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29/03/2015 15:58
2015
EDITORIAL David Cushnan James Emmett
9
DESIGN & PRODUCTION Daniel Harland Brown PHOTOGRAPHS Action Images Press Association COMMERCIAL Peter Jones William Dobson Richard Partridge Bhav Sahota
95
OPERATIONS Yéwandé Aruleba MANAGING DIRECTOR Nick Meacham Black Book is published by: SportsPro Media Ltd 5 Prescot Street, London E1 8PA Tel: +44 (0) 207 549 3250 Fax: +44 (0) 207 871 0102 Email: info@sportspromedia.com Web: www.sportspromedia.com (SportsPro Media Ltd is part of the Henley Media Group Ltd www.henleymediagroup.com) NOTICES: Black Book is published annually. This is the tenth edition. Printed in the EU. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Single copies of the Black Book 2015 are available at a cost of UK£90, US$150 €103 and delivered anywhere in the world at no extra charge. Copies are available by logging on to www.sportspromedia.com EDITORIAL COPYRIGHT: The contents of this book, both words and statistics, are strictly copyright and the intellectual copyright of SportsPro Media Ltd. Copyright or reproduction may only be carried out with written permission of the publishers, which will normally not be withheld on payment of a fee. Article reprints: Most articles published in the Black Book are available as reprints. Normal print run for reprints is 400 copies. Please contact us at: info@sportspromedia.com
157 161 259
1: TEAM BY TEAM Mercedes: Red Bull: Williams: Ferrari: McLaren:
10 18 28 38 48
Force India: Toro Rosso: Lotus: Sauber: Manor Marussia:
56 62 70 78 84
2: CIRCUITS Australia: Malaysia: China: Bahrain: Spain: Monaco: Canada: Austria: Britain: Germany:
96 100 104 106 110 112 116 118 122 126
Hungary: Belgium: Italy: Singapore: Japan: Russia: USA: Mexico: Brazil: Abu Dhabi:
130 132 134 136 138 140 144 148 152 154
Contacts by name:
182
Odysso: Gallery:
274 277
3: STATISTICS 2014/5 statistics:
158
4: CONTACTS Contacts by company: 162
5: STYLE The art of networking: 260 Amber Lounge: 266
Media Partner:
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 3
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network usage in-flight shows that around 85% is Internet usage, with some 7% of the time spent on VoIP calls and the remainder taken up with faxing of documents, which is still quite in demand in-flight,” explains Karina Larsen, co-founder and VP Partnerships at Satcom1. Satcom1 currently services more than 1,500 satcom terminals. In order to deliver 1Mb broadband connectivity in-flight, Satcom1’s developed a special router software - AvioIP suite, which is able to aggregate Inmarsat channels to provide the user with fast broadband at high altitude. Satcom1 is planning to release a new version of its AvioIP software suite in May 2015. Among other new features, it will include aggregation of more than 2 SwiftBroadband channels – which has
been already tested and proven to deliver up to 1.6 MB/s speed in Satcom1’s lab at Le Bourget business airport in Paris. Future software versions are expected to also support new services such as Inmarsat JetConneX and Inmarsat HDR, which will bring the in-flight connectivity data speed standards in line with the speeds we are used to on the ground, in our homes and offices. Future software versions are expected to also support new services such as Inmarsat JetConneX and Inmarsat HDR, which will bring the in-flight connectivity data speed standards in line with the speeds we are used to on the ground, in our homes and offices. For more information about VIP-tailored in-flight satellite communication services, please contact sales@satcom1.com.
10 YEARS OF GEARS
IT’S BEEN A DECADE TO REMEMBER, BUT AS 2015 BEGINS FORMULA ONE IS FACING SERIOUS CHALLENGES In the ten years since the first Black Book was published, Formula One has seen drivers, teams and sponsors come and go, stars emerge, manufacturers driven away and lured back, new Grands Prix spring up in eager – and not so eager – new markets, traditional races fall by the wayside, power struggles within teams and across the sport, near-constant tinkering with the rules, near-constant conversation about how best to improve ‘the show’, a scandal involving the deliberate crashing of a car, the dramatic transition of an energy drinks firm into one of the sport’s powerhouse teams, a poisonous industrial espionage scandal, a change of presidency at the FIA, court cases, a private equity firm take control of the sport, arguments over team orders and plenty more besides. For all its problems – and it has many, as the collapse of two teams towards the end of 2014 showed all too clearly – Formula One as soap opera has been as enthralling as it has ever been over the past decade. And through it all, fighting fires and occasionally creating them, Bernie Ecclestone has remained at the helm; although he is now mere employee rather than
6 l BLACK BOOK 2015
outright owner, Ecclestone’s grip on Formula One appears as strong as ever. It is Ecclestone, now 84, who continues to be the sport’s public face and the one perceived to be doing the deals, courting heads of state and gladhanding movers and shakers. From CVC Capital Partners, the majority owner of Formula One, there is nothing; despite Ecclestone’s well-publicised court appearances in 2014, they have retained him as chief executive, attempting to build a more effective, modern business structure around him rather than replace him and start anew. The collapse of Caterham and Marussia last year – the latter miraculously revived as Manor just days before the 2015 championship began – and the very public, highly vocal complaints from the smaller of the remaining teams, however, was the clearest indication yet that all is not well with Formula One’s financial structure: it is too heavily slanted towards the larger teams, which were rewarded for being able to commit to the sport until 2020 and then given a mechanism to influence the rules, via the ill-conceived Strategy Group. The FIA, world motorsport’s governing body, meanwhile, effectively sold its right to fully shape the regulations, in return for a greater share of Formula One’s revenues; under president Jean Todt, it has been rendered almost entirely impotent
when it comes to managing the sport. Most significant cost-cutting measures have failed and combined with the extraordinarily expensive new formula introduced at the start of 2014, several teams have felt the noose tighten around their necks. Combine a dwindling number of cars and television viewers with continued expansion into unchartered markets – the Azeri capital Baku is next, with its first race due to take place in 2016 – seemingly at the expense of the traditional heartlands of the sport – Germany does not appear on this year’s calendar for the first time since 1960 – and it is hard to escape a feeling of disillusionment as the new championship year begins. And yet, it says much about the inherent strength of Formula One - the compelling nature of the business around it, its value as a tool for global marketing and as a showcase for technology – that even after the toughest of winters, Epson, Qualcomm, Estrella, BT and former Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King have all decided to get involved. We hope this anniversary edition of the Black Book is a useful companion as you navigate the good, bad and occasionally ugly business of Formula One this year. David Cushnan Editor
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TEAM BY TEAM 2015 Mercedes:
10
Red Bull:
18
Williams:
28
Ferrari:
38
McLaren:
48
Force India:
56
Toro Rosso:
62
Lotus:
70
Sauber:
78
Marussia:
84
1
MERCEDES Nico Rosberg leads team-mate Lewis Hamilton during May’s Monaco Grand Prix. The German converted his controversial pole position into victory on the streets, but it was the Briton who took the world title.
10 l BLACK BOOK 2015
2014 IN REVIEW Mercedes-Benz returned to the summit of Formula One in style, taking both 2014 world championships, breaking records and dominating the season. Indeed, it was domination the like of which Formula One has not seen for some time: 16 wins in 19, 18 of 19 pole positions and 11 one-two finishes was way beyond anything Red Bull Racing achieved during their supreme championship run between 2010 and 2013. Such was the superiority of the W05 chassis and the magnificent new power unit developed by MercedesBenz High Performance Engines, used to great effect by the works team and its customers, Williams, Force India and McLaren, the constructors’ championship was wrapped up in Russia with three races to go and the drivers’ championship distilled into a dramatic, intense and sometimes controversial battle between team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. It was the rivalry that made the season, given added spice by Mercedes’ willingness to let their men race it out. That led to a few rocky moments, but, in general, the team should be widely praised for its approach. It took until the final race, although thankfully without the dreadful double points rule playing a part, for the drivers’ world champion to be crowned. Hamilton, deservedly, took the honours, a second title to cement his place amongst the greats of his sport. However, Rosberg, who won five races compared to Hamilton’s 11, had nothing to be ashamed about: he drove superbly all year, up against a supreme opponent. The seeds of the 2014 harvest were sewn at least two years ago, when Mercedes sensed that the wide-ranging regulatory changes coming into effect in 2014 offered the best possibility of
breaking Red Bull’s stranglehold on the sport. The Mercedes board and team principal Ross Brawn diverted resources immediately into the 2014 car, while the engine division, led by Andy Cowell, set to work on developing the PU106A Hybrid. As critically, processes were swiftly put in place to ensure the work the chassis team was doing dovetailed with the engine department. In 2013, a new executive team was formed around Brawn, ultimately leading to the Englishman’s departure at the end of the year. If much of Mercedes’ success is owed to Brawn’s groundwork, the new management triumvirate comprised of nonexecutive chairman NikI Lauda, head of Mercedes motorsport Toto Wolff and technical executive director Paddy Lowe proved formidable, despite one or two tricky moments at the height of the championship fight. The dynamics worked: Lauda was the voice of experience, Lowe the technical brain and Wolff, whose influence in Formula One continues to grow, the manager and frontman. Left to run the team by the paymasters in Stuttgart, the Brackley-based team flourished. The first inkling that Hamilton versus Rosberg might turn into a classic rivalry came in Bahrain, scene of a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle under the floodlights. Hamilton emerged victorious, the third in a run of four successive victories early in the year. The stakes were raised in Monaco when Rosberg ran into an escape road, then reversed out, during the final moments of qualifying, leaving Hamilton unable to improve his time. There was plenty of suspicion, although no proof, it had been a deliberate act. Rosberg won the Monaco Grand Prix the following day. A home victory for Hamilton at Silverstone was followed by a Rosberg victory in Germany.
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 / 1
TEAM BY TEAM 2015
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 11
extended its title sponsorship for an unspecified number of years, a slew of renewed commercial agreements, with the likes of Starwood Hotels and IWC Schaffhausen, and the acquisition of Hugo Boss for 2015 suggested the team’s commercial department was striking while the iron was hot. All the indications from 2014 are that Mercedes’ partners will be in for a successful ride over the coming seasons.
2015 PREVIEW
Lewis Hamilton (above) celebrates his second world championship title after a crushing victory at the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi; his new Mercedes (right) could be even more dominant.
12 l BLACK BOOK 2015
Then came Hungary, where Hamilton ignored a team order to let Rosberg, on a different strategy, pass. Mercedes, however, backed the Englishman, later admitting it was an order that should never have been sent. Rosberg stewed over the summer break. On lap two of the Belgian Grand Prix, he clipped Hamilton’s car, causing the Englishman the puncture which wrecked his race, a move which led to a furious reaction from his team, a chorus of boos on the podium and an internal fine. A furious Wolff did not hold back, telling television viewers immediately after the race the incident was “unacceptable”. Rosberg was stung by the public and private reaction. A good-natured rivalry had become a bitter war within a matter of months; the pressure only eased when the titles had been won in Abu Dhabi, Rosberg admitting that over the year he had been beaten by the better man. By the final race, Hamilton had turned a 29-point deficit into a 67-point advantage, courtesy of a brilliant run of five successive victories in Italy, Singapore, Japan, Russia and the USA. Reliability was also a factor. Although stunningly quick, the W05 was fragile. Hamilton dropped out of the opening race of the year in Melbourne and suffered major problems during qualifying in Germany and Hungary, while Rosberg
was scuppered at Silverstone, in Singapore and suffered gremlins at the finale in Abu Dhabi. Both cars were stricken in Canada, suffering from battery problems, although Rosberg quite brilliantly salvaged second place after adapting his driving style. To the surprise of many, it was Rosberg who edged the qualifying battle – indeed, the German’s qualifying performance over the 19 races was so impressive that his average grid position was 1.68. The final race in Abu Dhabi, however, rather summed up the season: Rosberg brilliantly took pole only for Hamilton, courtesy of a start he described as the best of his life, to lead into the first corner. He never looked back. Though Mercedes would never admit it publicly, from a marketing perspective Hamilton, one of perhaps only three genuinely global superstars in Formula One, probably makes a better champion. An indication of his appeal came prior to November’s US Grand Prix when he appeared, albeit briefly, as a guest on NBC’s Today show in New York. He may divide opinion, but commercially Hamilton is worth his weight in gold. During a season in which Petronas, which should be credited for assisting in the development of the Mercedes power unit through its fuel mixtures,
Mercedes begin the season as the overwhelming favourite to defend the titles won so stylishly in 2014. The sport’s dominant team is unlikely to allow complacency to set in after just one successful year, its technical advantage is likely to be maintained and there is continuity at driver and senior management level. An unparalleled first test session in which the team’s all-new W06 car completed 157 laps straight out of the box, stunning rivals in the process, did little to alter the sense that the 2015 championship will be contested between world champion Lewis Hamilton and his team-mate Nico Rosberg. Put simply, it would be a massive surprise if Mercedes have not retained both titles at the end of November. “Long before the end of last season, development work on our 2015 car became the main priority,” said Toto Wolff, Mercedes-Benz’s motorsport chief, as the W06 was unveiled in a low-key Jerez pit-lane launch on the first day of winter testing in February. “The winter months are the most intense, with everybody at Brackley and Brixworth working around the clock to prepare for the season ahead. Their dedication is inspiring. It would be so dangerous to rest on our laurels after 2014 – but none of us have any sense that things will be easier now.” The W06 is an evolution of the all-conquering W05, thanks in no small part to the relatively minor technical regulation changes for 2015. “Expectations are now high and a lot
Picture by: Manu Fernandez/AP/Press Association Images
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 / 1
TEAM BY TEAM 2015
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 13
of assumptions are being made about our potential this season,” explained Paddy Lowe, the team’s technical executive director. “Internally, however, we are fully aware that you can never afford to stand still in any sport – particularly Formula One.” Lowe added: “Some changes will be more visually obvious, of course, but the devil is in the detail. Beneath the covers there have been a raft of developments from both a chassis and power unit perspective – all aimed at creating a car that is safer, more efficient, more reliable and ultimately faster.” Despite its dominance, the Mercedes was not bullet-proof in 2014, and the team has spent much of the winter working to iron out any creases from a package which, in pure speed terms, looks set to be the class of the field. While the chassis is clearly excellent, much of Mercedes’ advantage continues to be a result of the superiority of its power unit, developed, built and tweaked by the Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains unit in Brixworth. “Where last year was a case of ‘can we do it?’ we are now faced with a different challenge – how do we improve it?,” said Andy Cowell, the managing director of a division which is also supplying Mercedes power units to Williams, Force India and, for the first time, Lotus, on a customer basis.
14 l BLACK BOOK 2015
Through a token system, power unit manufacturers are permitted to make changes this season, a muchdebated rule clarification which at a stroke offers Renault and Ferrari the chance to close the gap, but gives Mercedes an opportunity to make fresh gains. At the same time, the strain on power units has increased: a driver may use only four throughout the season, a reduction on the five allowed in 2014. Combined with one more race than in 2014, it presents Cowell and his fellow engine chiefs with a considerable challenge. If the championship does distil once again into a head-to-head battle between Mercedes’ drivers, the team knows what to expect. Hamilton
and Rosberg enjoy a healthy rivalry and share a mutual respect but the white heat of a world championship battle changes the dynamics and the intensity is likely to rise once more as the season wears on. Hamilton, as he proved in the latter part of 2014, is the quicker man, but Rosberg’s ability to raise his game when faced with a challenging opponent has been a been a theme of recent years: he is not far away from a world title, but it will be some effort to stop Hamilton over a 20-race championship. In terms of managing the rivalry, while there were some sticky moments at times in 2014 the management triumvirate of Wolff, Lowe and nonexecutive chairman Niki Lauda appear well-placed to keep order. During the early part of the season, they will also be working hard to tie Hamilton down to a new long-term contract which will keep him at Mercedes beyond 2015. Despite the inevitable overtures from other teams, Mercedes has done well to keep its core group of technical and engineering leaders together over the winter. Only Jock Clear, Hamilton’s performance engineer, has left the fold, although he is being retained in a factory role before taking a senior position at Ferrari. On the commercial front, Mercedes’s finances have been bolstered over the winter not only by the lion’s share of
Picture by: David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Toto Wolff (right) has established himself as one of Formula One’s leading managers, deftly handling the rivalry between teammates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg (below).
