More engine talk!

More engine talk!

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Discussion

hairyben

8,516 posts

184 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
rohrl said:
andyps said:
RobGT81 said:
Horner has suggested using twin turbo V6s next year
Another way of throwing toys out of the pram. Just because he is locked into an engine supply which he doesn't feel will have any advantage for 3-4 years he wants it changed. He really needs to think about what he is doing for the reputation of F1 and Red Bull. Grow some balls Christian, never mind wings.
Quite. Horner was very happy with the rules when Red Bull were winning every weekend but now his team are on the back foot he wants to change everything.
I wish someone would shut horner up, he really is being quite necessary.

I'm not unconvinced that having his ahem, "wings clipped" at the last race was purely by chance.

As he's crying about cost reduction in relation to engines, howsabout we take a peek at the team budgets: https://infogr.am/team-f1-2014-budget-and-employee...

Looks to me like merc have not just build a devastatingly good package, they've done it on about two-thirds of RB's budget. Even ferrari have got the humility and sense to be quiet. Maybe mr horner should be trying to learn something about where his outfit have gone wrong rather then trying to lecture anyone on ahem, cost reduction?

Scuffers

Original Poster:

20,887 posts

275 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
You do realise those budgets do not include the engine builders?


hairyben

8,516 posts

184 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
You do realise those budgets do not include the engine builders?
is the engine program not costed into the annual budget offset over multiple years?

hairyben

8,516 posts

184 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
Gaz. said:
hairyben said:
is the engine program not costed into the annual budget offset over multiple years?
Nope. Mercedes should break even by 2020 through engine sales and writing off the £25m per year that they would have paid for engines like their customers.
So then, even if you add £25M to those or any other of the budget figures being bandied about my point still stands. Merc & co have still done both their sums and their engineering well and the result is a demonstration in good value.

Red bull have for some time, as is Neweys way, placed a lot of empathis on aero & chassis and perhaps regarded the power unit as a less important commodity. This may have served them well using the developed-to-near-homogeneous engines under the locked down rules in recent years, but perhaps they should have taken a different approach with the new regs and worked more closely with renault. Thats their biggest failing; I suppose for all his talent it might be Neweys Achilles heel, and horner needs to take his oil and get his best men working on it instead of whining that its not fair.

Scuffers

Original Poster:

20,887 posts

275 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
hairyben said:
So then, even if you add £25M to those or any other of the budget figures being bandied about my point still stands. Merc & co have still done both their sums and their engineering well and the result is a demonstration in good value.

Red bull have for some time, as is Neweys way, placed a lot of empathis on aero & chassis and perhaps regarded the power unit as a less important commodity. This may have served them well using the developed-to-near-homogeneous engines under the locked down rules in recent years, but perhaps they should have taken a different approach with the new regs and worked more closely with renault. Thats their biggest failing; I suppose for all his talent it might be Neweys Achilles heel, and horner needs to take his oil and get his best men working on it instead of whining that its not fair.
No, your point is plain wrong.

Merc HPE spent some $1Bn developing the new powertrain, what the teams pay for them is peanuts by comparison.

For ref, Renault spent about half that, and ferrari somewhere between.


zac510

5,546 posts

207 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
No, your point is plain wrong.

Merc HPE spent some $1Bn developing the new powertrain, what the teams pay for them is peanuts by comparison.

For ref, Renault spent about half that, and ferrari somewhere between.
Got sources for those figures?

hairyben

8,516 posts

184 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
No, your point is plain wrong.

Merc HPE spent some $1Bn developing the new powertrain, what the teams pay for them is peanuts by comparison.

For ref, Renault spent about half that, and ferrari somewhere between.
How is my point wrong?

I've seen a few different overall engine development cost figures bandies about most of which put them lesser and closer but what I've not heard disputed is that mercs engine program, like Gaz says, will be cost-neutral in the end once everyone (inc the merc team write off) have "paid" for their engines.

Scuffers

Original Poster:

20,887 posts

275 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
hairyben said:
How is my point wrong?

I've seen a few different overall engine development cost figures bandies about most of which put them lesser and closer but what I've not heard disputed is that mercs engine program, like Gaz says, will be cost-neutral in the end once everyone (inc the merc team write off) have "paid" for their engines.
Are you just bad at maths?

4 teams pay $25m for engine deals, that's $100m a year, so ow many years to pay back not forgetting the costs if building them and support still carries on year on year?

At one point, there were over 800 people at brixworth working on it, and they are not in minimum wage...

RYH64E

7,960 posts

245 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
Are you just bad at maths?

4 teams pay $25m for engine deals, that's $100m a year, so ow many years to pay back not forgetting the costs if building them and support still carries on year on year?

At one point, there were over 800 people at brixworth working on it, and they are not in minimum wage...
And don't forget that even with the development freeze in place limited development is still allowed, and it's likely to be a free for all in 2016, so r&d costs are going to be substantial for the foreseeable future.

zac510

5,546 posts

207 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
At one point, there were over 800 people at brixworth working on it, and they are not in minimum wage...
Do you have a source for where you got the number of staff at HPE?

hairyben

8,516 posts

184 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
hairyben said:
How is my point wrong?

