
Through the 1970s the FIA had gradually allowed FOCA to take a greater hand in the financial, promotional, and organizational aspects of the F1 Championship. By 1980 FOCA was organizing the races and the FIA's role was limited to rules-making and officiating. When Balestre took over as head of the CSI he set about trying to get control of F1 back from FOCA. FOCA baulked at some of Balestre's proposed rule changes, particularly the ones limiting ground effects, and a very ugly dispute ensued that threatened to split the sport. (One race was boycotted by the FOCA teams; another, organized by FOCA, was excluded from that year's Championship.) The sponsors and manufacturers (engines, tires, fuel) had the last say and forced both sides to hammer out the Concorde Agreement, which covers the whole financial and organizational side of F1 racing, collection and distribution of monies, etc.
FISA is no longer, its duties now being performed by the FIA's World Motor Sports Council. FOCA has evolved into Bernie's complex of companies; see "Who owns F1," below. Since the original Concorde Agreement there have been several revisions to it.
The exact terms of the Concorde Agreement are not public, but what it amounts to is that in return for contracting to show up at the GPs that make up the World Championship the teams receive a cut of the monies that FOA/SLEC takes in. Bernie's company guarantees to the TV companies and the promoters of each F1 race that at least 12 (or perhaps 16, or 20 - sources differ) cars will show up for the race (currently 20 do). The latest version of the CA limits the size of the field for F1 championship GPs to 24 cars.
The current version expires in 2008. In mid-January 2005 the FIA, Ferrari, and Bernie announced the signing of a revised Concorde Agreement, giving the teams a larger share of revenues, effective through 2012. Reaction among the other teams was mixed at best; when Bernie gave them an end-of-February deadline to sign on it was ignored.
Q: Where can I see the Concorde Agreement? A: You can't. It's secret, although some of its known or suspected provisions are described in this FAQ.
Q: How much do the teams get for winning races? A: The FIA doesn't get involved in money. Money is controlled by Bernie through what used to be called FOCA. I believe that the Concorde Agreement describes the "prize money" for each race, and I think there are payments for the leading teams at quarter, half, three-quarter and full distance. Maybe something for most laps led too?
The revenue from TV rights is partially distributed to teams using a points system derived from historical performances. As I understand it points are awarded for:
* Placing in the constructor's championship (last 3 years) * Number of years in F1 (1 year = 4 points, 10 years = 165 points [Ferrari 50 yrs = 1200 points]) * Constructor's titles (25 points each) * Constructor's championship points (last 2 years x 2) * " " 2 (all-time / 10) * Number of wins (last 2 years, 10 points each) * All-time number of wins (1 point each)
Teams with points get a proportional share of the money. There is also a separate pool of money distributed based on the previous years constructor's championship. The *size* of the total payout (reportedly 47% of TV revenues, nothing from the sanctioning fees and other income realized by Bernie) is one of the issues behind the GPWC movement (see next question).
Q: Who owns F1? A: The FIA owns Formula 1, but has licensed the commercial rights through 2110 (yes, for over a century) to a complex of companies effectively controlled by Bernie Ecclestone. The actual structure is arcane (/The Economist/ refers to "a complex tax-avoidance scheme") and the subject of legal dispute.
The key elements are: * Formula One Management (FOM), owned by the Jersey company Petara * Formula One Administration (FOA), which owns Petara and is in turn owned by Formula One Holdings (FOH) * SLEC Holdings, a Jersey company (evidently named for Bernie's wife Slavica, who controls Petara) which owns FOH.
Ownership of SLEC is divided, 25% to Bambino Holdings (another Jersey company controlled by the Liechtenstein-based Bambino Trust, whose beneficiaries are members of the Ecclestone family) and 75% to Speed Investments (yet another Jersey company). The latter, representing the fraction of his empire sold off by Bernie for a large sum, has passed through the hands of German media companies EM.TV and Kirch and now, following the latter's default, is controlled by three creditor banks (Bayerische Landesbank, Lehman Brothers, and J. P. Morgan Chase).
During the Kirch period Bambino appears to have instigated restructurings of the FOA and FOM boards that effectively place them outside of the control of FOH. The result was that although the banks "own" 75% of SLEC control of the commercial rights remained in Bernie's hands. This did not sit well with the banks (it rendered their shares essentially unsaleable) who instituted various legal proceedings. After a number of legal decisions (which seemed to favor the banks) and financial maneuvers a settlement was reached in late March; no details have been announced, although reports suggest a victory for the banks.