MERCEDES Sponsor
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Daimler
US$100m
November 2009
Ongoing
Owner
Automotive
Petronas
US$42m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Title partner
Oil/Fuel
Blackberry
US$12m
February 2013
December 2015
Partner
Technology
UBS
US$1m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Financial
Allianz
US$1m
February 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Financial
Qualcomm
US$9.25m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Hugo Boss
US$3m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
Epson
US$7.5m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Ebmpapst
US$1m
May 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
IWC Schaffhausen
US$1m
May 2012
December 2018
Partner
Watch
Monster
US$1.6m
March 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Beverage
Puma
US$1m
January 2012
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
Starwood
US$1.5m
May 2012
December 2016
Partner
Hotel
Advanti
US$0.1m
May 2013
December 2015
Supplier
Automotive
Assos
US$0.1m
April 2014
Undisclosed
Supplier
Cycling
Endless Advance
US$0.1m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
NGK
US$0.1m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Spies Hecker
US$0.1m
September 2013
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Tata Communications
US$0.3m
April 2013
Undisclosed
Supplier
Technology
USI Italia
US$0.1m
April 2013
December 2015
Supplier
Automotive
Tumi
US$0.1m
February 2015
Undisclosed
Supplier
Luxury
DB Schenker
US$0.1m
February 2015
Undisclosed
Supplier
Logistics
FOM TV
US$88.49m
September 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$271.44m
Other income
Formula One’s prize money, courtesy of its 2014 results, but also several new and renewed partnerships. Chief amongst them are a multi-year deal with Epson, whose logos feature on the rear wing of the W06, and a new partnership with wireless technology specialist Qualcomm. Smaller supply agreements have also been reached with luxury luggage provider Tumi and logistics provider DB Schenker, which will transport and set-up the team’s motorhomes and engineering offices
16 l BLACK BOOK 2015
throughout the European season. Hugo Boss, prised from McLaren, is another new partner from the start of 2015. As ever, Petronas, the team’s long-term title sponsor, has the most prominent logos on the car, followed by Blackberry. Above average resources, potential technical dominance and a powerful driver line-up: Mercedes tick virtually all the boxes heading into the 2015 world championship. Nothing, though, will be taken for granted, says
the ever-impressive Wolff: “A lot of things have been put in place – not by one individual but by many individuals working as a team,” he said pre-season. “And this has been about taking the right decisions at the right time, trying to avoid mistakes and, if they do happen, quickly analysing why. Even if, on paper, things are looking good, we will not fall into the trap of being overly optimistic or trying to make crystal ball predictions because this is not how the sport works.”
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3/2/15 4:47 PM
RED BULL RACING Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo (right) celebrates one of three wins during a breakout season; team principal Christian Horner (below) cut a frustrated figure at times as Red Bull’s world championships were surrendered.
18 l BLACK BOOK 2015
2014 IN REVIEW World champions for the past four seasons, Red Bull Racing were deposed in 2014 and comprehensively so. The Milton Keynes-based team was unable to mount a significant challenge for the titles, stifled by a power unit, supplied by Renault, which trailed behind that created by Mercedes-Benz under Formula One’s new engine rules. That led to some frustrating moments, particularly early in the year after a disastrous winter testing period for the team, but they rallied well and took three victories on the way to second place in the constructors’ world championship. Given the Renaultpowered RB10 was unable to complete more than a handful of laps at a time in January, it was some recovery, even if the final totals had Red Bull Racing some 304 points behind the allconquering Mercedes. For Sebastian Vettel, a man who has become accustomed to the taste of victory champagne, 2014 was a dry year. The world champion did not so much as challenge for a win and only stood on the podium four times all year, seemingly unable to find his way
with a difficult car and a new set of regulations that he clearly disagreed with. Vettel’s traditional strength, his ability to hone his driving to suit the exhaust-blown diffuser, the downforcecreating solution masterminded by Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey, was neutered by the new rules package; moreover, aerodynamics, another area where Newey has excelled, were for the first time in a generation less critical than engine power. The RB10 was clearly an excellent chassis, but Renault could not compete with Mercedes’ supreme power unit. Vettel, though, was also comprehensively outperformed by his new team-mate, Australian Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo, who stepped up for 2014 from the Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso team to replace Mark Webber, was perhaps the outstanding performer of the year, notching eight podiums and three victories, in Canada, Hungary and Belgium, on his way to a third place finish in the world championship that few would have predicted. When Mercedes made mistakes, Ricciardo was invariably the man who capitalised, establishing himself as a fair, hard driver and a
quite brilliant, opportunist overtaker. He ended the season 71 points clear of Vettel and effectively forced the German into his decision to leave the team and pursue his dream move to Ferrari. Had Vettel stayed at Red Bull in 2015 and been beaten so comprehensively again, he risked Ferrari not taking his call. That was the magnitude of Ricciardo’s 2014 performance. Vettel told team principal Christian Horner and Red Bull’s ominpresent motorsport consultant Helmut Markko of his decision to leave on the eve of the Japanese Grand Prix in October; Red Bull swiftly announced the promotion of Russian Daniil Kvyat from Toro Rosso to partner Ricciardo in 2015, opting to stick with its policy of promoting from within Red Bull’s young driver empire rather than seeking an established star from elsewhere. It marked the end of a hugely successful chapter. Philosophical about Vettel’s decision – he reasoned that there was no point keeping someone who wanted a new challenge elsewhere – Horner was rather less sanguine about Renault’s inability to get to grips with the new, once-in-a-generation changes to the engines, which saw the introduction of brilliantly efficient, highly expensive 1.6 litre turbos. The nub of the issue was the level of commitment and resources Renault invested in developing the highly complex new engine formula in the years preceding 2014 and the fact that Red Bull, while Renault’s primary team, is based in the UK and Renault just outside Paris. Mercedes and even Ferrari, as works teams, enjoyed much closer integration between chassis and engine departments. The results were immediately clear: Renault’s engine was underpowered and unreliable as the season began. A discontented Vettel never really got going at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, while Ricciardo somehow
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 / 1
TEAM BY TEAM 2015
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 19
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel (below) had a dismal year, while the team suffered from a series of Renaultrelated problems (above).
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finished second on the road before his car was disqualified after the team exceeded the allowed fuel flow rate there would be another exclusion at the end of the season, when both the team’s cars were thrown out of qualifying for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after contravening regulations which ban moveable aerodynamic elements. Horner and Markko were openly critical of Renault for much of the first part of the year before entente cordiale was restored and measures to better integrate the team with its engine partner were put in place. Caterham team principal Cyril Abiteboul returned to Viry-Châtillon, where he was once deputy managing director, to spearhead the recovery. Horner, meanwhile, turned his ire on the engine regulations, arguing, for obvious reasons, that the lack of opportunity to develop engines should be reviewed; Mercedes, for one, was having none of it and as the season concluded in November there was no sign of agreement on what had become a very contentious, not to mention costly, issue. Short of building its own
engine, an expensive and complex proposition in itself, Red Bull Racing’s options are limited – it does not want to be a customer of Mercedes or Ferrari, major rivals both, while Honda has pinned its colours firmly to the McLaren mast. The team’s contract with Renault runs until the end of 2016. As the titles slipped away midway through the season, Horner also had to work creatively to secure Newey’s future. With Ferrari keen to sign up the pit-lane’s pre-eminent technical
brain, Horner was able to offer Newey, a man even more frustrated than Vettel by the new engine-dominated regulations, a package of wider work on Red Bull projects and an advisory and mentoring role with the Formula One team, rather than the handson technical force he has been since joining the team in 2006. It was a clever piece of work by Horner, who succeeded in keeping Newey off the books of any of his rivals. Newey’s responsibilities will, over time, be split internally, although that came too late for senior aerodynamicist Peter Prodromou, who left the team in 2014 bound for McLaren. Vettel’s departure, Newey scaling back and the relinquishing of the championships gave 2014 an endof-era feel for Red Bull Racing; politically, however, the energy drinks manufacturer – owner of two teams, organiser of its own Grand Prix in Austria and aligned closely with Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone – ended 2014 stronger and more influential than ever.
KEEPING YOU ON TRACK...
What experience has Ryan Motorsport Insurance gained within the industry? Ryan Motorsport Insurance was founded in 2011 to provide the motorsport industry with the widest range of cover from the most highly regarded Insurers. Teams and drivers can be assured that their claims will be paid in a fast and professional manner in order to keep them On Track. Having been involved in track days and motor racing, our staff are very knowledgeable and have a clear understanding of the products that are required by clients, and the financial implications involved in getting the correct insurance policy. In fact, we have been market leaders in creating new products that our motorsport clients have stated would be beneficial. We deal with all classes within motorsport from F1 down to club racing, and all areas in between. What makes Ryan Motorsport Insurance different from other providers operating in this sector? Having worked in the Motorsport Insurance industry for over 15 years, Managing Director Ryan Mone had an agenda to provide an honest reliable service to old and new customers alike. Our online quote system allows customers 24 hour access to request quotations, purchase cover, and print off policy documentation. We believe this is a big advantage that we have over our
rivals which will allow client’s to sort out their insurance outside of normal working hours or even whilst at the circuit – rather than being restricted to a 9 to 5 service. Clients want to know that when they have a claim we will be there to help them through the process and that they will be paid as rapidly as possible. The Insurers we work with are all A-rated and are committed to providing an excellent service and will pay claims directly to the claimant by bank transfer. We are represented by our staff at many of the race meetings worldwide during the season and are there to discuss any new enquiries and help with any claims occurring at the event. We like to take customer service to the next level and prove that motorsport and clients are our passion. What services can Ryan Motorsport Insurance offer sponsors and rights holders at various levels in the motorsport industry? We provide all insurance products that are required by teams, drivers, sponsors, circuits, and organisers involved in motorsport, including Liability cover. Although On Track insurance remains our core product, this is not a product provided to Formula 1 teams, as there is no parts price list for spare parts for the current day F1 car. We do however cover GP2, F3, Sports
cars etc. for On Track accidental damage cover against the costs of repair from the smallest bodywork damages, to the season-ending crashes. Another product which is available and relevant to the top end formulas is Personal Accident insurance for drivers. As well as the standard Death, Permanent disability and Medical Expenses cover, our policy can also protect the driver’s wages or contract amounts on a per race meeting basis, in the event of an injury preventing the driver from being able to compete. Our Insurers have also been able to provide Contract Bonus insurance for sponsors that have a commitment to pay a bonus to a team / driver in the event of favourable results – such as winning a race or finishing top 3 in the Championship. Insurers charge a much lower premium than the bonus amount and in the event that the bonus is earned the sponsor can pay the bonus with a smile on their face in the knowledge that the Insurance company have covered the costs. We have found that this product can actually help obtain additional sponsorship, as the beneficiary is backing their own ability to achieve their goals by negotiating a smaller upfront outlay from the sponsor but with a bigger return at the end of the season when the results have been achieved.
Please complete an online quote request form at
www.ryanmi.com Email - info@ryanmi.com
Tel - +44 (0)1799 524202
Ryan Motorsport Insurance Limited is an appointed representative (557405) of Independent Broking Solutions Limited who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Its Financial Services registration number is 312026.
Picture by: David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Red Bull Racing debuted its new car in a camoflauge-style ‘dazzle’ livery, but the early signs from testing were the Renault-powered RB11 was not a championship contender.
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2015 PREVIEW The 2015 season feels like a fresh, slightly more uncertain, start for Red Bull Racing. Sebastian Vettel has left the building for the final time, bound for a new life clad in red, while Adrian Newey, the architect of the team’s multi-year domination of the world championships, has also stepped back from the Formula One frontline, spreading his considerable skills more broadly across the Red Bull empire. The group of highly-skilled technical personnel Newey helped put together have stepped into the breach, working in a new structure which will likely take a little time to gel, while Vettel’s replacement is 19-year old Daniil Kyvat, yet another product of a Red Bull young driver programme which spawned the four-time world champion and Daniel Ricciardo. Tellingly, the team is not targeting the world championship in 2015, realising that Mercedes’ advantage will likely remain intact and that Red Bull Racing’s own power unit supplier Renault is not yet in a position to
compete with its German rival. But moves have been made to strengthen ties between the team in Milton Keynes and Renault’s operation in France. “The relationship with Renault is a lot closer now,” confirmed team principal Christian Horner as the RB11 was revealed for the first time, bedecked in a dazzle test livery, which was both visually appealing and frustrating to those putting together season previews, at the first test of the year in Spain. “Red Bull is the only partner for Renault now, with ourselves and Toro Rosso, and that focus from Renault together with a close involvement with our design team is yielding good results and a far closer integration between the power unit and the chassis side. Working in unison with Renault we can really make some steps forward this year.” Newey, who despite his less handson role was at the forefront of Red Bull’s launch, added: “What we have to remember is that the internal combustion engine and its very complicated associated items – the
ERS and turbocharger – are long lead time items. Those are things where if one team takes an advantage then it takes time to overthrow that or get back on a par with or hopefully ahead.” As last year, Formula One’s current regulations ensure that Red Bull’s performance in 2015 will be dictated as much by Renault’s upgrades as by the team itself. Limited mileage, although not quite on a par with the disastrous start to 2014, during the first Jerez test in February suggests there is much work still to be done. As Newey begins to make his mark on Red Bull’s new advanced technologies division – although as Horner pointed out he will continue to “perform a very active role” and “contribute on a daily and weekly basis” to the Formula One operation - chief engineering officer Rob Marshall is one of a four men who will take on many of the chief technical officer’s day-to-day responsibilities. “Going from chief designer to chief engineering officer has been a bit
Daniil Kvyat (below) steps up from the Toro Rosso team to Red Bull Racing, the latest graduate of the Austrian firm’s ruthless young driver programme.
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of a challenge,” Marshall said in January. He will work closely with head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows, chief car engineer Paul Monaghan and chief engineer for performance Pierre Wache, in the senior technology team, to turn the RB11 into a winner. “We were firmly beaten last year, we know we need to improve on both sides,” Marshall added. “The engine was clearly struggling a bit compared to Mercedes who did an excellent job. We hope to make a reasonable improvement, we’d like to close the gap by a tangible amount. If we can do enough with the engine and enough on the chassis side then hopefully we can compete and win some more races.” Ricciardo steps up to lead the team in Vettel’s absence amidst high expectations, following a brilliant 2014
season which yielded three wins. The perky Australian, a near-veteran at the age of 25, should show the way to his younger team-mate over the course of the season and end it with more points; that, though, is what most said about Vettel when Ricciardo arrived in 2014. Russian Kvyat’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable: he was GP3 champion in 2013, before stepping up and proving himself fast, if more than a little rough around the edges, during his debut Formula One season with Toro Rosso. Now, he has replaced a four-time world champion in one of the sport’s most prized seats. Red Bull has huge confidence in its man, even some observers have yet to be absolutely convinced that Kyvat is a champion in the making – it is, though, early days in what is set to be
a long Grand Prix career. Red Bull’s pedigree of success, demonstrated even in a relatively barren year like 2014, means it would be no surprise if Kyvat is Formula One’s next new winner at some point during the season. Red Bull wastes no opportunity to flex its political muscle in Formula One; many would argue it has every right to do so given it owns and finances two of the nine remaining teams, operates a hugely successful young driver programme through the junior formulae and, as of 2014, stages its own, privately-funded, Grand Prix. Dietrich Mateschitz has bet big on Formula One and is reaping the rewards, backed up by Horner, who like his line manager enjoys a cosy relationship with Bernie Ecclestone, and the no-nonsense Helmut Marko.
Hard work + Tenacity + Skill = Winning
Porsche Supercup driver Ben Barker 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Le Mans Champion Photo courtesy of Malcolm Griffiths
Strategy PR Social media Website design Torque is a top UK-based motorsport marketing and PR agency, working with well-known drivers and teams, as well as up and Livery design coming stars of the future. We work in a range of different championships and embed ourselves with our clients, becoming Media analysis part of the team. Guest We provide a diverse range of services to support and strengthen our clients’ racing careers including: strategy, PR, social media, management website and livery design, media analysis, guest and hospitality management, sponsorship activation, branding and above all, Sponsorship creative ideas. activation After all the hard work, the fleeting moments of sheer joy that winning brings will always make it worthwhile. Contract negotiations www.torquetogether.com Branding Torque, Unit 9, New Rookery Farm, Silverstone, Northants NN12 8UP Winning is the dream and ambition of every driver and team, no matter what discipline of racing you are in. The road to that point is a long and hard one with each and every member of the team playing their part. Whether it is in business or on the track, you need the right partners to help you achieve your ambition.