I've seen a few different overall engine development cost figures bandies about most of which put them lesser and closer but what I've not heard disputed is that mercs engine program, like Gaz says, will be cost-neutral in the end once everyone (inc the merc team write off) have "paid" for their engines.
Are you just bad at maths?

4 teams pay $25m for engine deals, that's $100m a year, so ow many years to pay back not forgetting the costs if building them and support still carries on year on year?

At one point, there were over 800 people at brixworth working on it, and they are not in minimum wage...
My maths is alas, only as accurate as the data available.

Given your entire argument rests on it, and that it's much higher than anything I or other contributors understand, I think you should reveal the source of this £1B you claim has been spent by merc.

anonymous-user

55 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
Toto Wolff said in the team principles press conference at Abu Dhabi that Mercedes spent $100 million last year at Brixworth. There are articles out there from F1 journalists that mention circa £125 million. Don't know where people are getting £500 million from?

anonymous-user

55 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
zac510 said:
Scuffers said:
At one point, there were over 800 people at brixworth working on it, and they are not in minimum wage...
Do you have a source for where you got the number of staff at HPE?
This is from some time ago, not sure when there where ever anything like 800 there, if ever.

About Us:

Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains are based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire at the purpose built Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre. There, a team of over 400 people are responsible for the design, manufacture and testing of Formula 1 power units for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Force India F1 and the Williams F1 team.

The company is built on three pillars of success; Quality, Technical Excellence and Speed & Flexibility. These traits have seen the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 engine power Lewis Hamilton (2008) and Jenson Button (2009) in the Formula 1 Drivers' World championship and Brawn GP in the 2009 Formula 1 Constructors' World Championship.
"The objective of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains is to win Formula 1 World Championships"

anonymous-user

55 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
REALIST123 said:
The company is built on three pillars of success; Quality, Technical Excellence and Speed & Flexibility.
That's Four. laugh

Catatafish

1,361 posts

146 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
REALIST123 said:
The company is built on three pillars of success; Quality, Technical Excellence and Speed & Flexibility.
Sounds like 4 pillars to me wink

thegreenhell

15,404 posts

220 months

Sunday 30th November 2014
quotequote all
jsf said:
REALIST123 said:
The company is built on three pillars of success; Quality, Technical Excellence and Speed & Flexibility.
That's Four. laugh
"Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency... and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope..."

zac510

5,546 posts

207 months

Monday 1st December 2014
quotequote all
REALIST123 said:
This is from some time ago, not sure when there where ever anything like 800 there, if ever.

About Us:

Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains are based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire at the purpose built Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre. There, a team of over 400 people are responsible for the design
Well 800 is over 400 I suppose smile

But seriously, thanks for bringing a tiny bit of truth to the thread!

Scuffers

Original Poster:

20,887 posts

275 months

Monday 1st December 2014
quotequote all
REALIST123 said:
zac510 said:
Scuffers said:
At one point, there were over 800 people at brixworth working on it, and they are not in minimum wage...
Do you have a source for where you got the number of staff at HPE?
This is from some time ago, not sure when there where ever anything like 800 there, if ever.

About Us:

Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains are based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire at the purpose built Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre. There, a team of over 400 people are responsible for the design, manufacture and testing of Formula 1 power units for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Force India F1 and the Williams F1 team.

The company is built on three pillars of success; Quality, Technical Excellence and Speed & Flexibility. These traits have seen the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 engine power Lewis Hamilton (2008) and Jenson Button (2009) in the Formula 1 Drivers' World championship and Brawn GP in the 2009 Formula 1 Constructors' World Championship.
"The objective of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains is to win Formula 1 World Championships"
that's probably right for the 'normal' levels of permanent staff there.

during the development last year, they drafted in a lot of outside help, mostly on the electronics/electro-mechanical side.

(Also worth remembering that not everybody on the project was on-site at Brixworth.)

RobGT81

5,229 posts

187 months

Monday 1st December 2014
quotequote all
Yup there has been quite a lot of contractors there over the last few years.

anonymous-user

55 months

Monday 1st December 2014
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
REALIST123 said:
zac510 said:
Scuffers said:
At one point, there were over 800 people at brixworth working on it, and they are not in minimum wage...
Do you have a source for where you got the number of staff at HPE?
This is from some time ago, not sure when there where ever anything like 800 there, if ever.

About Us:

Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains are based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire at the purpose built Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre. There, a team of over 400 people are responsible for the design, manufacture and testing of Formula 1 power units for MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Force India F1 and the Williams F1 team.

The company is built on three pillars of success; Quality, Technical Excellence and Speed & Flexibility. These traits have seen the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 engine power Lewis Hamilton (2008) and Jenson Button (2009) in the Formula 1 Drivers' World championship and Brawn GP in the 2009 Formula 1 Constructors' World Championship.
"The objective of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains is to win Formula 1 World Championships"
that's probably right for the 'normal' levels of permanent staff there.

during the development last year, they drafted in a lot of outside help, mostly on the electronics/electro-mechanical side.

(Also worth remembering that not everybody on the project was on-site at Brixworth.)
And I'm sure Renault also used contractors. The number spoken about by Jalinier for both the chassis and engine seems to confirm that the number at Brixworth is nearer 400 than 800.

Whatever, RBR, Renault and everyone else only have themselves to blame. I don't remember these people moaning quite the same when they were pumping in the millions.