Sauber - can they be fixed?
Discussion
So Sauber are in trouble, they have well documented financial issues, are the only team to have no points so far this year, and are skipping testing.
Considering they have at times seemed on the brink of a mighty breakthrough (the BMW days) they have fallen a long way and now Manor seem to be their main competion, but at least Manor seem to be racers, they have done deals to get Merc engines and Williams components and this season look closer than ever to the rest of the field and Wehrlein and Harayanto for that matter seem to be quite capable drivers.
So given that scenario, if you were handed the top job at Sauber tomorrow, how would you fix it? Or is it now too late? Will they wind up the team at the end of 2016.
Personally I think I'd be trying to strike a deal with one of the top teams to be their 'buddy team' so in exchange for engines and some technical assistance I'd put a driver of their choice in one of my cars or maybe even both. McLaren would seem like a good choice because they have no such partner at the moment and seem to be slowly coming good, they have a history of getting back to the top even after time in the wilderness (think 1993 - 1995) and I reckon they might surprise some people with the new regs in 2017, they also have a need for some young drivers to be 'blooded' so they can evaluate them for when Alonso/Button eventually leave. Honda are no fools either and will continue to make progress in the future.
This partnership and association would then make the team more attractive to potential sponsors or maybe even a potential buyer of the team to raise some much needed cash and hire some key personnel and improve the technical side of things.
Maybe a strategy is being worked on, but Sauber look rudderless to me at the moment and just seem to lurch from crisis to crisis with no real sign of recovery and they seem to just be showing up rather than racing. Something has to be done or they won't be on the grid soon.
Considering they have at times seemed on the brink of a mighty breakthrough (the BMW days) they have fallen a long way and now Manor seem to be their main competion, but at least Manor seem to be racers, they have done deals to get Merc engines and Williams components and this season look closer than ever to the rest of the field and Wehrlein and Harayanto for that matter seem to be quite capable drivers.
So given that scenario, if you were handed the top job at Sauber tomorrow, how would you fix it? Or is it now too late? Will they wind up the team at the end of 2016.
Personally I think I'd be trying to strike a deal with one of the top teams to be their 'buddy team' so in exchange for engines and some technical assistance I'd put a driver of their choice in one of my cars or maybe even both. McLaren would seem like a good choice because they have no such partner at the moment and seem to be slowly coming good, they have a history of getting back to the top even after time in the wilderness (think 1993 - 1995) and I reckon they might surprise some people with the new regs in 2017, they also have a need for some young drivers to be 'blooded' so they can evaluate them for when Alonso/Button eventually leave. Honda are no fools either and will continue to make progress in the future.
This partnership and association would then make the team more attractive to potential sponsors or maybe even a potential buyer of the team to raise some much needed cash and hire some key personnel and improve the technical side of things.
Maybe a strategy is being worked on, but Sauber look rudderless to me at the moment and just seem to lurch from crisis to crisis with no real sign of recovery and they seem to just be showing up rather than racing. Something has to be done or they won't be on the grid soon.
There are new investors coming on board, this means a change of ownership, sadly it appears Kaltenborn is staying. This is all due to be nnounced before the summer break.
I've seen a rumour that the investor is Tetra Pak, apparently a backer of Ericsson, they are a Swedish company but have a significant presence in Switzerland. So from that side it kind of ties in. What doesn't make sense just at the minute is why an industrial company that makes plastic boxes want an F1 team for.
I've seen a rumour that the investor is Tetra Pak, apparently a backer of Ericsson, they are a Swedish company but have a significant presence in Switzerland. So from that side it kind of ties in. What doesn't make sense just at the minute is why an industrial company that makes plastic boxes want an F1 team for.
A partnership with one of the bigger teams would certainly seem to be one of the better options - and as you say McLaren might not be a bad shout for them. Any such arrangement would probably depend on not only what resources McLaren and Honda have available but also what benefits you could use to sell it to them.
For Honda there would be the additional testing and development on the PU that having a second team would give them, plus you could run a Japanese driver? They would have the somewhat bitter financial pill to swallow of coughing up another full supply of engines though. Which might be a tough sell to the accountants given they are already spending millions upon millions on this current run at F1 and have got nothing but a year and a half of humiliation to show for it so far. Would they be willing to double down?
For McLaren it's trickier, I imagine that until the last few races Sauber have been too close to McLaren in terms of performance for comfort really. That said McLaren do seem to be finally making some progress which might allay that. They also currently have too many drivers for too few seats and if they were to put Vandoorne in the Sauber they could then run Alonso and Button again next year if that's what they wanted but other than that what would Sauber really bring to the McLaren party?
For Honda there would be the additional testing and development on the PU that having a second team would give them, plus you could run a Japanese driver? They would have the somewhat bitter financial pill to swallow of coughing up another full supply of engines though. Which might be a tough sell to the accountants given they are already spending millions upon millions on this current run at F1 and have got nothing but a year and a half of humiliation to show for it so far. Would they be willing to double down?
For McLaren it's trickier, I imagine that until the last few races Sauber have been too close to McLaren in terms of performance for comfort really. That said McLaren do seem to be finally making some progress which might allay that. They also currently have too many drivers for too few seats and if they were to put Vandoorne in the Sauber they could then run Alonso and Button again next year if that's what they wanted but other than that what would Sauber really bring to the McLaren party?