Designed in Motorsport Valley by Torque
INFINITI RED BULL RACING Sponsor
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Red Bull
US$110m
November 2004
Ongoing
Owner
Beverage
Infiniti
US$31m
March 2011
December 2016
Title partner
Automotive
Total
US$18m
February 2009
December 2016
Partner
Oil/Fuel
Exness
US$1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Financial
Casio
US$0.8m
March 2009
December 2015
Partner
Watch
Rauch
US$4m
February 2011
Undisclosed
Partner
Beverage
Pepe Jeans London
US$2m
February 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
Geox
US$2m
February 2011
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
Singha
US$0.5m
March 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Beverage
AT&T
US$0.5m
May 2012
Undisclosed
Innovation partner
Technology
IBM Platform Computing
US$0.5m
January 2007
Undisclosed
Innovation partner
Technology
Hexagon
US$0.5m
January 2011
December 2015
Innovation partner
Technology
DMG Mori
US$0.3m
December 2008
Undisclosed
Innovation partner
Automotive
PWR
US$0.1m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Innovation partner
Automotive
Ansys
US$0.3m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Innovation partner
Technology
Flir
US$0.1m
April 2014
Undisclosed
Innovation partner
Automotive
Scott
US$0.1m
May 2014
Undisclosed
Supplier
Cycling
Alpinestars
US$0.1m
January 2005
Undisclosed
Supplier
Fashion
Ultimate Ears
US$0.1m
June 2014
Undisclosed
Supplier
Technology
Sabelt
US$0.1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
OZ Racing
US$0.2m
January 2009
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Matrix
US$0.1m
January 2013
December 2015
Supplier
Technology
Sonax
US$1m
January 2005
Undisclosed
Supplier
Technology
FOM TV
US$98.75m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$272.05m
It is a management structure which has worked magnificently to date. While Red Bull’s funding remains vital, Red Bull Racing is midway through a significant title sponsorship agreement with Infiniti, the Nissanowned luxury car brand. The likes of Pepe Jeans, Casio and Geox have been sponsors for a number of years, while October saw the announcement that Russian retail foreign exchange broker
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Picture by: David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Other income
Exness had signed up for a multi-year deal which begins in 2015. Although the team’s share of prize money will inevitably have dropped, a second place finish in the 2014 championship plus the advantageous financial perks woven into the bilateral agreement tying the team to the grid until 2020 means that Red Bull Racing go into 2015 as one of the best-funded and most stable teams of all.
WILLIAMS Along with chief executive Mike O’Driscoll, deputy team principal Claire Williams (below) can take much of the credit for Williams’ rejuvenation in 2014.
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2014 IN REVIEW Williams did not win a race in 2014 but this was the British team’s most successful season since 2003 – 320 points, nine podium finishes, a pole position and, ultimately, third place in the world championship, ahead of fallen giants Ferrari and McLaren. All in all, it was a sensational effort not least given the team’s ninth place finish in 2013 and its comparatively small budget. A shrewd switch from Renault to Mercedes power for 2014, a decision taken in May 2013, combined with strong personnel hires led by the arrival of chief technical officer Pat Symonds, a man with world championship-winning experience, in July 2013, and a strong, well-balanced driver line-up were the major factors in a fairly remarkable turnaround. Commercially, too, the team appeared on a healthier footing than in recent years. Martini’s return to top-level motorsport was confirmed in March, signing what is believed to be a five-year title sponsorship which gave the team a sleek and stylish new look, adding to the sense of optimism at the team’s headquarters in Grove and
amongst the large number of Williams fans around the world. Throughout the lean years which preceded 2014, Williams insisted it was putting together a long-term plan for a return to the front of the grid. If, in an era of escalating budgets, that at times seemed like hot air, 2014 proved the team, now led by deputy team principal Claire Williams as her father, Sir Frank, gradually scales back, meant every word. Even with the addition of Martini, a deal believed to be worth US$15 million, Williams punched above its weight. “I am so happy to see the smiles back on the faces of the people that work here,” Claire Williams said in the immediate aftermath of the team’s second and third place finish at the last race of the year in Abu Dhabi. A victory, though, proved elusive, thanks in part to Mercedes’ dominance of the season and partly due to the cautious approach Williams adopted; the first priority, they insisted, was securing points to ensure a greater slice of the end-of-season prize fund. That manifested itself in conservative race strategies, designed to guarantee podium spots rather than chasing
races at all costs. That strategy was understandable, but in Austria, where the team beat Mercedes in qualifying to lock out the front row, and Canada, where the Mercedes cars hit trouble, there were certainly victories there for the taking. Williams probably created the second fastest package of the year but ultimately the team was beaten into second place by Red Bull Racing, a team tuned in to racing at the front of the field and trained to grab every opportunity. Williams, which last won a world championship way back in 1997, were a tad rusty by comparison. Along with the recruitment over the winter of Rob Smedley from Ferrari, the experienced Symonds pulled the technical strings impressively. The team’s management was happy to acknowledge as much at the end of the year. “I think it was Pat Symonds coming in last year that was the real key ingredient to our success,” Claire
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 / 1
TEAM BY TEAM 2015
Williams said, speaking in an interview with the official Formula One website. “He is a great engineer – everybody knows that – but he is a great manmanager as well. He has organised and restructured every area of our team. Then we’ve brought in a new level of senior management to work with Pat across each area. But it’s not just about the management level – it’s about the 520 other people at Williams who have stayed with us and made this turnaround possible. It is a real team effort.” That extended to the team’s driver line-up, which offered a useful blend of youth and experience. Valtteri Bottas, in only his second season of Formula One, has the look of a future world champion about him. The seemingly-unflappable Finn delivered six podiums, four of them in the space of five mid-season races. There were two second places amongst them,
superb drives in Germany, where he held off Lewis Hamilton’s recovering Mercedes, and Hungary. Generally, he had the edge on his more experienced team-mate, although Williams were keen to point out how much Bottas gained from being paired with a driver of Felipe Massa’s calibre. There was widespread delight at Massa’s career resurgence in 2014. The Brazilian, now 33, could never have expected that a move away from Ferrari would yield three podiums,
including second place in the doublepoints final. And it might have been so much better. He only scored four times in the first ten races of the year, finding himself caught up in a number of incidents when he was well-placed. In Canada, he was lucky to escape injury after high-speed contact with Sergio Perez on the main straight resulted in a hefty impact into the tyres. At Silverstone, meanwhile, only a quite brilliant piece of reactive steering avoided a huge collision with an out-of-control Kimi Raikkonen. In Germany, his race lasted just one corner after his car rolled following contact with McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen. Towards the end of the year, though, Massa rallied, returning to the podium at Monza and then taking an emotional third place at home in Brazil. The haunted look of his final years at Ferrari was replaced with a big, broad smile.
Brazilian Felipe Massa and Finland’s Valtteri Bottas (below) proved a well-matched pairing, securing enough points for a third place consructors’ championship finish.
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 29
Felipe Massa (above) had a number of big accidents during the year, including this spectacular first-corner crash at Hockenheim. He emerged unscathed.
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With a healthy uplift in its share of Formula One’s prize fund – the team’s permanent place on the decisionmaking Strategy Group, granted for historic reasons, meant it did not join Force India, Sauber and Lotus in bemoaning the parlous state of the sport’s finances – safely confirmed, Williams was by the end of the year proof that success attracts sponsors. Between the final race and Christmas, the team was able to confirm a long-term renewal with human resource services provider Randstad and secure new deals with former Lotus partners Avanade, a cloud technology specialist, and Unilever, a deal said to be worth US$15 million. Banco do Brasil and its millions, however, will be departing the team along with test driver Felipe Nasr, both lured by the prospect of a race seat at Sauber for 2015. Susie Wolff, however, will remain with Williams in 2015, following two solid practice outings at Silverstone and Hockenheim during the summer.
2015 PREVIEW With Ferrari significantly re-jigged and the performance of a Honda-powered McLaren an unknown quantity, Williams may find it a challenge to retain the third place in the constructors’ championship it so brilliantly achieved in 2014. But the British team is up for the fight, bolstered by its Mercedes engine, the combination of experience and youth in the cockpit, further investment in technical personnel and a newfound confidence. And it is not necessarily looking over its shoulder. “We are looking to continue the move back towards the front of the grid,” said Sir Frank Williams as the Williams FW37 was rolled out in the Jerez pit-lane in February, just over a week after the first photos of the new car were revealed in collaboration with F1 Racing magazine. “The move from ninth to third was a tough challenge, but ultimately every step from now on will be even harder.” It goes without saying that Sir Frank, who still carries the team principal
title, remains the heartbeat of the team that bears his name. It is his daughter Claire, however, who, alongside chief executive Mike O’Driscoll, calls the day-to-day shots and is increasingly the public face of the organisation. It was Claire Williams and O’Driscoll who combined to secure Martini as the team’s title sponsor prior to the start of the 2014 season, giving the team a stylish new look, and put a new technical and engineering management in place, led by chief technical officer Pat Symonds. Rob Smedley was recruited from Ferrari as head of performance engineering at the start of 2014, whilst this winter further additions and structural changes have been made: Dave Robson has arrived from McLaren as Felipe Massa’s new race engineer, while the highlyexperienced Steve Nielsen has been hired from Toro Rosso as sporting director. Unlike McLaren, which has switched from Mercedes power to Honda, Williams believes it can challenge and ultimately win a world championship as a customer of Mercedes, though
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The new Williams (below) features the logos of Unilever brand Rexona, alongside those of title sponsor Martini and Brazilian oil firm Petrobras.
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it remains to be seen how the German manufacturer would deal with a scenario whereby the British squad was a serious title challenger. Symonds, too, is convinced that Williams’ comparatively small budget will not be a hindrance. “We can still move forward, as I see that within our budget we can still make improvements,” Symonds told the official Formula One website in a candid February interview. “I think it’s wrong to say that you can’t do better with a small budget. We beat Ferrari last year and we probably have
half their budget. So these things can be done – you just have to work a little bit smarter. “There are things that you like to do that you can’t if your budget is less,” Symonds added. “But let’s be clear: Williams doesn’t have a small budget – we have a very healthy budget. But some of the teams we are fighting do have extremely large budgets and when you are in a formula where attention to detail is everything, you better use your funds more smartly than others. Ultimately money doesn’t buy you results.”
That Williams 2015 budget has been burnished by its commercial department over the winter. After a November extension with long-term partner Randstad, the team confirmed it has secured Unilever’s US$15 million sponsorship budget, which was previously being spent with Lotus, and agreed new partnerships with Hackett, Alpinestars and Avanade. Williams is the only publicly-listed Formula One team. The company announced plans to offer 27 per cent to outside investors on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in February 2011. Its
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 season with Williams and Valtteri Bottas starting his third. Brazilian Massa, at 33, proved an ideal foil for 24-year old Bottas in 2014. The Finn, however, announced himself as a major talent. He has impressed the team immensely, matching a cool, collected approach with speed and consistency. Many at Williams, not least Sir Frank Williams and Symonds, believe he is a world champion in waiting; a breakthrough victory, given Williams’ form in 2014, surely cannot be too far away. Williams’ 2014 reserve driver Felipe Nasr has departed, along with his
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 / 1
claw the team back to the front of the grid. “When we decided as a board last year to press the reset button,” O’Driscoll said in February, “we knew there was an investment cost associated with that. We made the decision, after a decade of decline until 2013, that enough was enough. And I think the results of our investments in people, in technology and marketing are now being vindicated.” The team’s driver line-up is unchanged for 2015, with Felipe Massa, now amongst Formula One’s elder statesmen, embarking on his second
Picture by: Miguel Morenatti/AP/Press Association Images
most recent set of results, a half-year analysis released in September covering January to June 2014, revealed losses for the Formula One team of UK£20.7 million and UK£18.8 million for the wider group, which includes its advanced technology division. In April 2014, Williams sold its hybrid power unit division to GKN for UK£8 million, while it has also closed its Qatar Technology Centre where it employed around 30 people. O’Driscoll, Williams Grand Prix Holding’s chief executive, put the losses down to the investment required to
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 33
Massa (below) is now one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. He made his Grand Prix debut in Australia 2002, but after a troubled end to his Ferrari career he has been revitalised by Williams.
WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING Team
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Martini
US$15m
March 2014
December 2018
Title partner
Beverage
Rexona
US$15m
January 2015
December 2016
Partner
Other
Randstad
US$3m
January 2004
Undisclosed
Partner
Other
Petrobras
US$2m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Oil/Fuel
Avanade
US$1.5m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Genworth
US$4m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Financial
Wihuri
US$2m
May 2012
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Oris
US$2m
January 2003
Undisclosed
Partner
Watch
Kempii
US$2m
May 2012
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
Hackett
US$0.1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
Alpinestars
US$0.8m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
Hatch
US$2m
October 2011
Undisclosed
Partner
Other
Shoretel
US$1m
June 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Telecoms
GKN
US$0.1m
April 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
PPG
US$0.1m
March 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
Puma
US$0.1m
January 2012
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
Michael Caines MBE
US$0.1m
February 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Other
FOM TV
US$81.08m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$131.88m
Picture by: Miguel Morenatti/AP/Press Association Images
Other income
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personal sponsor Banco do Brasil, for a race seat at Sauber, opening up the opportunity for Susie Wolff, who had two practice outings last year, to step up a rung. Another Briton, GP3 champion Alex Lynn has joined the team as a development driver, the role held by Wolff last season. “The team learnt and developed a lot in 2014 and this has made us a better team and well prepared for the challenges that face us as we head into a new season,” was Claire Williams’ verdict as the new FW37 was revealed. “We are all eager to see where we are in comparison to our rivals. We have worked hard over the past six months to get this car ready, but it is in no way the final product. We have a lot of work to do throughout the season as we push for constant improvements in performance.”
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ULTIMATE PARTNER An automotive products specialist, Ultimotive has been trading since late 2004 but last year was its most successful year yet, thanks in no small part to the much-improved performance of Williams Martini Racing. Ultimotive is the worldwide licensee for Williams in the car care chemicals and related products category, so the team’s third-place finish in the 2014 constructors’ world championship was a boon for the British-based firm. “What we try and do, using my experience and knowledge of the car market and chemicals, is try and find things that are different and take it to the market in a slightly different way,” explains Andy Smith, Ultimotive’s founder. “Most people will do shampoos and polishes – and we do that – but we have also tried to get a point of difference. Every brand does a wash and wax, but Williams is a recognised global brand.” Smith, previously a sales and marketing director at Turtle Wax, further explains Ultimotive’s strategy: “Through contacts, we started trawling the world to see what we could find that was different. Five years ago we tentatively got into the car paint protection market, which had been dominated by two unknown brands – they are brands that
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do very well but they are brands that people don’t recognise. We branded it Williams and by using the pictures of the cars in all of the points of sale, suddenly the consumer says ‘I’ve heard of that and if it’s good enough for Williams, it’s good enough for me’. Now we have four or five of the biggest dealers in the UK on Williams products that have seen their sales go up.” Smith recalls with a smile that “we’ve been with Williams in the good times to the bad times and now back to the good times again”. Sales of Ultimotive’s Williams-branded products rose by 30 per cent last year, as did levels of interest around the world. “It is hard to quantify, but we’ve been talking to people in India and South Korea and Australia for a couple of years and haven’t been able to break through, but now that Williams are doing well it’s a different story. As the performance of the Williams team improved as the season progressed, so we saw significant interest and made real breakthroughs in these new markets. It’s that feelgood factor - Williams are getting talked about and people want to be part of it. It impacted on our business greatly last year.” As a global licensee, Ultimotive works closely with Williams; the strength of the relationship is demonstrated by
Claire Williams’ assertion that “having the Williams name at the forefront of the car care sector is important for our brand”. The deputy team principal and commercial director adds that Ultimotive’s “constant innovation of products has enabled the continued success that Ultimotive and Williams have experienced.” For his part, Smith adds: “The beauty of Williams is it’s an established brand, with a lot of heritage, and it’s a British brand. We sell Williams products to Ford dealers and Ferrari dealers and I think it’s that diversity that people like.” “We’ve got more interest now because Williams have had a good season – more press coverage for them helps us, it’s the power of success. Our big area up until recently was always South America – we do very well in Brazil, with our distributors who we’ve been with since 2006. The two big markets we really want to crack now are the Middle East and China and we can see real opportunities to break into these huge territories. We have spent a lot of time and effort in China for several years and are hoping that we will see a return on this investment in the near future. We signed Australia in September, their first shipment docked in January – they wanted to have the
“This requires us to show three bikes wherever we use pictures of the bike in our marketing and branding. This ensures that not only the top riders get coverage and maintains the independence of the MotoGP brand.” “The bike industry takes longer to sort out and people are very particular with bikes – bikers like to wash their bikes themselves and tend to be much more particular. We’ve launched very specific motorbike products, such as a boot deodoriser and a chrome cleaner. “MotoGP is a nice fit with Williams, there’s no clash, no crossover – and for Ultimotive representing both brands, it’s very good profile, an iconic Formula One brand and MotoGP.”