Complicating the picture further is a threat to the value of SLEC itself. The involvement of Kirch raised the prospect of a move of F1 TV coverage to pay-per-view, which was seen as a threat to its advertising value by the major auto manufacturers of F1 - the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (BMW, Fiat, Ford, Renault and Mercedes). As a result in 2002 EAMA laid plans to launch a competing open-wheeled racing series under the name Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) by 2008, when the Concorde Agreement expires. GPWC activities then alternated between negotiations with Bernie and overt preparations to fight him. Recently their position was weakened, first by the withdrawal of Ford from F1 and then by the defection of Ferrari - but then bolstered by sudden support from non-members Toyota and Honda, who had previously been neutral. More recently all teams except Ferrari, Red Bull, and Jordan signed the GPWC Memorandum of Understanding (the significance of which is unclear) and plans for the 2008 series have since appeared to advance on a serious basis.
2. The teams and cars =====================
Q: When was the last time a privateer won a race? A: The last privateer to win a GP was either Jo Siffert in the Walker Lotus-Ford at Brands Hatch in 1968, or Jackie Stewart in the Tyrrell March-Ford in Spain in 1970. (Although Tyrrell bought both chassis and engine that season some feel that the support he was receiving from Ford, Elf, and Goodyear place him at least among the semi-works ranks. It's a judgement call, there being no official body empowered to bless privateership.)
There has never been a privateer World Champion. Moss came closest in the Rob Walker-entered Cooper in 1959 when he finished third. Walker was the first privateer entrant to win a World Championship Grand Prix with Moss in a Cooper-Climax, in the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix.
The Mugen-Honda engine used by the 2000 Jordan was a factory engine in all-but-name. The last World Champion to use an off-the-shelf engine was Keke Rosberg (1982, Williams-Ford).
Q: Who owns which team? BAR - BARH Limited, which is itself owned 55% by British American Tobacco and 45% by Honda. Ferrari - Piero Lardi Ferrari 10% and the FIAT Group 56%; 15% is still held by the investment bank Mediobanca, which has sold 10% to the German Commerzebank AG and about 7% to Lehman Brothers. Former and current employees hold the remaining 2%. An IPO. mooted for some time, is currently expected in 2007. Jordan - Alex Shnaider McLaren - TAG McLaren is 40% owned by DaimlerChrysler and 30% each by Ron Dennis and TAG Group S.A. (Mansouer Ojjeh). Minardi - Paul Stoddart. Investment by Bernie Ecclestone and any continuing involvement by founder Giancarlo Minardi have been denied by the latter. Red Bull - (formerly Jaguar, neé Stewart) Dietrich Mateschitz. Renault - Renault Sauber - Peter Sauber (37%); the remaining shares, formerly held by Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz, are currently in the hands of Credit Suisse (who are reportedly seeking other investors). Toyota - Toyota Williams - Frank Williams and Patrick Head (said to be 80/20)
Q: Who is supplying engines and tyres to which team in 2005? A: BAR - Honda [F], Michelin Ferrari - Ferrari [F], Bridgestone Jordan - Toyota [C], Bridgestone McLaren - Mercedes [F], Michelin Minardi - Cosworth [C], Bridgestone Red Bull - Cosworth [C], Michelin Renault - Renault [F], Michelin Sauber - Ferrari [C], Michelin Toyota - Toyota [F], Michelin Williams - BMW [F], Michelin
[F] Factory [C] Customer
The South Korean manufacturer Kumho has announced their intention to begin testing F1 tires in 2006 with an intended entry in 2007.
Q: What's known about possible changes to team lineups in 2006 and beyond? A: Jordan has been bought by Russian-born, Toronto-based businessman Alexander Shnaider, who plans to replace the team in 2006 with "Midland F1" running Dallara-built chassis from a base in England.
Also announcing a 2006 entry is Team Dubai F1, fronted by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and advertised as the Dubai national team. Negotiations are reported to be nearly completed on obtaining technical assistance from McLaren and a supply of Mercedes engines.
Red Bull have announced a deal to run customer Ferrari engines in 2006; Sauber are looking elsewhere.