Crafty_ said:
There are new investors coming on board, this means a change of ownership, sadly it appears Kaltenborn is staying. This is all due to be nnounced before the summer break.
I've seen a rumour that the investor is Tetra Pak, apparently a backer of Ericsson, they are a Swedish company but have a significant presence in Switzerland. So from that side it kind of ties in. What doesn't make sense just at the minute is why an industrial company that makes plastic boxes want an F1 team for.
I'd seen similar actually - it seems odd since there is no obvious synergy between Tetra Pak and F1, even more so since despite the persistence of the rumors everyone denies it vehemently whenever it comes up! Still this is F1 and stranger things have happened! Tetra Pak are engaged in a big push towards renewable energy so I suppose there is the whole hybrid aspect but I'm clutching at straws there.I've seen a rumour that the investor is Tetra Pak, apparently a backer of Ericsson, they are a Swedish company but have a significant presence in Switzerland. So from that side it kind of ties in. What doesn't make sense just at the minute is why an industrial company that makes plastic boxes want an F1 team for.
Of course it might simply be a vanity thing from a Swedish point of view given Ericsson or even just a mega F1 fan who is senior enough to get the budget requests through. Sauber's debt's were rumored to be around €120million which is a drop in the ocean of the Tetra Leval group's finances (less than 1% of their net sales for last year!)
Anything can be fixed with enough cash, but even with a huge investment from a new sponsor I can't see their route to the top, but they could theoretically buy some better tech if they could strike up a deal with another team.
Sadly I think they are doomed to be a crap team until Kaltenborn is gone, she's mismanaged them into the ground.
Sadly I think they are doomed to be a crap team until Kaltenborn is gone, she's mismanaged them into the ground.
Sauber have the infrastructure to be a solid team. I suspect it is already getting a bit late for any new sponsorship money to have an effect on next year's car? They can't run an old spec car in 2017 and introduce a highly modified B-spec midseason as Force India did last year due to changes in chassis regs. At this rate, they may well be running around at the back next year even if the extra funds can wipe off the debts.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/125286...
There we go...problem solved
hopefully they can move up from here.
There we go...problem solved
hopefully they can move up from here.patmahe said:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/125286...
There we go...problem solved hopefully they can move up from here.
Still all seems a bit light on details, I just hope it is the real deal unlike the mystery bloke who was supposed to be buying into Lotus back in 2013.There we go...problem solved
hopefully they can move up from here.Crafty_ said:
What doesn't make sense just at the minute is why an industrial company that makes plastic boxes want an F1 team for.
To escape the mudanity of the packaging industry?;) Do people in 2016 choose their bank or buy printers or base their choice of dreary diesel hatchback because the name was plastered all over a F1 car?Seriously I thought this was exactly the kind of company f1 sponsership was prime for - global representation for a global operator, the opportunity to say to prospective or current clients you need to impress, wherever they are in the world, "well there you go just pop along to an all expenses premium GP weekend and while you're there call by our suite with sauber we'll chat about things" and the bosses get a tax deductable jolly.
Crafty_ said:
What doesn't make sense just at the minute is why an industrial company that makes plastic boxes want an F1 team for.
Is there really any solid financial or marketing sense in anyone getting involved with F1 at a team ownership level? It seems like a money pit with the benefits of some exposure and a place to wine and dine high end clients.Crafty_ said:
There are new investors coming on board, this means a change of ownership, sadly it appears Kaltenborn is staying. This is all due to be nnounced before the summer break.
I've seen a rumour that the investor is Tetra Pak, apparently a backer of Ericsson, they are a Swedish company but have a significant presence in Switzerland. So from that side it kind of ties in. What doesn't make sense just at the minute is why an industrial company that makes plastic boxes want an F1 team for.
Tetra Laval is essentially owned by the Rausing family, who pretty much all live in England.I've seen a rumour that the investor is Tetra Pak, apparently a backer of Ericsson, they are a Swedish company but have a significant presence in Switzerland. So from that side it kind of ties in. What doesn't make sense just at the minute is why an industrial company that makes plastic boxes want an F1 team for.
Has Monisha spent significant time in England?
They are fabulously wealthy but that doesn't mean they piss money up the wall for no reason.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/125349...
When your driver wants to wait and see about your new financial backer you know things are tough
When your driver wants to wait and see about your new financial backer you know things are tough
So, Kaltenborn stays, but no longer has a holding. Who wants to bet on her going in the next 12 months ?
Clearly, the new investors expect large amounts of money to be made, the race team is just a showcase for their wares/capability now. You do have to wonder what will happen if the business side doesn't do as well as expected.
TFA said:
At the same time the new structure will allow us to finally further expand our third party business in which we commercialise our know-how.
So, this is the play then. Create a startup company that uses skills and expertise in the commercial sector. Nothing new, Mclaren have been doing data analysis/data science for various companies for quite a while. I wonder if Sauber are considering the same or if they are going to look at production of composites etc ?Clearly, the new investors expect large amounts of money to be made, the race team is just a showcase for their wares/capability now. You do have to wonder what will happen if the business side doesn't do as well as expected.
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