It’s not just Ultimotive’s sales that are growing. The company is expanding into a new home in the English county of Essex which will house all its facilities – administrative, factory and warehouse. “It will allow us to service everyone quicker, if that’s possible, and we can then deal with spending more time looking at the export market,” Smith explains. “The key ones are the Middle East and China. Our growth now will come from export markets. “Coming out of such a growth last year, we believe that we can achieve a further 10 to 15 per cent growth in 2015 – and that’s excluding new business. Our target this year is to get someone up and running in the Middle East and two or three partners in China, which would create a positive impact on our sales growth for 2016 and beyond.” And while Smith’s focus will of course be on his own business, he’ll be keeping at least one eye on the unfolding Formula One season. “If Williams have a good year, like last year, it’ll just make life easier – and I think they will, they’re very buoyant. Even if they stay where they are, that’s a good result for us.”
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Picture by: David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images
product arrive in time for the start of the season. South Korea have taken their first order and are working out how to promote it while all the Asian races are on. We’ve also had people who, when Williams scored nearly no points, have stuck with it.” Alongside its Williams products, Ultimotive is also active in the motorcycling industry, forging a licensing agreement with MotoGP to brand a range of products. That relationship is now entering its sixth year. “The main difference is that Williams is focused on one team whereas MotoGP represent the entire sport and have what they call a three bike rule,” Smith explains.
FERRARI Kimi Raikkonen (below) tackles Spa-Francorchamps. The Finn had a troubled return to Ferrari in 2014.
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2014 IN REVIEW 2014 will not be remembered fondly at Ferrari. The most famous team in Formula One went without a victory for the first time since 1993, one empire crumbled and a new one got
off to a decidedly shaky start. By the end of a turbulent year, the Italian squad was onto its third team principal in eight months, had a new president and had somehow convinced itself that letting star asset Fernando Alonso leave was the best course of action to ensure
a brighter future. All in all, it was a bit of a mess, a reminder for many of chaos of the early 1990s before Jean Todt – whatever happened to him? – instilled a new direction and put in place the foundations of the dominant era that followed. A repeat of that was
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 Formula One power units. The arrival of James Allison, a highly-regarded man at Lotus, to head up the technical operation alongside Pat Fry came too late to have any major impact on the first car Ferrari built to the new regulations. The frustration at the lack of performance was exacerbated by the presence of two expectant, experienced world champions in the cars, Kimi Raikkonen joining Alonso
for 2014 following the departure of Felipe Massa. The increasing pressure, external and internal, on team principal Stefano Domenicali was clear. President Luca di Montezemolo, meanwhile, turned his attention to the new rules, notably the quieter engine notes, decrying what he called the new “taxi driver� style of racing when he made a visit to the Bahrain Grand Prix. Montezemolo
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about the only hope for the tifosi at the end of a miserable year. Along with several teams, there had been high hopes at the start of 2014 that a new set of regulations might allow Ferrari to break the Red Bull Racing stranglehold on Formula One. Those hopes were soon dashed as it became clear during winter testing that Ferrari were well behind Mercedes in the development of the new hybrid
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All change: As Fernando Alonso and president Luca di Montezemolo (below) exited, Ferrari hired, then fired, Marco Mattiacci (right). The team, meanwhile, endured a miserable season (far right).
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then had to watch not only the race of the year but Ferrari slump to ninth and tenth. It was not his finest hour and after leaving Sakhir in a strop – and in a taxi - it is believed he pushed for engine chief Luca Marmorini to be fired; Domenicali, team principal since 2008, refused and instead handed in his own notice. By April’s Chinese Grand Prix, Montezemolo had parachuted in Marco Mattiacci, a Ferrari executive in North America but a man without any Formula One or racing experience, to run the team. If it appeared curious at the time, it was even more so just a few months later. In the meantime, Alonso and Raikkonen, an all-star line-up, continued on different trajectories. The Finn, world champion with Ferrari in 2007, returned to the team for 2014 but endured a largely anonymous year, unable to get to grips with a car that was, by all accounts, extremely tricky to drive. He was not the challenge to Alonso that many expected, defeated 16-3 in qualifying and ending the season 106 points behind. Not for the first time in his five years with the team, Alonso at times outperformed his car, taking to the podium twice on his way to sixth place in the world championship, five places ahead of Raikkonen.
The only man who appeared to question his commitment was Mattiacci. At Spa in August Mattiacci said bluntly: “I don’t have to keep Fernando Alonso happy. We are not here to look for happiness; we are here to look for the fastest cars”. It was a hint of things to come. Despite having a contract until the end of 2016, Alonso, who at 33 is desperate to win a third world championship, began to seriously consider life away from Ferrari after five years without winning the big prize. Further up the food chain, meanwhile, change was in the air. At Monza in September, Montezemolo’s annual visit to qualifying had the whiff of goodbye about it – a lingering hug with Alonso, perhaps for the benefit of the cameras, had a touch of theatre about it – and so it proved. After 23 years in the role Montezemolo was effectively deposed, losing out in a power struggle involving
the flotation of Fiat-Chrysler, Ferrari’s parent, by Sergio Marchionne. Alonso, meanwhile, had by this time decided that his future did lie elsewhere, although his negotiating position with other teams was weakened when Sebastian Vettel decided to leave Red Bull, Ferrari obviously his destination, and the team immediately announced his replacement as Daniil Kvyat. Alonso ended up at McLaren-Honda, his only remaining viable choice. The end of the year was a damp squib, Mattiacci, who had pushed through Vettel’s signing, hardly covering himself in glory with some ill-advised comments about Alonso’s commitment after his departure was finally confirmed. As it was, Mattiacci lasted precisely one day longer than Alonso at the team, losing his job on the Monday after the season-finale in Abu Dhabi. He has been replaced by Maurizio Arrivabene, a vice president at Philip Morris International, the parent of long-time Ferrari sponsor Marlboro. Arrivabene spent the final weeks of the year making substantional changes to Ferrari’s structure and senior personnel. Unlike Mattiacci, Arrivabene also brings significant commercial clout. He has represented Formula One’s sponsors on its sponsorship commission for many years; it is an indication that after a year in which they were soundly beaten on the track, Ferrari, which already receives a cut of Formula One’s revenues before any other team sees a dollar thanks to its prestige and history, wants to play an even greater role in Formula One’s future direction and rule-making process.
Like Michael Schumacher before him, Sebastian Vettel (left) has arrived at Ferrari tasked with returning the team to glory; new team principal Maurizio Arrivabene (below) moved quickly to restructure the team.
The car is still red, but almost everything else about Ferrari in 2015 is different. A new president has taken the helm, a new team principal is calling the day-to-day shots and has already made his presence felt by embarking on a series of hirings and firings, and, in an echo of the past, a German world champion has arrived to be the public face of what Ferrari is desperately hoping will be the beginning of a new era. After so much upheaval, the team’s targets for 2015 are unusually low, although its form during winter testing raised expectations that Ferrari will be far closer to the pace than in 2014. “2015 will be a year of reconstruction,” confirmed Sergio Marchionne, Ferrari’s new president. “We have made some sharp decisions on the make-up of the team and we know exactly who the key people are for development. We have taken away all the baggage of uncertainty which harmed the start of the work on the 2015 project.” Maurizio Arrivabene, the former Phillip Morris sponsorship
executive who has taken over as team principal, has targeted two wins from the season ahead. He was certainly taken with the new SF-15T as it was revealed in low-key fashion on the Ferrari website rather than the type of grandiose launch favoured by the ousted Luca Di Montezemolo, at the end of January. “Enzo Ferrari said a long time ago the best car is the winning car,” Arrivabene said. “Last year we had an ugly car. It was a non-winning car on
Picture by: Manu Fernandez/AP/Press Association Images
2015 PREVIEW
top of this. I like the [new] car in terms of aesthetics. I don’t know about the performance, but it’s really sexy.” After taking a few weeks to get the measure of the team, Ferrari confirmed details of Arrivabene’s organisational changes in December. With highlyrated technical director James Allison now firmly ensconced, Arrivabene has established a structure in which two Italians will report to the Briton: chief designer Simone Resta and power unit director Mattia Binotto. Binotto was the replacement for Luca Marmorini, who paid the price in September for Ferrari’s failure to produce as competitive a 2014 power unit as Mercedes. There is also no room in the new structure for head of engineering Pat Fry, tyre performance analysis chief Hirohide Hamashima or chief designer Nikolas Tombazis, who have all left the team. Into this maelstrom comes Sebastian Vettel, who, like his hero Michael Schumacher nearly 20 years ago, has been hired to lead Ferrari out of the doldrums. Schumacher did so brilliantly, although it was far from the work of a moment, and after losing his crown last year in chastening fashion,
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Picture by: David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images
The early signs of testing suggested that the new Ferrari (above), put together by Briton James Allison, is a considerable improvement on its predecessor.
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Vettel arrives at Maranello with a point to prove. He is, he insists, in it for the long haul and not expecting miracles in his first year in red. “I don’t think he’s naïve,” Marchionne said over the winter, “he knows our level of performance but this is the power of Ferrari: it manages to attract people even just based on its potential.” He added: “Our job for 2015 is to set this potential free. Vettel’s big gamble is ours too, to reconstruct the team and make it grow.” Vettel’s relationship with Kimi Raikkonen will be fascinating to observe. Both men struggled with the major regulation changes introduced in 2014, the Finn on his return to Ferrari simply unable to achieve the same level of performance as Fernando Alonso. Raikkonen is a new father and the elder statesman of the grid – at 35, he is the only 2015 driver to have been born in the 1970s. His Ferrari contract is up at the end of 2015; only an improvement on 2014 is likely to
be enough to secure another, if indeed that is what Raikkonen, ever the enigma, wants. Ferrari has hoovered up two of those on last season’s grid to create a new-look reserve driver structure for 2015, a situation in part caused by the tragic injury suffered by Jules Bianchi, a member of its young driver programme. Former Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez, plus his backing from the Carlos Slimowned Claro, has joined the team as first reserve, while former Toro Rosso man Jean-Eric Vergne has been hired to work in the simulator. While Arrivabene, who has never run a Formula One team before, will leave the technical reins to Allison, the Italian will be Ferrari’s pointman when it comes to commercial and regulatory matters. He has already moved to create a new commercial department, which he will manage personally, and promoted head of press Renato Bisignani to a new role as marketing and acquisition manager.
The importance of communication was underlined with the appointment of Alberto Antonini, a long-time Formula One journalist and commentator for Rai and Sky Italia, as the team’s new press officer and the head of a newlyformed digital team. Arrivabene has also called for “a real revolution” in Formula One’s rules and promotion. “By that I mean more power, higher speeds, not necessarily involving the use of more fuel, but definitely applying a cost reduction to those components that are of little interest to the general public,” he added. Clearly twigging that the office of Ferrari team principal has an influence like few other positions in Formula One, he added: “I have long felt that the real competition to Formula One today, in the sense of it being a show, comes from a variety of forms of entertainment, not least from the internet, including racing video games.” It is hard to disagree with a word, but similar sentiments have
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUNDER OF JBC DESIGN - A WEST LONDON CREATIVE AGENCY
BLACKBOOK: HAVE YOU BEEN INTERESTED IN THE MOTORSPORT INDUSTRY FOR SOME TIME? JAMES: My interest and passion in motorsport started many years ago, but it was in 2007 when as a fledgling design business owner I started working with an up and coming British driver who the following year fulfilled his boyhood dream and became World Champion. It certainly was a dream start, fuelled my passion for motorsport and I gained a good understanding of the industry from the inside. BLACKBOOK: ARE YOU A COUCH SUPPORTER OR HAVE YOU BEEN TO MANY RACES? JAMES: With my parents living just around the corner from the Petronas Towers, I’ve regularly seen and heard the Kuala Lumpur race car demonstrations up close. However, I’ve only attended the one race, in 2008 I went to Monaco, it was an amazing experience! It certainly opened my eyes to the business opportunities and of course the glamour of success! My experiences in Monaco, showed me that there were many business deals being done around the race and the importance of presenting your business in the best light - making first impressions count. BLACKBOOK: BEING IN THE DESIGN BUSINESS YOU SAW THE OPPORTUNITIES? JAMES: Absolutely, since 2007 we have had the chance to work with businesses within the motorsport industry and those on the periphery. By nurturing long standing client relationships our workload and team has grown and we now serve several of the leading global technology and event organisations - creating communications in some cases across 11 different languages. All this delivered across digital and traditional channels. To support our international outlook we have developed a multi lingual team with Malaysian, Italian, Chinese and Indian nationals.
JAMES BROWN, FOUNDER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND FERRARI ENTHUSIAST, JBC DESIGN
BLACKBOOK: WHAT TYPE OF WORK DO YOU DO? JAMES: The way business is today, a vast majority of our work is in the digital sphere - namely website UI/UX design, App design and Email marketing, but our clients enjoy the fact that we can unify a concept across print and event display when required. We’re a one-stop shop for creative communications. BLACKBOOK: SO WHAT IS A ONE-STOP SHOP? JAMES: For many organisations it is hugely appealing to have an experienced team who can cover a range of media. Our team of creatives, cross-media designers and programmers combine to offer an end-to-end solution. We cover all the bases and our agile team allows you to rapidly and easily get campaigns out to market, which can be essential when deadlines are short.
BLACKBOOK: WHAT TYPES OF ORGANISATIONS CAN YOU SUPPORT? JAMES: Those businesses who need to communicate with other businesses or partners and need branding, websites, apps, brochures, stand designs or invitations. From sponsor marketing to acquisition. Those who run events and hospitality and need promotions help. We work with multi-national organisations to small start ups, including non-UK organisations who need to communicate to the British market. I’m driven to be the best I can be, just like all those who take part in the races. Let’s win together.
BLACKBOOK: WHAT MAKES JBC DIFFERENT? JAMES: Being an ideas-led organisation, we are focused on finding the best way to get your message across to the people that matter - there are no boundaries. This combination of passion for effective communication, our global marcomms
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experience and our ability to work as an integral part of our clients’ marketing or business teams combined with our love for motorsport creates a compelling package. We’re built for the fast moving world of motorsport and look forward to making more contacts within the industry.
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30/03/2015 16:33
SCUDERIA FERRARI Team
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Philip Morris International
US$100m
January 1983
December 2015
Sponsor
Tobacco
Alfa Romeo
US$1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Sponsor
Automotive
Santander
US$40m
January 2010
December 2017
Sponsor
Financial
Shell
US$36m
January 1996
December 2015
Sponsor
Oil/Fuel
UPS
US$24m
February 2013
Undisclosed
Sponsor
Logistics
Kaspersky Lab
US$2m
November 2010
Undisclosed
Sponsor
Technology
Weichai
US$2m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Sponsor
Automotive
Hublot
US$2m
November 2011
Undisclosed
Sponsor
Watch
Claro
US$2m
January 2015
December 2015
Sponsor
Telecoms
TNT
US$2m
March 2012
Undisclosed
Sponsor
Beverage
Puma
US$1m
January 2004
Undisclosed
Supplier
Fashion
Mahle
US$0.2m
January 2012
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Haas Automation
US$0.1m
July 2014
December 2015
Supplier
Automotive
OMR
US$0.5m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Oakley
US$0.1m
November 2013
Undisclosed
Supplier
Fashion
SKF
US$0.1m
April 2001
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
NGK
US$0.1m
January 2001
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Magneti Marelli
US$0.5m
January 2004
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Brembo
US$0.1m
January 2004
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Iveco
US$0.1m
January 2002
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
OZ Racing
US$0.1m
January 2012
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Bell Helmets
US$0.1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Honeywell
US$0.1m
March 2014
Undisclosed
Supplier
Automotive
Technogym
US$0.2m
January 2009
Undisclosed
Supplier
Technology
Veuve Clicquot
US$0.1m
May 2013
Undisclosed
Event partner
Beverage
FOM TV
US$95.78m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$310.18m
Other income
been expressed on plenty of occasions in the past by a variety of senior Formula One figures. Ferrari certainly has a point to make: in February, out of the blue, it revealed a design concept for a Formula One car of the future, sparking much debate but also the inevitable suggestion that perhaps the
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team should be concentrating rather more on the present. In a wider sense there is more pressure than ever for Ferrari’s Formula One team to get back on track; Marchionne last year closed the deal which saw Fiat merge with Chrysler, at a stroke creating the world’s seventh
largest car company. Marchionne has replaced the traditional Fiat logos on the SF15-T with those of Alfa Romeo, another brand in the new Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles stable. Arrivabene may be the new public face of the team, but Marchionne appears to have cast himself as chief string-puller.