Q. How much does each team spend per year? A. Estimates are all that are available, and of course they vary. The April 2004 issue of /F1 Racing/ gave the following breakdown (all figures in millions of US dollars):
Q: Is it true that there was a 6-wheel F1 car that won a race? A: The Tyrrell project 34 had small, 10 inch diameter front wheels that could be completely hidden behind the front cowling then in common use on F1 cars. This removed the front wheels from the airstream and thus reduced drag significantly, resulting in the car going faster. The problem was that the tiny front wheels didn't provide enough surface area for proper braking. The way around this was to use 4 front wheels instead of the usual 2. The car was pretty successful in its first year and actually won at Anderstorp (Swedish Grand Prix 1976) for Jody Scheckter, with Depailler second. It was less successful in 1977 because the more complicated 4-wheel front suspension assembly added a lot of weight, and Goodyear wasn't keeping up on tire development of the 10" tires. Tyrrell went back to a conventional, 4-wheel car the next year. Pictures at http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/tyrp34.htm and http://www.evil-photographer.com/cars/tyrrell/P34/P34.htm.
March also made some experiments with a 6 wheel car in 1977. The 2-4-0 (from rail locomotive terminology) sought increased traction by having a second set of rear wheels behind the first. Design and construction were very informal, development nonexistent (most running was done with only one set of rear wheels driven to avoid cracking the inadequate gearbox casing), and the car never competed; a successor machine did win several British hillclimbs in 1979 with Roy Lane at the wheel. Photo at http://www.geocities.com/simontmallett/240march1.html.
Williams produced a 6-wheel variant of their FW08 in 1982, of similar layout to the March. The idea this time was to extend the area under the car available to venturi tunnels and to allow the rear wing to be mounted further back on the car. Cars were built and tested, but right about the time that they were ready to race the FIA came out with new regulations restricting F1 cars to 4 wheels mounted on 2 axles, so it never raced for the FIA World Championship. The cars still exist and have appeared in several historic races. Photo at http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/large/689-1.jpg.
Q: Is it true about a "fan car"? A: The Brabham BT46B, which Niki Lauda drove to victory in the 1978 Swedish GP.
This was an idea borrowed from Jim Hall's Chaparral CanAm cars. The idea was to put skirts on the sidepods to seal the undercar area, then to mount an extractor fan at the back to remove the air under the car, thus sucking it down onto the track. To get around the "moveable areodynamic device" ban, Brabham claimed that the fan was there to help cool the engine.
Whilst this wasn't false, it wasn't the full reason behind the fan; the car actually squatted down onto the track if you blipped the throttle while it was stationary.
But its biggest problem was that it was very successful, so all the other teams protested. There was also one legitimate (IMO) concern--the fan tended to pick up debris from the track and blow it into the face of a driver following closely. In any event, the car was very soon banned by the FIA because the fan was ruled to be an aerodynamic aid not in a fixed position relative to the sprung part of the car.
Q: Why were Tyrrell thrown out of the 1984 championship? A: This is from Autocourse:
"In the afterglow of 1984's chase-the-McLaren story, the FISA-versus-Tyrrell affair still rankles as being as distasteful as it was ill-considered. Whether or not Tyrrell was plying his 012 cars with lead ballast during a late-race pit stop or - and this is more far-fetched - mixing additive to the water injected into the engine to ward off piston and valvegear failures has become a moot case. What is more relevant is not only the way that FISA conducted his trial - for example, introducing fresh evidence at an appeal hearing and barring Tyrrell from approaching expert witnesses who had analysed water samples for FISA - but also the severity of the fine. If Andrea de Cesaris and Niki Lauda have their practice times discounted on the days at Dijon and Dallas where the Ligier was found to be running with an empty fire extinguisher bottle and the McLaren declared to have a rear wing 2mm too wide, then excluding Tyrrell from the World Championship for infringements committed during Martin Brundle's gutsy drive to second in Detroit ranks as a kneejerk reaction of an inappropriate magnitude.
But the decision was final, costing Tyrrell his FOCA membership and USD 1,000,000 in concessionary travel arrangements to transcontinental races. Underlying the season had been the backstage arguments over the proposed 195-litre fuel capacity maximum intended for 1985: to stick at the current 220-litre allowance required team unanimity - and Ken Tyrrell was the only dissenting voice. Naturally, after he was barred from the Championship, so 220 litres became a fixed part of the '85 technical regulations, neatly, tidily and with no outward fuss."