MARK STEWART PRODUCTIONS (MSP) IS AN AWARD-WINNING UK-BASED FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY AND MEDIA CONSULTANCY. MSP SPECIALISES IN FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES FOR THEATRICAL RELEASE & TELEVISION BROADCAST, AS WELL AS CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMERCIALS. Mark Stewart CEO “Having a World Champion driver as a father has given me a unique insight into the world of Formula One. The sport is filled with remarkable achievers on and off the track. “At Mark Stewart Productions we strive to bring that same level of professionalism to all our film projects. “A big part of our success has been keeping the company small, efficient and dynamic; and the quality of our work reflects one simple fact: we are passionate about what we do.”
www.markstewartproductions.com Tel: +44(0)207 727 9632 Email: info@ms-productions.com @markstewartprod /MarkStewartProductions
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...own a piece of the action.
FORMULA ONE sponsor companies are companies that directly, or indirectly, through an affiliate, sponsor FORMULA ONE teams (through on-car branding or by serving as a technical partner or supplier), FORMULA ONE drivers or FORMULA ONE races (including through trackside advertising). Fund Investment Objective The Grand Prix Investors Fund® seeks long-term total return.
For a Fund prospectus please visit GPinvestorsfund.com or call 800.453.6556
Please read prospectus carefully before investing. You should carefully consider the investment objectives, potential risks, management fees, as well as charges and expenses of the Fund before investing. Grand Prix Investors Fund® is distributed by Arbor Court Capital, LLC (Member FINRA & SIPC)
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In its ďŹ nal year powered by Mercedes, McLarenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance in 2014 was mediocre at best. Fifth in the championship was the result.
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McLAREN 2014 IN REVIEW 2014 will go down as another year of transition for McLaren, a season of mediocre performance on-track, substantial management upheaval and the end of a 20-year partnership with Mercedes-Benz. The team ended the year only fifth in the world championship, the same as last season,
and if there was at least a return to the podium, the fact it came with a second and third place finish at the seasonopening Australian Grand Prix told its own story about the way McLaren developed the car. The performance in Melbourne was as much about being better prepared than many others for a new era of Formula One and not having produced a better car.
The MP4-29, like its predecessor, was flawed; not even a Mercedes engine was enough to mask its deficiencies. But as much as the 2014 results and performance will have hurt the team, there was at least one eye on what is to come. The return of Honda in 2015 offers the possibility of a fresh start; much of what happened in 2014 was preparation for what
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the team confidently insists will be a dominant new era. As Honda designed and manufactured the new engine, a significant portion of the year was dedicated to establishing the processes and procedures that will allow for maximum integration between Honda’s base in Japan, its UK site in Milton Keynes and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. Other changes were more visible. Responding to the misery of the 2013 season, the team’s worst for decades, Ron Dennis made a dramatic return
to the frontline at the start of the year, sidelining and then agreeing an exit strategy for team principal Martin Whitmarsh. Whitmarsh, a senior manager at McLaren for over two decades, became team principal in 2009 when Dennis took up the chairmanship of the wider McLaren Group as it moved into the luxury automotive sector. His return was a surprise, as was the recruitment of Lotus team principal Eric Boullier as racing director just weeks before the start of the season.
It appeared to add a further layer of management to the team, with Boullier working alongside Jonathan Neale, McLaren’s chief operating officer who is also temporarily filling the role of chief executive of McLaren Racing. Dennis, meanwhile, took up a position previously held by Whitmarsh, chief executive of McLaren Group. It was a restructure in Dennis’ words designed to instill the ‘values, principles and mindset that I intend us all to adopt going forward’. Part of the thinking was entirely rooted in logic: with
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Eric Boullier, pictured here with Mercedes’ non-executive chairman Niki Lauda, settled quickly into his new role as McLaren’s racing director; Kevin Magnussen (below) scored a podium on his debut in Australia.
hundreds of staff and long periods of the modern day Formula One season taking place outside Europe, more managerial structure than the standard team principal position was required. Whitmarsh left the team officially some weeks later. After the impressive start in Australia, it took a further six races for the team to accrue as many points as it did in Melbourne. The car was reliable – over the course of the year Jenson Button and Kevin Magnussen completed more race laps than anyone else – but not particularly quick. The return of Peter Prodromou, a man who has most recently deployed his talent for aerodynamics at Red Bull Racing, appears a step in the right direction, but he was unable to make his mark in 2014 thanks to the inevitable gardening leave. The battle between Jenson Button, in his fifth season with McLaren, and Kevin Magnussen, a debutant plucked from McLaren’s youth system to replace the ousted Sergio Perez for 2014, was competitive. However, if Magnussen was marginally the more impressive qualifier, on Sundays it was invariably Button’s experience which won the day. Over the course
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of the season, the 34-year old Briton, world champion in 2009, out-scored the young Dane by 126 points to 55. Magnussen, son of former Formula One driver Jan, got himself into one or two scrapes thanks to his aggressive driving style – at one point in the Belgian Grand Prix he had the temerity to push Fernando Alonso onto the grass at well over 200mph. It resulted in a number of penalties. At times, he was also unable to get his head around the particularities of 2014-specific Formula One cars. He is, though, undoubtedly talented and can consider himself mighty unfortunate to have missed out on a race seat for next year, McLaren, after weeks of apparent dithering, choosing instead to replace him with Alonso.
As the season wore on and with a close battle with Force India for fifth place ending in McLaren’s favour, thanks in no small part to Button’s rejuvenated form in the final few races, it became clear that the team and Honda were courting Alonso, the Spaniard having chosen to exit Ferrari in a final bid to win a third world title. It was an impressive bit of work by McLaren to get their man – Whitmarsh is thought to have begun the process some 18 months earlier – but the decision over whether to retain Button or Magnussen dragged, leaving both men frustrated and short of options elsewhere. The decision – Button – finally came in December, the year ending with Dennis reportedly seeking the funding to buy back a majority share of the McLaren Group. The 67-year old owns 25 per cent, the same amount as Mansour Ojjeh while Bahrain’s Mumtalakat investment fund holds 50 per cent. Relations between long-time business partners Dennis and Ojjeh are believed to have soured in recent times. Despite renewing a regional deal with Gillette and bringing coffee brand Segafredo Zanetti back to the
sport, McLaren raced throughout 2014 without a title sponsor, following Vodafone’s decision to exit at the end of the 2013 season. It chose to fill the space by giving additional branding to other major partners, including SAP and Mobil 1, although longtime partner Hugo Boss will leave the team for Mercedes in 2015. Without a title partner, however, the McLaren cars looked sparse. Honda will bring commercial as well as technical support in 2015, but the team’s failure to attract a new primary partner is either an indication of rate card inflexibility or a damning indictment of its 2013 and 2014 form. Honda and Alonso may make the difference.
Picture by: David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images
After a protracted decision-making process, Jenson Button (left) was retained by the team for 2015. The Briton will be joined by the returning Fernando Alonso (below).
2015 PREVIEW
to look elsewhere, ultimately securing a long-term partnership with Honda in May 2013. The Japanese manufacturer’s return to the sport – it was persuaded by Formula One’s new-for-2014 engine rules – comes seven years after its decision to exit, following a largely fruitless period running its own team. More significant perhaps was Honda’s
Picture by: Miguel Morenatti/AP/Press Association Images
McLaren has been waiting for this year for some time, probably from the moment Mercedes decided it was going to run its own Formula One team at the end of 2009. As the German manufacturer understandably began to focus on its own operation, McLaren transitioned from Mercedes’ primary partner to mere customer, paying for its supply. The team, believing championships can only be won by so-called ‘factory’ teams, began
partnership with McLaren that yielded 44 victories from 80 races between 1988 and 1992, a period remembered chiefly for the intensity of the battle between team-mates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. “McLaren-Honda is a partnership focused on performance, technology and innovation,” said Ron Dennis, chairman and chief executive of McLaren Technology Group – the word ‘technology’ is a winter addition to the company’s name. “There’s no better example of that than the results achieved in our first collaboration in the 1980s and 1990s. I was team principal all those years ago and, while I don’t tend to like looking back to the past, our previous record of sustained success was certainly instrumental in creating the confidence to partner with Honda again.” The MP4-30 has been crafted by director of design and development Neil Oatley, technical director Tim Goss, director of engineering Matt Morris and Peter Prodromou, who has returned from Red Bull Racing to the team he worked for between 1991 and 2006, as chief engineer. Early testing was troubled, as the team sought to get to grips with Honda’s
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TEAM BY TEAM 2015
Picture by: Miguel Morenatti/AP/Press Association Images
Alonso (below) puts the new Hondapowered McLaren through its paces during testing. The Spaniard was subsequently sidelined after suffering concussion in an accident in Barcelona.
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all-new power unit. It was a frustrating time, but one which the other engine manufacturers, in particular Renault, had to go through in the build-up to the 2014 season when the new hybrid engine rules package was introduced. A series of small but persistent problems prevented the team from doing much, if any, performance work during the first two tests. Its final day at the second Barcelona test in February was ended prematurely by a serious and yet largely unexplained accident which left new star recruit Fernando Alonso in hospital for observation and subsequently ruled out of the season-opener in Melbourne; Kevin Magnussen stepped in, with Alonso hopeful of a return in Malaysia. In Alonso, assuming there are no long-term ill-effects from the accident, McLaren and Honda have the star they wanted to launch a new era. And
yet it is nothing short of remarkable to see the Spaniard back behind the wheel of a McLaren, following the poisonous parting of the ways in 2007. Since then Alonso has fought for but failed to secure the third world title he covets so much; his return to McLaren probably represents his last chance to achieve that aim and is therefore something of a marriage of convenience. His skills, however, remain undimmed and as he and McLaren’s management have insisted over the winter, time is a great healer. Jenson Button had to wait a long time – too long – for confirmation, but he will embark on his 16th season in the sport in a McLaren. It was a toss-up between the experience and canniness of the Englishman and the unpolished diamond Magnussen, who has been relegated to a frustrating year on the sidelines as reserve driver.
The Button-Alonso dynamics will be fascinating to watch but as it develops its new package, Honda couldn’t ask for a more experienced or talented driver line-up. While Eric Boullier, who joined McLaren just weeks before the start of the 2014 championship, has now settled into his new role as racing director and Jonathan Neale continues as chief operating officer and, for the moment, acting chief executive, Dennis’ influence over McLaren continues to be sizeable. For the moment at least Dennis retains 25 per cent of the group, with a further 25 per cent held by Mansour Ojjeh and 50 per cent owned by Bahrain’s Mumtakalat investment fund. At the end of 2014, however, it was reported Dennis had agreed a deal to take a majority shareholding should he be able to raise the necessary
TEAM BY TEAM 2015
Team
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Honda
US$80m
May 2013
Undisclosed
Power Unit partner
Automotive
Mobil 1
US$35m
January 2005
Undisclosed
Technology partner
Oil/Fuel
SAP
US$3m
May 2012
Undisclosed
Technology partner
Technology
Akebono
US$0.3m
September 2007
Undisclosed
Technology partner
Automotive
KPMG
US$6m
November 2014
November 2023
Innovation partner
Financial
Johnnie Walker
US$20m
July 2005
Undisclosed
Corporate partner
Beverage
Santander
US$2m
January 2007
Undisclosed
Corporate partner
Financial
Tag Heuer
US$2m
January 1985
Undisclosed
Corporate partner
Watch
Segafredo Zanetti
US$0.5m
September 2014
Undisclosed
Corporate partner
Beverage
Hilton
US$3m
June 2005
Undisclosed
Corporate partner
Hotel
Norton Rose Fulbright
US$0.5m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Corporate partner
Legal
CNN International
US$0.5m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Corporate partner
Media
Enkei
US$0.5m
January 2005
Undisclosed
Official supplier
Automotive
Repucom
US$0.1m
January 2000
Undisclosed
Official supplier
Other
Kenwood
US$0.1m
January 1991
Undisclosed
Official supplier
Technology
Sparco
US$0.1m
January 2012
Undisclosed
Official supplier
Automotive
Intralinks
US$0.1m
March 2013
Undisclosed
Official supplier
Technology
Mazak Machine Tools
US$0.1m
May 2007
Undisclosed
Official supplier
Technology
Detica
US$0.1m
April 2013
Undisclosed
Official supplier
Technology
Sikkens AkzoNobel
US$0.1m
January 2009
Undisclosed
Official supplier
Automotive
FOM TV
US$68.1m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$222.1m
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 / 1
MCLAREN
Other income
cash, believed to be around US$250 million, to do so. While the team still has a number of sizeable deals in place, not least with Mobil 1 and SAP, McLaren has still not found a replacement for previous title sponsor Vodafone – and, indeed, it may not do so. Dennis believes team title sponsorship to be an outdated model, especially given his apparent steadfast refusal to lower McLaren’s rate card. “If you look at what title sponsorship would normally be, it would be somewhere between 40 and 50 per cent of your budget,” he said in early February. “Where the
budgets are for a competitive team, no company will come in and give you that kind of money. Therefore what you do is you cut it up into bite-sized pieces, so you get a range of companies with similar philosophies to join you on the car. “Do we have room for bigger brands on our cars? Yes we do. But the reality is we put ourselves in a position where the technology side of our business is providing different dynamics [of revenue].” Dennis was referring in part to McLaren’s Applied Technologies division, which continues to deploy techniques and processes honed in
Formula One to companies and organisations in a variety of fields. It will take time for the relationship with Honda to blossom again – the early weeks were marked by a significant effort on both sides to understand the differing cultures and hurdle the inevitable language barriers – but, with the shared resources of McLaren and Honda and its enviable driver line-up, it shouldn’t be too long until there are few excuses for not being back in contention for race wins and championships. McLaren, Alonso and Button have been away from the front of the grid for too long.
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 53
Safety starts with ... more than 90 years of experience! ‘Anywhere, anytime’ – this is the DEKRA promise of quality to meet the needs and requirements of its customers. This is just as relevant today as it was when the Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein, or German Vehicle Supervision Association, was founded in 1925. Today – 90 years later – DEKRA is one of the world’s leading expert organisations, operating in more than 50 countries according to the motto: Think global, act local. With more than 30,000 employees, DEKRA provides sustainable services in safety, quality and environmental protection. The broad and inno-vative service-portfolio is concentrated into the three Business Units: DEKRA Automotive, DEKRA Industrial and DEKRA Personnel.
Safety starts with trust – DEKRA Automotive. Mobility is one of the main requirements of any modern society. Our knowledgeable and impartial experts at the DEKRA Business Unit Automotive ensure safety, quality, efficiency and sustainability. DEKRA practices a customer fi rst approach and offers a comprehensive range of solutions to support the automotive industry, the car trade, fleet operators, the insurance industry, legal institutions and private clients in mastering technical and economic challenges. As a specialist for automotive services, DEKRA is very successful and expanding worldwide. We work closely with leading vehicle manufacturers and research institutes in order to lower the number of road accidents despite an increase in traffic density. Whether by car, motorbike or truck, people want to be safe on the road. With 23 million technical vehicle inspections – national and international – DEKRA is the market leader for periodic vehicle inspection and expert appraisals for private and commercial customers. We are one of the leading claims handling companies in Europe. Our portfolio also includes used car management, homologation and type approval as well as consulting and workshop testing for the car trade. By offering these services DEKRA commits itself on a daily basis to improving road and traffic safety further – so that future generations can also travel safely. For 25 years DEKRA has also ensured safety in motor sport. The German Motor Sport Association (DMSB) commissions over 60 DEKRA specialists to inspect racing cars of all kinds as part of the issuing process for a DMSB car pass. Irrespective of whether the vehicles are touring cars for circuit racing,sports cars for mountain racing or some outlandish original design for off-road purposes – we always demonstrate safety competence. And this is just one of the services that demonstrates our traditional close connection to motor sport. The DEKRA institutes such as the
DEKRA_AD_edit_210x282mm_4c_JN.indd 6
Crash Test Center in Neumuenster and the DEKRA Automobil Test Center at the EuroSpeedway in Lausitz near Dresden boast FIA-approved test facilities that allow them to issue certificates for racing sport products. Traditionally, DEKRA has always had various commitments in motor sport: From our involvement as Official Technical Partner of the DTM and Formula Student Germany, our official partnership with SAHARA Force India F1 Team driver Nico Huelkenberg and our role as Official Partner of the ADAC GT Masters, to our partnership with the International German Motorcycle Championship (IDM). DEKRA and motor sport simply belong together.
Safety starts with peace of mind – DEKRA Industrial. The globalisation of markets has resulted in such a profusion of directives and norms that it can be hard to keep track of them all. Before a product is launched, it must meet extensive standards and guidelines so that it does not endanger the health of consumers. As an impartial and independent service provider, we test and certify topquality products and thereby give them market access – safely, quickly and reliably. DEKRA is also a path-finder: From certification to plant safety – The product and service portfolio of DEKRA Industrial offers a broad variety of choices. DEKRA helps companies comply with legislation and standards. We audit and certify quality, energy, environmental, occupational health and safety management systems in line with nationally and internationally recognised requirements. We also test and certify professionals and managers – a vital part of systematic business development that helps optimise processes and boost employee motivation. In addition, we are committed to a healthy working environment and harmonious interaction between the economy and ecology. To ensure that simply everything is alright – and stays that way.
Safety starts with qualification – DEKRA Personnel. It is estimated that the world’s knowledge doubles every five to twelve years – but at the same time it is becoming more and more difficult to find relevant information. DEKRA always keeps up to date with the latest developments in comprehensive approaches to qualification – especially for advanced technologies and management processes. With 6,300 annual training sessions and more than 100,000 participants, the DEKRA Academy is one of the largest training companies with nationwide representation. This enables us to give both workers and employers the peace of mind of knowing they can face the professional challenges of the future with confidence. Despite its growth to more than 30,000 employees, DEKRA still has a human face: customer focus is paramount, and even among ourselves, the working environment is characterised by a willingness to help. DEKRA truly is a reliable partner for peace of mind in every aspect of life. For our customers – and for us.
05.03.15 09:40
Progress toward a safer world. Since 1925. DEKRA rises to the challenges of the future – in the past and the present. As one of the world’s leading expert organisations, we ensure safety in more than 50 countries – on the road, at work and at home. www.dekra.com
DEKRA_AZ_BlackBook_90Jahre_210x282_4c.indd 1
05.03.15 09:42
FORCE INDIA Sergio Perez (right) celebrates the best result of the season for Force India, after taking third in the Bahrain Grand Prix. 2014 was the team’s most successful year to date.
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2014 IN REVIEW Force India had the best season of its seven in Formula One and perhaps the statistic that best summed that up was that only twice in 19 races did the team fail to trouble the scorers. In total there was a haul of 155 points, enough to challenge but not quite overhaul McLaren and break the top five but way beyond the 30 points chalked up by seventh place Toro Rosso. The team has now finished sixth in three of the last five seasons; the other two years saw it placed seventh. It is a quietly impressive performance by a team with one of the smaller budgets in the pitlane, a fact which it did not shy away from late in the season as, along with Lotus and Sauber, it aired its grievances
on the way Formula One’s revenues are distributed to teams. Long before that came an impressive start to the season, the highlight of which was Sergio Perez’s third place under the floodlights at the third race of the year in Bahrain. Powered by the must-have Mercedes engine, Force India’s engineers produced an effective chassis. Perez, a late signing after being dropped by McLaren, brought speed as well as commercial support from Mexico while the return of Nico Hulkenberg, following a year with Sauber, was a boon. Two quick, hungry young drivers driving a well-produced car with a customer version of the best engine on the grid yielded results from the off. Hulkenberg was either fifth or sixth in all but one of the opening
seven races of the season. Despite a dip in results towards the end of the year, the German generally had the edge on Perez. It remains astounding that he has not had the opportunity to grace one of the established frontrunning teams. Despite the Mexican’s podium in the Gulf, Perez’s season took a while to really get going. By the end of the year he had accrued 59 points to Hulkenberg’s 96, resulting in a difference of three places in the drivers’ world championship. It was no surprise that both men were retained by a delighted team for 2015. “I believe we have a lot to be proud of this season,” was the verdict of team principal Vijay Mallya, a man who as he has suffered difficulties with his other business interests has appeared
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 / 1
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to devote more time and energy to the Formula One team he acquired in 2007. Indeed, Mallya’s reputation may have suffered in India in recent times, but his work in Formula One cannot be faulted.
“We took on some huge challenges at the start of a new era of Formula One and we produced a competitive car. We took the fight to the biggest names in the sport; we got back on the podium on merit and did so without
compromising on our philosophy.” Of his drivers, Mallya added: “I feel that in Nico and Checo we have found a pair of drivers who are capable of pushing each other and the team at every race and this is helping us maximise the good work done by everyone at our headquarters and trackside.” That technical team at Silverstone, where the team is based, is led by Andrew Green, the architect of the VJM07. Sahara acquired a 42.5 per cent stake in Force India in 2011, with the team officially renamed Sahara Force India. The name has not really stuck and with Subrata Roy, Sahara’s chairman, imprisoned for much of the year with the company in dispute with India’s capital markets regulator, Mallya was prompted to clarify his position at September’s Singapore Grand Prix. “The agreement between Sahara and myself is that they’re shareholders
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 57
Perez crashes out of the Hungarian Grand Prix (right), but over the course of the season proved a good challenge for teammate Nico Hulkenberg (below).
in the team, they continue to be shareholders in the team. I have asked them if they would like to change the situation and they said no, they want to stay in. I’ve always run and managed the team which is doing better than it ever had in its history and we’re going forward from here.” With Mallya inevitably occasionally otherwise engaged, the day-today running of the team is the responsibility of deputy team principal Bob Fernley. And it was Fernley who
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emerged as one of the most eloquent voices as Formula One’s inequitable financial model was laid bare late in the year, resulting in two teams, Caterham and Marussia, collapsing. At November’s US Grand Prix, Force India joined Sauber and Lotus, two other teams with comparatively small budgets, in calling for changes to the way Formula One’s revenues are distributed, frustration boiling over at the lack of action or communication coming from the permanent members
of the sport’s Strategy Group. “Responsibility lies with the people in control and that is CVC,” Fernley said, referring to Formula One’s largest shareholder CVC Capital Partners. ““I think the FIA are both impotent and powerless, and that has been proven this year in that they wished to bring in cost controls and used their best efforts to do so, but they were completely overpowered by CVC and the five teams [who sit on the Strategy Group]. “One would have thought if there was any concern the commercial rights holder would be trying to bring together the disenfranchised teams and there has been nothing at all.” As a result of its sixth place finish in 2014, Force India will gain a place on the Strategy Group next season but its position remains firm: there must be change, otherwise the sport will fall ever further into crisis. Mallya, though, summed up the mood as the season ended in predictable stalemate, with no sign of changes to help the smaller teams on the horizon even at the end of a season where engine costs have risen dramatically. “All this speculation needs to stop,” he said in November. “It’s not doing anybody any good, neither is it
doing the sport any good, neither does it do any teams any good. The bottom line is we’re ok. Our new car is almost ready – and we are here and we are racing.” And in 2014, Force India did so very well.
The team headed to Mexico in January to launch its new livery, with team principal and majority owner Vijay Mallya taking centre stage.
What began as a winter of positivity around the Indian-owned, Britishbased Sahara Force India team turned into a somewhat troubled off-season, with delays to the launch of its new car sparking the inevitable rumours about its financial health. The team were the first to unveil their new look for 2015, but a specially-convened launch in Mexico City, built around its crop of new Sergio Perez-inspired Mexican partners, revealed only a new silver, orange and black livery rather than the new VJM08. Citing changed credit terms with suppliers understandably cautious following the collapse of two teams last season, and the team’s early-December decision to rent time in Toyota’s stateof-the-art windtunnel in Cologne – 2015 regulations mean teams must nominate a single windtunnel facility - Force India subsequently announced its new car would not be ready for the first test of the winter at Jerez in February; it then withdrew from the test altogether, opting not to test its 2014 car. The new car was not ready for the second test, in Barcelona, either, with race drivers Perez and Nico Hulkenberg forced to share cockpit time with Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein. “Is this helpful? No. Will it hurt us? Yes. But hopefully it won’t affect us too badly,” said Bob Fernley, deputy team principal. Rather unfairly the team was also forced to counter criticism that it had blocked a plan from the management of the Marussia team, working under the new Manor F1 name, to return to the sport by running a car under 2014 regulations this season. Marussia required unanimous approval from
Picture by: Rebecca Blackwell/AP/Press Association Images
2015 PREVIEW
Formula One’s rule-making strategy group in order for that to happen but, by all accounts, Force India were simply the first team asked to vote. The furore was a distraction as the team was trying to resolve the delays and get its new car on track before the final test of the winter. Back in Mexico in January, however, spirits were high; despite near-constant speculation about its financial situation, given the domestic issues facing businesses owned by team principal Vijay Mallya and shareholder Sahara’s founder Subrata Roy back home in India, Force India has punched above its weight in recent
times. Mallya, for one, was in positive mood in Mexico City as he outlined the targets for the year. “We’ve come a long way in eight years and the goal is to keep progressing,” he said. “We were on the podium last year, which was an important boost, but actually I think we deserved more than that. So the target is to achieve more podiums in 2015 and we’ve taken some decisions recently to ensure we remain competitive. For example, moving all our wind tunnel work to the Toyota facility in Cologne gives us access to a tunnel that is a match for any team on the grid. Of course, there will be some transition time as we adapt and get
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 59
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TEAM BY TEAM 2015
SAHARA FORCE INDIA Team
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Kingfisher
US$5.2m
February 2008
Ongoing
Partner
Beverage
Smirnoff
US$15m
May 2014
December 2015
Partner
Beverage
Royal Challenge
US$2.7m
February 2008
Undisclosed
Partner
Beverage
Telcel
US$5m
January 2014
December 2015
Partner
Telecoms
Telmex
US$5m
January 2014
December 2015
Partner
Telecoms
Claro
US$6m
January 2014
December 2015
Partner
Telecoms
Consorcio Aristos
US$2m
March 2014
December 2015
Partner
Construction
TW Steel
US$3m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Watch
Inter
US$2m
January 2015
December 2015
Partner
Financial
NEC Corporation
US$3m
January 2015
December 2015
Partner
Technology
Quaker State
US$2m
January 2015
December 2015
Partner
Oil/Fuel
Jose Cuervo
US$5m
January 2015
December 2015
Partner
Beverage
Koni
US$1m
March 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Alpinestars
US$0.8m
February 2008
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
Accelerate
US$0.1m
October 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Media
Motegi Racing
US$0.1m
December 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
Univa
US$0.5m
June 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
3D Systems
US$0.1m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Brandon
US$0.1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Other
Still Materials Handling
US$0.1m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
Schroth
US$0.1m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
Condeco
US$0.1m
September 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
UPS Direct
US$0.2m
January 2007
Undisclosed
Partner
Logistics
STL Communications
US$0.1m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Miller Electric
US$0.1m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
Skullcandy
US$0.1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Gtechniq
US$0.1m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
Corporate Risk Systems
US$0.1m
June 2012
Undisclosed
Partner
Other
Worx Bikes
US$0.1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Cycling
Speedy
US$0.1m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Logistics
Apsley Tailors
US$0.1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Fashion
FOM TV
US$64.7m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$124.6m
Other income
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Picture by: Manu Fernandez/AP/Press Association Images
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TEAM BY TEAM 2015
up-to-speed, but I’m confident it’s a decision that will stand us in good stead for the future.” For all his talent behind the wheel, Perez has proved something of a commercial beacon for the team since he joined from McLaren at the start of 2014. The Mexican connection has increased for 2015 with the addition of Jose Cuervo and NEC, who are reuniting with former Sauber man Perez after the departure of Mexican Esteban Gutierrez from the Swiss team. Other new supply deals confirmed over the winter include a tie-up with London tailor Apsley and Accelerate, the team’s new official digital partner. Smirnoff, which signed a major deal with the team midway through 2014, has extended for another season.
Perez and Hulkenberg make for a talented team and if Hulkenberg finished the season with more points, it was the Mexican who secured Force India’s only podium of the 2014. Both men, however, need a break in order to move closer to the front of the grid; Perez was unlucky to get his chance at McLaren in its worst year on record, while Hulkenberg, unfathomably, has never had an opportunity in a frontrunning car. Both men, in their own ways, are assets to the team. The German has received permission from Force India to make what will be a keenly-watched pair of outings for Porsche in the World Endurance Championship, including a crack at the Le Mans 24 Hours. The new Force India, Mercedespowered as last year, finally made its debut in Barcelona at the end of
February, although with only two and a half days of reliability and development time the team was bracing itself for a challenging start to the season. Despite the late start, however, there is hope that the trend of recent seasons, when it has tended to make a strong start before trailing away as the development race gathers pace, can be reversed in 2015. “All we have done in the tests in Barcelona will help us prepare for Melbourne,” concluded chief engineer Tom McCulloch as testing came to a close. “Even though we may arrive with less mileage than others, we have gathered lots of valuable data. We are making rapid progress with the car and we have a lot of material to analyse back at the factory ahead of the first flyaways.”
The new Force India (above) was launched, after several weeks of delays, in time to complete the final test of the winter in Spain.
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TORO ROSSO Daniil Kvyat locks a wheel during the Brazilian Grand Prix (right). The Russian, aged just 19, made a fine start to his Grand Prix career in 2014.
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2014 IN REVIEW There is, as the likes of Sebastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari and now Jean-Eric Vergne will attest, a no-nonsense attitude at the top of the Toro Rosso team. The team exists as a finishing school for the stream of talent Red Bull’s hugely impressive young driver programme produces but it is a ruthless environment: if a driver is not up to the mark, which means considered by Red Bull’s hierarchy to be capable of challenging for and winning the world championship, he is out. Like Buemi and Alguersuari before him, Vergne, after three years with the team, found himself usurped at the end of 2014, his most impressive season to date, in favour of a much younger man. The contrast with Daniil Kvyat, who made his Grand Prix debut for the team aged just 19 in 2014, was striking. The Russian was out-scored by Vergne by a full 14 points and yet his potential was recognised. When Sebastian Vettel, the ultimate and indeed only current example of how the Red Bull system can produce a champion, announced his decision to leave Red Bull Racing, Kvyat was immediately promoted for 2015. Vergne, meanwhile, ended 2014 racing in Formula E, without many options for a future in Formula One. While Toro Rosso always had at least one eye on the future, the fact it has grown into a very competent, well-run race team should not be overlooked. Seventh place in the final standings was respectable although below team principal Franz Tost’s preseason expectations. “If we look at our targets for the year, we had intended to finish at least sixth in the constructors’ championship and we didn’t hit this one, ending up seventh but we can be reasonably pleased with having made a big step forward compared to previous years,” he said at the end of the year.