Q: Who won the constructors championship in the year....? A: 2004 Ferrari (I) 2003 Ferrari (I) 2002 Ferrari (I) 2001 Ferrari (I) 2000 Ferrari (I) 1999 Ferrari (I) 1998 McLaren (GB) 1997 Williams (GB) 1996 Williams (GB) 1995 Benetton (GB) 1994 Williams (GB) 1993 Williams (GB) 1992 Williams (GB) 1991 McLaren (GB) 1990 McLaren (GB) 1989 McLaren (GB) 1988 McLaren (GB) 1987 Williams (GB) 1986 Williams (GB) 1985 McLaren (GB) 1984 McLaren (GB) 1983 Ferrari (I) 1982 Ferrari (I) 1981 Williams (GB) 1980 Williams (GB) 1979 Ferrari (I) 1978 Lotus (GB) 1977 Ferrari (I) 1976 Ferrari (I) 1975 Ferrari (I) 1974 McLaren (GB) 1973 Lotus (GB) 1972 Lotus (GB) 1971 Tyrrell (GB) 1970 Lotus (GB) 1969 Matra (F) 1968 Lotus (GB) 1967 Brabham (GB) 1966 Brabham (GB) 1965 Lotus (GB) 1964 Ferrari (I) 1963 Lotus (GB) 1962 BRM (GB) 1961 Ferrari (I) 1960 Cooper (GB) 1959 Cooper (GB) 1958 Vanwall (GB)
(The Constructors Championship originated in 1958.)
This FAQ is posted approximately twice a month. (The subject should be the same; if you do not want to retrieve it, kill the subject.) Between postings you can find a reasonably current copy at http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson/rasf1m.html. For more information about the operation of this newsgroup, and a nicely-formatted version of this FAQ, see the rec.autos.sport.f1.moderated website at http://www.rasf1m.net/.
*NOTE* The FAQ has been split into two parts to avoid it being too long for some people's rules.
Thanks to the following people who, amongst others, have had contributions culled to make the FAQ.
Kim Andrews, Paul B, Sven Baumer, David Betts, Sergiusz Boron, Alessio Bragadini, Lord Tim Brent, Stênio F. Campos, Simon "Bumble Bee Boy" Cossar, Andrew Cosstick, Emma Crawley, GD, BF Dehay, Doug Farrow, Pete Fenelon, Ken Fletcher, Mark J Frusciante, Tony Gartshore, Alan Gauton, Thomas Gmuer, Lutz Goerke, Paul Harman, Ian Hill, Mark Jackson, Jak, Alan Jones, Brian Lawrence, Jeff "Eskimo Joe", Olav K. Malmin, Julie Miles, Dave Parker, Jon Petersson, Barry Posner, Rob, Duncan Rollo, Rui Pedro Mendes Salgueiro, Martin Schmidt, Peter Scoular, Johan V, Mike Whooley, Paul Winalski. A big thanks must go to Stephen M Baines for maintaining this FAQ through mid-2001.
Apologies to anyone whose name was missed - it's not deliberate!
The FAQ may not have answers to everything you need - it is just a collection of *frequently* asked questions and their answers, not the answers to everything
Corrections and additions are especially welcome. I do try to keep up with the newsgroup, but to make sure of something being considered for the FAQ mail me at mjackson@alumni.caltech.edu.
The FAQ is divided into several sections.
This introduction (Part 1) 1. Rules, regulations and governing body (Part 1) 2. The teams and cars (Part 1) 3. The drivers (Part 2) 4. The races (Part 2) 5. The circuits (Part 2) 6. Television (Part 2) 7. Sponsors (Part 2) 8. Manufacturers (Part 2) 9. Technical stuff (Part 2) 10. Miscellaneous (Part 2)
1. Rules, Regulations and Governing Body ===========================================
Q: Who is the governing body of Formula 1? A: The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), headquartered in Paris (F) and whose President is currently Max Mosley. In 1904 various national motor clubs organized the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus (AIACR) to run international motor sport (reserving control of national events for themselves). The AIACR first issued an international sporting calendar and regulations in 1908, and in 1924 formed a Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI) to formalize the oversignt of Grand Prix and other forms of international racing.
The term Formula 1 came into use in 1947, when the AIACR reorganized itself as the FIA. The World Championship of Drivers was begun in 1950.