Like its big sister, Red Bull Racing, Toro Rosso was hamstrung in pre-season testing – an “extremely disappointing” period – by Renault’s problems with performance and reliability. By the first race, however, progress was being made. Vergne was eighth and Kvyat, making a confident start to what is sure to be a long Formula One career, in ninth, becoming the youngest driver ever to score Formula One points. It would be one of ten points finishes over the course of the season. “We made progress with our working practices,” Tost reported at the end of the year. “The STR9 was the best car designed and manufactured by Toto Rosso so far. All the upgrades we introduced, such as those in Melbourne, Austria, Singapore and Japan worked well. Also on the fabrication side we made progress. The parts were of better quality and they fitted together much better.” Nine of the ten retirements the team posted in 2014 occurred in the first part of the season, four of which were put down to the Renault power unit. Briton James Key, the team’s technical director, was responsible for the STR9, which was built at the team’s headquarters in Faenza. Key is highlyrated and not for the first time put together a solid package. Kvyat’s graduation to Red Bull’s senior team has come sooner than anyone expected but on the evidence of his first year in the sport he has the potential to be a contender for years to come. He made mistakes, of course, but his speed in not in doubt: like Vergne he made the top ten qualifying shootout on eight occasions during the year, with fifth on the grid at the Russian Grand Prix in October particularly meritorious. By the time the call came from Red Bull, he had already been confirmed at Toro Rosso for a second year for some weeks. The original plan would have had him alongside 17-year old Max
Verstappen, the young Dutch driver plucked from the lower formulae by Red Bull midway through the year and then, astonishingly, almost immediately handed a race seat for 2015. The son of former Formula One driver Jos, Verstappen leapfrogged the impressive group already assembled under Red
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TEAM BY TEAM 2015
Bull’s young driver programme umbrella - Briton Alex Lynn was crowned GP3 champion, succeeding Kvyat, while Carlos Sainz Jr. won the Formula Renault 3.5 championship. When Kvyat was promoted to Red Bull for 2015 the sidelined Vergne briefly hoped that he might be given a second
chance; instead, Toro Rosso confirmed in December that Sainz Jr. will make his Grand Prix debut in March. It is unclear what Vergne would have had to achieve to retain his position for a fourth season, but there were clearly enough doubts about his ultimate ability, despite impressive races like
Singapore where he finished sixth. “It was a difficult decision to let him go,” Tost confirmed, “because there is no doubt he is a very talented driver, but our team’s remit is to bring on the youngsters in the Red Bull Junior Driver programme and ‘Jev’ had completed three seasons with us.”
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While the team exists as a finishing school for Red Bull’s young drivers, the Italianbased Toro Rosso squad has matured into a professional and competitive outfit in its own right.
Politically, Toro Rosso has an unusual position in Formula One and never was that more apparent than in a year when smaller teams began crying out against the costs of competing and the way Formula One’s revenues are divided. Thanks to Red Bull’s investment and healthy support from Abu Dhabi, in the form of brands like Nova Chemical and Cepsa, Toro Rosso operates without the kind of financial concerns or constraints faces by its immediate rivals in Formula One’s lower midfield.
2015 PREVIEW Ruthless as it may be, Red Bull’s driver development programme is the envy of many and since 2005 the Toro Rosso team has been the final hurdle for several highly-rated young talents. For
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a variety of reasons some fail to clear, while others – Sebatian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo and now Daniil Kvyat – stride on, bound for Red Bull Racing further up the grid. Toro Rosso has become used to its position as a team that polishes up young talent; this year, Red Bull has taken that to something of an extreme by fielding a 20-year old and a record-breaking 17-year old in an all-new line-up. As the team puts it, 2015 is the ‘perfect synthesis’ of Toro Rosso’s raison d’être. And yet while Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. will inevitably capture the headlines, for better or worse, Toro Rosso is also a highly organised, competitive team in its own right. A finishing school it may be, but, as team principal Franz Tost always tends to make admirably clear, the team sets its sights high. “After finishing seventh
in the constructors’ championship last year, our main target is to finish in fifth position,” he said at the start of February as the new car, Toro Rosso’s tenth, was launched in Spain, “and I’m confident we can achieve this in 2015.” That, frankly, would be an astounding achievement, given the competition. Tost added: “Over the last few seasons we’ve focused on reinforcing the structure of the team, investing in new personnel in many areas in order to make sure we face the upcoming season stronger than before.” Red Bull has high hopes for Verstappen, whom they regard as the most exciting talent to emerge in many a year. They acted on that suspicion by signing him to its young driver programme last year and fast-tracking him immediately into Formula One. The son of former Benetton driver
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With a combined age of 37, Toro Rosso’s line-up for 2015 features 17-year old Max Verstappen (right) and 20-year old Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr. (below).
Championship, his first season of car racing. His age, his lack of experience and his rise to prominence will make him one of the talking points of the season, for both Formula One fans and more casual observers. Sainz Jr., meanwhile, gets his chance after several years working his way
Picture by: Manu Fernandez/AP/Press Association Images
Jos, Verstappen will become the youngest Grand Prix driver in history in Melbourne, a record he is certain to keep thanks to new regulations preventing such inexperienced drivers from making such a swift rise through the ranks. For the record, he was third in last year’s European Formula 3
through the junior formulae with Red Bull’s support culminated in his 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 championship victory. The Spaniard, like Dutchman Verstappen, is highly-rated, and appears well-prepared for his Formula One debut. He certainly comes from good stock, as the son of former World Rally champion Carlos Sainz. The battle between the two youngsters is certain to be feisty, especially given Toro Rosso’s record for dispensing with those it feels are unlikely to be able to make the natural next step to Red Bull Racing; an added complication is that even with Vettel’s departure, Verstappen and Sainz’s route to the top appears blocked by the talented duo, Ricciardo and Kvyat, currently ensconced in the big brother team. In the short-term, however, Tost, for one, does not believe Toro Rosso will be hindered in 2015 by a line-up with a combined age of just 37. “It is no reason to set us back or think we can’t achieve our goals; all the contrary:
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Picture by: Miguel Morenatti/AP/Press Association Images
SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO Team
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Red Bull
US$50m
November 2005
Ongoing
Owner
Beverage
Cepsa
US$5m
September 2011
Undisclosed
Partner
Oil/Fuel
Nova Chemicals
US$3m
June 2011
December 2016
Partner
Other
Sapinda
US$2m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Financial
Estrella Galicia
US$2m
February 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Beverage
Siemens
US$1m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
CD-Adapco
US$0.2m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Usag
US$0.1m
January 2008
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
OMP
US$0.1m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Partner
Automotive
Del Conca
US$0.1m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Other
Duravit
US$0.1m
September 2012
Undisclosed
Partner
Other
Apptech
US$0.1m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Hangar-7
US$0.1m
November 2005
Ongoing
Partner
Other
Red Bull Mobile
US$0.1m
November 2005
Ongoing
Partner
Technology
FOM TV
US$54.48m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$118.38m
The Renault-powered STR10 (left) has been designed by Briton James Key, with team principal Franz Tost targeting fifth place in the world championship this season.
Other income
young drivers are always hungry for success and we will make sure we use this positively to our advantage.” A greater hindrance may turn out to be the Renault engine which, in the early part of winter testing, appeared to have teething problems not dissimilar to those suffered last year. Around the power unit, Toro Rosso’s small but growing technical team, led by British technical director James Key, appear to have produced a tidy vehicle. At the launch, Tost said Key had done an “extraordinary job to start the year strongly”, adding: “I know the team is constantly under a lot of pressure but they are aware of how to deliver and it’s great to see we are all moving together, as a team, in the same direction. “We’ve also learned a lot from the previous seasons and this will make us much stronger in 2015. We need to assure we make the most out of every opportunity that arises out on track and I’m confident that this year we
certainly have the mentality to do just that, keep on improving and meet our targets.” Key, meanwhile, explained that after the strain of producing the 2014 car to a drastically new set of regulations, the STR10 will be developed throughout 2015. “The car is a real mix of very different approaches in some areas, while also refining and developing what we felt were some of the more solid philosophies of the 2014 car,” he said. “It will look quite different by the time we get to race one and we’ve got several very new ideas which have gone into it, which the team is exploring for the first time, which makes it an interesting project.” Politically, the Red Bull-owned team falls into line with its parent company rather than grouping itself with the other similarly-sized teams who are pushing for lower costs and a greater share of Formula One’s revenues. Red Bull continues to be the major
backer of the team and has no doubt been buoyed by the recent success Toro Rosso has enjoyed in serving up Ricciardo and Kvyat for the Red Bull Racing team. Other commercial backing is provided by a group of companies controlled by IPIC, an Abu Dhabi investment firm, including Cepsa, Nova Chemicals and Falcon Private Bank, while the winter has yielded another new sponsor in the shape of Verstappen-friendly nonalcoholic beer brand Estrella Galicia 0,0. Tost used the announcement of that deal to offer a soundbite on Formula One’s commercial attractiveness during a testing financial period for the sport. “New sponsors are the lifeblood not just of our team, but also of the sport of Formula One in general,” he said, “so it is particularly pleasing to bring a new sponsor into our sport, as it shows that it is still the perfect arena for companies to increase awareness of their products on a global scale.”
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LOTUS Pastor Maldonado hits new heights at the British Grand Prix (right), but it was a frustrating season for the Venezuelan and team-mate Romain Grosjean (below).
2014 IN REVIEW What a difference a year makes. In 2013, Lotus won a race, took 13 other podium spots and beat McLaren to fourth place in the constructors’ championship, scoring 315 points in the process. 2014 was, by comparison, dismal: no hint of a podium, only three top ten finishes all season and just ten points to show at the end of 19 races. The dip in performance and results was not as much of a surprise as the bald statistics might suggest. Even as it was completing the 2013 season, the team was mired in financial difficulties. It led to an apparent tie-up with a consortium led by Mansoor Ijaz, with grand promises of new funding and a return to the days when the Enstone-based team, as Benetton and then Renault, were world championship contenders and winners. As the months rolled on, however, it became clear that there was no substance behind Ijaz’s brash style; he was exposed as the chancer he was. The team looked elsewhere for funding, securing an estimated US$30 million from Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA in exchange for giving a race seat to Pastor Maldonado. The
intervening period, however, saw a number of key staff leave, notably technical director James Allison and, most dramatically, team principal Eric Boullier who was lured to McLaren as the British team’s new racing director. Combined with long-time engine supplier Renault’s struggles to make its new-generation hybrid power unit work, it was a long, hard winter for the team. The resignation of Boullier, who had been the impressive frontman for the team during a period in which hard questions were asked about its finances, was a major blow. He was not directly replaced. Instead, Gerard Lopez, the Luxembourger who runs the team’s majority owner Genii Capital, named himself as team principal. On the eve of the season-opener in Australia, Lopez promoted Federico Gastaldi from director of business development to deputy team principal. Gastaldi effectively ran the team from the pitwall, while Lopez returned to his more strategic, wider role. Behind the scenes, meanwhile, Matthew Carter, an associate of minority shareholder Andrew Ruhan, was installed as the team’s new chief executive and worked diligently and impressively to steady
the ship. 2013’s losses of UK£64 million were reduced to just UK£6 million, according to 2014 first half results posted in September. “We still have 470 people, which still puts us fairly high up there in terms of head count in Formula One,” Carter said at the time. “We lost a lot of highcalibre staff at the back end of last year and to replace those sort of people takes time. We have gradually done that.” He also sought to explain what went wrong in 2014 – the E22, complete with its asymmetrical and aestheticallydispleasing twin-tusk nose section, will not be fondly remembered. It was, bluntly, slow and unreliable. “It
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became apparent there were certain aspects that weren’t quite right and certain things we were doing and areas we were developing in the wind tunnel that were counter-productive,” is how Carter put it. “That coupled with the issues Renault had at the start of the year put us massively on the back foot.” It took until Spain, round five of the championship, for the team to trouble the scorers, Romain Grosjean scoring a morale-boosting eighth place. He repeated the result two weeks later in Monaco but that was that until November, when Pastor Maldonado got off the mark by taking ninth in the US Grand Prix.
Unsurprisingly, Grosjean, a regular podium visitor in 2013, had the edge on Maldonado throughout the year. While his Venezuelan team-mate was eliminated in the first part of qualifying on 15 occasions, Grosjean found himself in the drop zone just six times. He even made the top ten twice. The Frenchman cut a frustrated figure at times - just when it looked as though his Formula One career was taking off, his car’s limitations were holding him back – but his stock does not appear to have fallen. One specialist magazine, Motor Sport, placed Grosjean fourth in its ranking of the drivers of the year. Short of options elsewhere, but
optimistic at the prospect of the team swapping Renault for Mercedes, he will remain with Lotus for 2015. Maldonado’s fourth year in Formula One was not a memorable one. The 29year old struggled with his recalcitrant car, damaging it often, and did little to lose the tag of ‘pay driver’ which has dogged him since he and PDVSA arrived in Formula One with Williams in 2011. The team was thankful for his multi-million dollar support, which helped it find stability, but the contrast between Kimi Raikkonen, the team’s star asset in 2012 and 2013, and Maldonado was stark. After breaking ties with Williams, insisting he was
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Deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi (right) helped to stablise the team during a difficult 2014 campaign; the outlook for 2015 seems much brighter, with the financial support brought by Maldonado (below) and Mercedes power set to result in an upturn in fortunes.
2015 PREVIEW If any confirmation was needed that Formula One in 2015 is primarily an engine formula, Lotus’ likely performance this season will be it.
The British team, which won a Grand Prix as recently as 2013, endured a miserable year in 2014. It turned out to be its final season powered by Renault. Like Williams a year earlier, Lotus’ switch to Mercedes power for 2014 looks set to provide the revitalising spark the team needed. Early testing of the new E23 proved that it is not only quick, but much more pleasing to the eye than the ugly twin-tusk E22. The team itself has recalibrated after a series of lay-offs towards the end of 2013 and appears on a much more even keel than a year ago. An air of positivity has returned. “Improvements within our design, aero and simulation departments have all contributed to the development of a car which is a huge step forward,” proclaimed team chief executive Matthew Carter even before a wheel had turned. “As a team we are confident that the new car coupled with additions to the race team will enable a huge leap forward and we are full of optimism going into the new season. It is time to put the disappointment of last season behind us and benefit from 12 months of hard work; we are ready to return to our rightful place at the pinnacle of the sport.” The E23 is the work of technical director Nick Chester, a long-time Lotus employee but one who stepped into
Picture by: David Davies/PA Archive/Press Association Images
worthy of a seat in a more competitive team, he could not have failed to notice the championship standings at the end of the year. Nonetheless, with options limited and his budget seemingly intact, he will remain on the books in 2015. Boosted by PDVSA’s support – not formally a title sponsorship but certainly of that size - and mindful of a challenging market, Lotus’ commercial department hit upon the idea of shorter-term commercial deals as a way of generating additional revenue during the season. Betting firm Interwetten, electronics manufacturer Hisense and Endless Jewelry all agreed
deals along those lines, each lasting for two or three Grands Prix. The game-changer, however, may be October’s announcement that the Enstone team’s long relationship with Renault, which began in 1995 and included a period in which the French manufacturer owned the team, would come to an end after 2014. A deal with Mercedes AMG High Performance Engines will run until the end of the current power unit generation and, given the engine’s performance in 2014, has sparked hopes of a rapid upturn in the team’s performance. Lotus has also agreed a related partnership with Petronas, the Malaysian oil company which has developed special lubricants for the new generation Mercedes power unit. “We intend to return to the front of the field with the goals of winning Grands Prix and being a strong championship contender once more and we see this new agreement as one step towards this aim,” Carter said. There is light at the end of the tunnel for a team which will try and quickly forget 2014.
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The E23, seen below during testing in Spain, is a much more attractive car than the team’s 2014 effort, and likely to be much more competitive too.