Q: What are the main changes for 2005? In an effort to improve the show two-stage qualifying was instituted. On Saturday cars ran one timed lap in reverse order from their finishing positions from the previous race, with the cars permitted to refuel but otherwise being impounded afterwards. The second qualifying session was Sunday morning, reverse order from the Saturday times, with no refueling afterwards and the grid determined by the aggregate of Saturday's and Sunday's single-lap times. This format proved so unpopular (especially with TV broadcasters, who found the Sunday session inconvenient) that by Europe it was scrapped in favor of a single Saturday race-fuel session run in reverse order of the previous finish.
On safety grounds, and following the failure of the F1 Technical Working Group to agree on a proposal, the FIA announced in October 2004:
* significant additional restrictions on diffusers and front and rear wings * single set of tires to be used for qualifying and race (One set each of the two available compounds for comparison on Friday; choice made early Saturday, with one new set for practice and a second set for qualifying and race.) * engines to last for two full race weekends - unless a car fails to finish the first race, *unless* the Stewards decide the driver chose not to finish (as opposed to "failed" to finish). Stay tuned for further obfuscations from the FIA. . . .
Agreement on improved wheel tethers and headrest protection, and on the coating of certain carbon-fiber body parts to suppress the shedding of sharp fragments in an accident, had previously been announced.
Q: Are other changes planned? A: Again on safety grounds the FIA has mandated the use of 2.4 liter V8 engines beginning in 2006 in order to reduce power (and hence speed). Significant restrictions on engine design and materials have also been mandated. A provision to permit current 3.0 liter V10 engines during 2006-07 under RPM restrictions TBA has been promised, this intended to give the independent teams a relatively low-cost option, and Minardi have announced a contract to continue with the Cosworth V10.
Barring unanimous consent of the teams, regulations should be otherwise stable through 2007. Radical restrictions to control costs and speeds have been floated by the FIA for 2008. These proved rather unpopular with the major manufacturers (Renault, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Mercedes); negotiations continue, complicated by the parallel struggle for future control of commercial rights (see Who Owns F1, below).
Q: What is the Concorde Agreement? A: The original Concorde Agreement (so-called because it was signed at the FIA headquarters on the Place de la Concorde in Paris) was between the Formula One Constructors Association (FOCA) and the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile (FISA).
FISA, reorganized from the old CSI by Jean-Marie Balestre after he became its chair, was the arm of the FIA involved in sanctioning motor sport and had direct sanctioning responsibility for F1. FOCA was, as its name implies, an organization representing most of the F1 teams (but not all of them--Tyrrell and, I think, Ferrari were not FOCA members). Its president was Bernie Ecclestone, then owner of the Brabham F1 team.
Through the 1970s the FIA had gradually allowed FOCA to take a greater hand in the financial, promotional, and organizational aspects of the F1 Championship. By 1980 FOCA was organizing the races and the FIA's role was limited to rules-making and officiating. When Balestre took over as head of the CSI he set about trying to get control of F1 back from FOCA. FOCA baulked at some of Balestre's proposed rule changes, particularly the ones limiting ground effects, and a very ugly dispute ensued that threatened to split the sport. (One race was boycotted by the FOCA teams; another, organized by FOCA, was excluded from that year's Championship.) The sponsors and manufacturers (engines, tires, fuel) had the last say and forced both sides to hammer out the Concorde Agreement, which covers the whole financial and organizational side of F1 racing, collection and distribution of monies, etc.
FISA is no longer, its duties now being performed by the FIA's World Motor Sports Council. FOCA has evolved into Bernie's complex of companies; see "Who owns F1," below. Since the original Concorde Agreement there have been several revisions to it.
The exact terms of the Concorde Agreement are not public, but what it amounts to is that in return for contracting to show up at the GPs that make up the World Championship the teams receive a cut of the monies that FOA/SLEC takes in. Bernie's company guarantees to the TV companies and the promoters of each F1 race that at least 12 (or perhaps 16, or 20 - sources differ) cars will show up for the race (currently 20 do). The latest version of the CA limits the size of the field for F1 championship GPs to 24 cars.
The current version expires in 2008. In mid-January 2005 the FIA, Ferrari, and Bernie announced the signing of a revised Concorde Agreement, giving the teams a larger share of revenues, effective through 2012. Bernie gave the other teams an end-of-February deadline to sign on, which was ignored. Red Bull and Jordan did sign in mid-July; the remaining 7 teams continue at least some level of involvement with the proposed breakaway series (see Who Owns F1, below).
Q: Where can I see the Concorde Agreement? A: You can't. It's secret, although some of its known or suspected provisions are described in this FAQ.
Q: How much do the teams get for winning races? A: The FIA doesn't get involved in money. Money is controlled by Bernie through what used to be called FOCA. I believe that the Concorde Agreement describes the "prize money" for each race, and I think there are payments for the leading teams at quarter, half, three-quarter and full distance. Maybe something for most laps led too?
The revenue from TV rights is partially distributed to teams using a points system derived from historical performances. As I understand it points are awarded for:
* Placing in the constructor's championship (last 3 years) * Number of years in F1 (1 year = 4 points, 10 years = 165 points [Ferrari 50 yrs = 1200 points]) * Constructor's titles (25 points each) * Constructor's championship points (last 2 years x 2) * " " 2 (all-time / 10) * Number of wins (last 2 years, 10 points each) * All-time number of wins (1 point each)
Teams with points get a proportional share of the money. There is also a separate pool of money distributed based on the previous years constructor's championship. The *size* of the total payout (reportedly 47% of TV revenues, nothing from the sanctioning fees and other income realized by Bernie) is one of the issues behind the breakaway manufacturers' movement (see next question).
Q: Who owns F1? A: The FIA owns Formula 1, but has licensed the commercial rights through 2110 (yes, for over a century) to a complex of companies effectively controlled by Bernie Ecclestone. The actual structure is arcane (/The Economist/ refers to "a complex tax-avoidance scheme") and the subject of legal dispute.
The key elements are: * Formula One Management (FOM), owned by the Jersey company Petara * Formula One Administration (FOA), which owns Petara and is in turn owned by Formula One Holdings (FOH) * SLEC Holdings, a Jersey company (evidently named for Bernie's wife Slavica, who controls Petara) which owns FOH.
Ownership of SLEC is divided, 25% to Bambino Holdings (another Jersey company controlled by the Liechtenstein-based Bambino Trust, whose beneficiaries are members of the Ecclestone family) and 75% to Speed Investments (yet another Jersey company). The latter, representing the fraction of his empire sold off by Bernie for a large sum, has passed through the hands of German media companies EM.TV and Kirch and now, following the latter's default, is controlled by three creditor banks (Bayerische Landesbank, Lehman Brothers, and J. P. Morgan Chase).
During the Kirch period Bambino appears to have instigated restructurings of the FOA and FOM boards that effectively place them outside of the control of FOH. The result was that although the banks "own" 75% of SLEC control of the commercial rights remained in Bernie's hands. This did not sit well with the banks (it rendered their shares essentially unsaleable) who instituted various legal proceedings. After a number of legal decisions (which seemed to favor the banks) and financial maneuvers a settlement was reached in late March; no details have been announced, although reports suggest a victory for the banks.
Complicating the picture further is a threat to the value of SLEC itself. The involvement of Kirch raised the prospect of a move of F1 TV coverage to pay-per-view, which was seen as a threat to its advertising value by the major auto manufacturers of F1 - the European Automobile Manufacturer's Association (BMW, Fiat, Ford, Renault and Mercedes). As a result in 2002 EAMA laid plans to launch a competing open-wheeled racing series under the name Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) by 2008, when the Concorde Agreement expires. GPWC activities then alternated between negotiations with Bernie and overt preparations to fight him. Recently their position was weakened, first by the withdrawal of Ford from F1 and then by the defection of Ferrari - but then bolstered by sudden support from non-members Toyota and Honda, who had previously been neutral. More recently all teams except Ferrari, Red Bull, and Jordan signed the GPWC Memorandum of Understanding (the significance of which is unclear) and plans for the 2008 series have since appeared to advance on a serious basis, with formal reorganization of the 5 remaining maunfacturers as the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA).
2. The teams and cars =====================
Q: When was the last time a privateer won a race? A: The last privateer to win a GP was either Jo Siffert in the Walker Lotus-Ford at Brands Hatch in 1968, or Jackie Stewart in the Tyrrell March-Ford in Spain in 1970. (Although Tyrrell bought both chassis and engine that season some feel that the support he was receiving from Ford, Elf, and Goodyear place him at least among the semi-works ranks. It's a judgement call, there being no official body empowered to bless privateership.)
There has never been a privateer World Champion. Moss came closest in the Rob Walker-entered Cooper in 1959 when he finished third. Walker was the first privateer entrant to win a World Championship Grand Prix with Moss in a Cooper-Climax, in the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix.
The Mugen-Honda engine used by the 2000 Jordan was a factory engine in all-but-name. The last World Champion to use an off-the-shelf engine was Keke Rosberg (1982, Williams-Ford).
Q: Who owns which team? BAR - BARH Limited, which is itself owned 55% by British American Tobacco and 45% by Honda. Ferrari - Piero Lardi Ferrari 10% and the FIAT Group 56%; 15% by the Italian investment bank Mediobanca, 10% between the German Commerzebank AG and Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna, and about 7% by Lehman Brothers. (Mediobanca is in the process of selling 5% to the government-owned Mubadala Development Co. of Abu Dhabi, part of which may come from other holdings.) Former and current employees hold the remaining 2%. An IPO. mooted for some time, is currently expected in 2007. Jordan - Alex Shnaider bought the team in 2005 but is rumored to be looking to sell quickly. McLaren - TAG McLaren is 40% owned by DaimlerChrysler and 30% each by Ron Dennis and TAG Group S.A. (Mansouer Ojjeh). Minardi - Paul Stoddart; however it has been purchased by Dietrich Mateschitz effective November 1 and in 2006 it will operate as a junior team for Red Bull. Red Bull - (formerly Jaguar, neé Stewart) Dietrich Mateschitz. Renault - Renault Sauber - Peter Sauber (37%); the remaining shares, formerly held by Red Bull's Dietrich Mateschitz, are currently in the hands of Credit Suisse. BMW will buy everyone out and turn Sauber resources into their own team in 2006. Toyota - Toyota Williams - Frank Williams and Patrick Head (said to be 80/20)
Q: Who is supplying engines and tyres to which team in 2005? A: BAR - Honda [F], Michelin Ferrari - Ferrari [F], Bridgestone Jordan - Toyota [C], Bridgestone McLaren - Mercedes [F], Michelin Minardi - Cosworth [C], Bridgestone Red Bull - Cosworth [C], Michelin Renault - Renault [F], Michelin Sauber - Ferrari [C], Michelin Toyota - Toyota [F], Michelin Williams - BMW [F], Michelin
[F] Factory [C] Customer
Q: Who will supply engines and tyres to which team in 2006? A: Engines will be new 2.4 liter V8s execept where noted: BAR - Honda [F], Michelin BMW* - BMW [F], Michelin Ferrari - Ferrari [F], Bridgestone McLaren - Mercedes [F], Michelin Midland** - Toyota [C], Bridgestone Minardi*** - Cosworth 3.0 V10 [C], Michelin(?) Red Bull - Ferrari [C], Michelin Renault - Renault [F], Michelin Toyota - Toyota [F], Bridgestone Williams - Cosworth [F], Bridgestone
[F] Factory [C] Customer * formerly Sauber ** formerly Jordan *** to be rebadged as Red Bull junior team
Q: What else is known about possible changes to team lineups in 2006 and beyond? A: Earlier Team Dubai F1 announced a 2006 entry with a technical tie-up with McLaren, but lack of funding caused this to die quietly. Latest reports are that McLaren will partner with the Japanese investment company Direxiv to run a junior F1 team beginning in 2007.
The South Korean manufacturer Kumho has announced their intention to begin testing F1 tires in 2006 with an intended entry in 2007.
Q. How much does each team spend per year? A. Estimates are all that are available, and of course they vary. The April 2004 issue of /F1 Racing/ gave the following breakdown (all figures in millions of US dollars):
Q: Is it true that there was a 6-wheel F1 car that won a race? A: The Tyrrell project 34 had small, 10 inch diameter front wheels that could be completely hidden behind the front cowling then in common use on F1 cars. This removed the front wheels from the airstream and thus reduced drag significantly, resulting in the car going faster. The problem was that the tiny front wheels didn't provide enough surface area for proper braking. The way around this was to use 4 front wheels instead of the usual 2. The car was pretty successful in its first year and actually won at Anderstorp (Swedish Grand Prix 1976) for Jody Scheckter, with Depailler second. It was less successful in 1977 because the more complicated 4-wheel front susp
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