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his current role following the departure of James Allison to Ferrari towards the end of 2014. Chester has already called the E23 a “massive step forward”, adding: “We expect it to perform far, far better than its predecessor.” The switch from Renault to Mercedes, Formula One’s class-leading engine, has inevitably required a major shift in approach, but the early indications of testing suggested it had been a smooth transition. “We made this change as it looked and looks to be the one area of the car which could bring us the greatest performance gain,” Chester confirmed. “It’s not just performance, but reliability and
driveability as well as packaging and cooling too. Commercially, the team has retained its licensing deal to carry the Lotus name despite some speculation it was pondering a change. The team itself is still owned by Genii, a company run by technology entrepreneur Gerard Lopez. Lopez named himself team principal last year, although it is Carter who has taken day-to-day responsibility alongside deputy team principal Federico Gastaldi. Veteran Alan Permane runs the show at Grands Prix in his role as director of trackside operations. He, too, senses a new dawn. Asked by Autosport
magazine in February whether a year of pain was necessary for the team, he replied: “It’s just a fact that it’s what happens when you downsize and lose people who have been there a long time. With all respect to Nick Chester, James Allison was an absolute team leader. Losing James was a big hit. We lost Dirk de Boer, our head of aerodynamics; we lost our head of CFD – these are all good people. No one is irreplaceable, but it takes time for the replacements to gel. Permane added: “The previous aero department worked together for five or six years and churned out really good stuff – the 2013 car was fantastic. To
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 Britain’s GP2 champion Jolyon Palmer has been signed up as the team’s third driver for 2015, giving him the chance to get some Formula One mileage under his belt. Lopez’s long-term intentions for the team remain unknown. Despite the positivity, it is still walking something of a financial tightrope and Lopez, along with his counterparts at Force India and Sauber, has been vocal in recent months about the extent to which the sport’s smaller teams are struggling to stay above the waterline. “The sport must reach out to the younger fans, namely engage them
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technology partner, Capriza, was unveiled during testing. Maldonado will once again partner Romain Grosjean and if the testing form of the E23 is any guide it should be a much better season for both. The Venezuelan begins his fifth season of Formula One as erratic as the day he started, but despite his propensity for hitting things has a good turn of speed on occasion. Grosjean, however, seems the more polished of the pair and with a more competitive car will be looking to pick up where he left off at the end of 2013, which was usually on the podium. The Frenchman should provide the team with the bulk of its points over 20 races.
Picture by: Miguel Morenatti/AP/Press Association Images
stop that abruptly upset things. But we have a great windtunnel and a great base at Enstone. There’s no reason why we won’t get back on the right path.” The team’s poor performance in 2014 did cost it millions of dollars in sponsorship. Unilever has taken its US$15 million deal to Williams, while cloud technology services provider Avanade has moved the same way. The continued presence of Pastor Maldonado, meanwhile, ensures that Venezuelan oil company PDVSA remains aboard. In January, Danish banking group Saxo Bank renewed its deal, which will see logos feature on the inner rear wing, while a new
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LOTUS Team
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
PDVSA
US$30m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Oil/Fuel
Saxo Bank
US$3m
January 2014
December 2015
Partner
Financial
Microsoft Dynamics
US$2m
March 2012
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Yota Devices
US$2m
January 2014
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Genii Buisness Exchange
US$5m
January 2010
Ongoing
Partner
Other
Richard Mille
US$2m
May 2013
Undisclosed
Partner
Watch
EMC
US$0.1m
May 2013
December 2016
Partner
Technology
Capriza
US$2m
February 2015
Undisclosed
Partner
Technology
Alpinestars
US$0.2m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Fashion
Altran
US$0.2m
June 2013
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
Boeing Research & Technology
US$0.8m
July 2014
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
CD-adapco
US$0.1m
January 2001
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
DigiPen
US$0.1m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
Elysium
US$0.1m
January 2003
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
GF Machining Solutions
US$0.7m
January 2000
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
Magneti Marelli
US$0.2m
January 2012
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Automotive
OZ Racing
US$0.1m
January 2009
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Automotive
PerkinElmer
US$0.1m
January 2015
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
Processia Solutions
US$0.5m
September 2004
December 2015
Technical partner
Technology
Siemens PLM Software
US$0.1m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
3D Systems
US$0.2m
January 2003
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Technology
Henri Lloyd
US$0.1m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Technical partner
Fashion
FOM TV
US$61.51m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$111.11m
Other income
not only through TV, but also, and above all, via the internet and social media,” he told French publication AutoHebdo, offering his own assessment of the sport as the 2015 season neared. “What’s more, Formula One does not have any genuine marketing department, which means there exists a significant untapped potential for commercial opportunities.
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“According to the experts I meet regularly, and who invest in other sports, Formula One remains the only activity offering a global platform likely to attract world companies,” Lopez added. “And yet there seems to be some sort of blockage. Why do these potential sponsors never make the leap when they are not really undaunted by the amounts requested
in F1? What’s holding them back? Is it because of the sport’s archaic management and organisation?” Such is Formula One’s byzantine structure that Lopez’s influence has been dulled in 2015 by Lotus’ poor performance in 2014. By finishing below Force India, it ceded its place in the sport’s rule-making strategy group.
SAUBER Esteban Gutierrez laps the new Sochi circuit in Russia (right) but for the Mexican and German teammate Adrian Sutil (below), 2014 is best forgotten. Sauber was point-less for the first time in its history.
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2014 IN REVIEW For the first time in Sauber’s 21year Formula One history, the Swiss squad failed to score a single world championship point, consigning the team to a distant tenth place in the final standings and doing little for its long-term financial stability. Much like Lotus, the team came into 2014 following a successful 2013 season – after a slow start, Sauber rallied to seventh place, scoring 57 points. The costly and complex new set of regulations, however, stretched resources at all the smaller teams. The C33 produced by Sauber’s relatively small group at its Hinwil headquarters was not a competitive car, a situation hardly helped by the rather mediocre power unit produced by Ferrari. The team came close to the top ten on occasions. In Monaco, there were certainly points up for grabs, as Marussia’s Jules Bianchi proved. Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutierrez, however, both made damaging, race-ending mistakes – Gutierrez described his as “probably the most painful mistake in my career”. The team was not best pleased with its drivers, although given the general competitiveness of the car
it had provided them could not be too openly critical. A long few months later in the USA, Sutil secured a top ten starting position only to be taken out on the first lap by Sergio Perez. The C33 car, designed by Eric Gandelin and conceived by head of aerodynamics Willem Toet, was both uncompetitive and difficult to drive, as an exasperated Sutil sought to explain midway through the year by describing it as a “little diva”. He added: “The window is very small in which the car operates and it’s easy to make a mistake with this car”. Formula One’s points means prize money set-up meant the rare missed opportunities compounded Sauber’s financial struggles. The team had not made a secret of the fact it was hunting new investment throughout the 2013 season. A strategic tie-up with three Russian institutions, announced in July 2013, and designed in part to accelerate the progress of teenager Sergey Sorotkin into Formula One, ultimately came to nought, while the team was forced to drop female driver Simona de Silvestro in October after problems with the financing of her testing deal. They were difficult days for one of the oldest teams on the Formula One grid.
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Gutierrez’s exit from the team (below) was swiftly followed by the exit of Sauber’s crop of Mexican sponsors; the new look Sauber livery for 2015 (right) sees Banco do Brasil’s logos feature prominently.
With Peter Sauber, whose name is on the door, now in a semi-retired, almost honorary position, team principal Monisha Kaltenborn, who owns a third of the team herself, has become the public face of Sauber. Over the past few years Kaltenborn has established herself as an eloquent and respected voice on Formula One’s financial troubles. That was underlined in the latter half of 2014 when, following the collapse of Caterham and Marussia, the sport’s smaller teams, namely Sauber, Lotus and Force India, demanded changes to the way revenues are distributed and the costs of going racing. “If we don’t act now together then you have to ask yourself what else needs to still happen,” Kaltenborn said during a team principals’ press conference prior to the United States Grand Prix, which revealed the differing positions of the likes of McLaren and Mercedes – happy with their lot – and the smaller outfits. She summed up the problems of Formula One’s skewed distribution mechanism thus. “If as a small team you go and say something you immediately get the response that we’re just scrabbling around because we’re not getting enough. And that thinking is so wrong. We have a right to be in the sport. We are not expecting that we get that much that we can be a world
champion, we know we have to do that on our merits like Mercedes has done. But at least we should be getting enough share that we should be able to live decently and not to always think ‘are we going to make it to the next season or not’.” The need to survive influenced Sauber’s driver line-up for 2015, the team choosing to sign two drivers in Marcus Ericsson and newcomer Felipe Nasr able to bring hefty budgets with them. Even the well-funded Giedo van der Garde who spent 2014 as Sauber’s reserve driver in the expectation of a promotion to the race team for 2015, could not match the reported US$18 million and US$24 million reportedly brought by Ericsson and Nasr respectively. Not retaining Gutierrez, meanwhile, meant the end of Sauber’s relationship with the crop of Mexican sponsors under the control of Carlos Slim. America Movil’s attentions have now switched to supporting Sergio Perez, another Sauber alumnus, at Force India and Gutierrez’s new role as Ferrari’s reserve driver. Despite his insistence he had a binding contract with Sauber for 2015, a state-of-affairs which Kaltenborn insisted would be sorted internally rather than in the glare of the paddock cameras, Sutil looks to have reached the end of the Formula One road.
After watching Nico Hulkenberg’s performances for Sauber in 2013, the German was confident about making the switch. As it was Hulkenberg, who moved from Sauber to Force India, got the better end of the deal. Sutil is experienced but since making his Formula One debut in 2007 he has not managed to break out of the midfield. In an era of drivers with big budgets, his comparatively meagre financial backing is unlikely to be enough. There are those who see more promise in Gutierrez, at 23, eight years Sutil’s junior, but few regard him as a true frontrunner of the future. His most memorable moment of the year
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Picture by: Miguel Morenatti/AP/Press Association Images
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was being tipped into a balletic roll by an over-exuberant Pastor Maldonado at the Bahrain Grand Prix. He escaped unhurt after a heavy landing. He wasn’t the only member of the team to come down to earth with a bump in 2014.
2015 PREVIEW Switzerland’s Sauber team debuted its bold, but necessary, new look as pre-season testing began. Gone are the white and grey colours of recent years, replaced by the blue and yellow colours of Banco do Brasil, the new sponsor brought to the team by new driver Felipe Nasr, and, perhaps
coincidentally, the colours of the Swedish flag, reflecting the nationality of Nasr’s new teammate Marcus Ericsson. Both men have brought multi-million dollar sums to the team, providing a necessary injection of funding when the deals were confirmed at November’s US Grand Prix, and throughout 2015. The team was forced to compromise: by not retaining Esteban Gutierrez, it has lost its crop of Mexican sponsors who have moved elsewhere on the grid, following the Mexican to Ferrari’s subs bench or rejoining former Sauber driver Sergio Perez at Force India. Sauber also reportedly gave up the
estimated US$7 million Dutchman Giedo van der Garde, the team’s 2014 test driver, was prepared to deliver had he been given the nod, but only after a contractual and bitter legal dispute. Nasr, who is making the jump from GP2 but spent a year as Williams’ first reserve last year, has reportedly brought around US$24 million of support from his Brazilian banking sponsor and will make his Grand Prix debut in Melbourne. The Banco do Brasil logos are the most prominent on Sauber’s newly-liveried 2015 car. “Banco do Brasil believes in the potential of Felipe Nasr, considered by the specialists to be the most promising Brazilian in
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Picture by: David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images
GP2 driver Felipe Nasr (right), who brings substantial backing from Banco do Brasil, steps up to a Formula One race seat after a year as Williams’ test and reserve driver; Swede Marcus Ericsson (below right) has made the switch from Caterham.
motor racing since Ayrton Senna,” said Hayton Rocha, the company’s marketing and communications director last November as the move was confirmed, perhaps buying into a touch of hyperbole. “Apart from that, it is an opportunity to create a connection between our brands and symbolises our Brazilianness, modernity and technology.” Ericsson, meanwhile, has made the jump to Sauber from the now-defunct Caterham, backed by around US$18 million of private money. The Swede hardly impressed in 2014, but the circumstances were difficult; 2015 will be a more accurate barometer of his true pace, with Nasr providing a good measuring stick. Neither man has much Formula One experience, however, which may hamper development of the new car. Ferrari, Sauber’s long-term power unit supplier, have parachuted Raffaele Marciello, one of its youngsters, into the reserve driver role.
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Purely visually, the C34 chassis produced by the team at its headquarters in Hinwil does not look quite as honed as some of the better-funded teams. But it is not unreasonable to expect a year-on-year improvement, given the team failed to trouble the scorers once in 2014. “We have to improve, and be able to fight for championship points,” said Monisha Kaltenborn, Sauber’s team principal, although with only nine teams making the grid in Melbourne, finishing last this year will be easier than in 2014. Sauber’s technical team prioritised three areas of improvement for 2015: performance in slow corners, weight reduction and braking stability. “We were able to gain a lot of experience during the course of the 2014 season, which will have an influence on the Sauber C34,” confirmed chief designer Eric Gandelin. Cooling is another major issue for all teams: in Sauber’s
case, the sidepods of the 2015 car are slimmer than in 2014, despite the higher cooling requirements of Ferrari’s newlydeveloped power unit; to underline the complexity of Formula One in 2015, in total over 40 electronic boxes have had to be accommodated under the skin of the C34, of which over 30 require cooling.” Aside from Banco do Brasil and a long-term deal with Oerlikon, a Swiss technology and industrial firm, traditional sponsorship is thin on the ground. Emil Frey and Certina are long-time sponsors, providing relatively small amounts of cash, whilst a partnership with Chelsea FC is rooted in co-marketing strategies and has led to the strange sight of the Sauber team being promoted on LED boards at Stamford Bridge. The logos of Silanna, a semiconductor company which sponsored Caterham, have appeared on the rear wings, in a deal thought to be connected to Ericsson’s involvement in the team.
TEAM BY TEAM 2015
Team
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Banco do Brasil
US$24m
November 2014
December 2015
Premium partner
Financial
Marcus Ericsson (Silanna)
US$18m
November 2014
December 2015
Private money
-
Oerlikon
US$0.5m
January 2000
December 2015
Premium partner
Technology
Chelsea Football Club
US$0.5m
May 2012
Undisclosed
Premium partner
Soccer
Emil Frey
US$0.5m
May 2010
Undisclosed
Premium partner
Automotive
Certina
US$2m
January 2004
December 2014
Premium partner
Watch
Mitsubishi Electric
US$0.3m
January 2006
Undisclosed
Official partner
Automotive
NetApp
US$0.1m
January 2012
Undisclosed
Official partner
Technology
OMP
US$0.2m
January 2013
Undisclosed
Official partner
Automotive
Swiss Fibertec
US$0.1m
March 2013
Undisclosed
Official partner
Technology
Thomann
US$0.2m
January 2010
Undisclosed
Official partner
Automotive
Walter Meier
US$0.6m
September 2000
Undisclosed
Official partner
Technology
Wikland
US$0.1m
February 2013
Undisclosed
Official partner
Fashion
FOM TV
US$57.89m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$104.99m
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SAUBER F1 TEAM
Other income
which inevitably prompted rumours of a greater role for America Movil’s Carlos Slim, has also now disappeared, leaving the team reliant on wellfunded drivers. An outspoken critic of the way the sport’s revenues are divided up and the failure to properly address cost cutting, Kaltenborn has kept
Picture by: David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images
With founder Peter Sauber taking a back seat, it falls to Kaltenborn to keep the team afloat and, in all probability, find either significant sponsorship or new investors. The team has come close before, although a possible Russian tie-up was hastily announced and failed to close midway through 2013. The Mexican connection,
her counsel for much of the winter. Speaking to Autosport in December, however, she did make clear that she did not blame Ferrari for the team’s woes, despite the Italian manufacturer’s underperformance in the power unit department compared to the pace-setting Mercedes unit in 2014. “We have the tools for it,” she said, when asked about the potential for improvement. “We need the funding for it and we are working on that. She added: “Definitely, the power train has dominated the [2014] season and I am very confident that our engine supplier is going to make a step. They also cannot do miracles; we still probably will see the dominance of one engine supplier, but I have confidence that the gap will be smaller.” Even with an improved power unit, however, Formula One has probably never been tougher for a perennial midfielder which may have to get used to life at the back of the grid.
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MANOR MARUSSIA Jules Bianchi, pictured at the Malaysian Grand Prix, led Marussia to ninth place in the world championship, courtesy of a brilliant drive to ninth place in Monaco.
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2014 IN REVIEW What looked like turning out to be Marussia’s final appearance in Formula One was the saddest of affairs. Max Chilton’s Russian Grand Prix lasted a mere nine laps before a problem with the front left of his car forced his retirement. The team was, by that stage, simply glad to get the
weekend over with. A week earlier, they had seen number one driver Jules Bianchi critically injured in a sickening collision with a recovery vehicle in the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix. After much soul-searching, the decision was taken to compete in Russia – an important stage strategically for a team which ran with a Russian license – with just
a single entry. Shortly after that race the British-based team was placed into administration, seemingly destined for closure. There was a flicker of hope for a return under the Manor Grand Prix banner – the team was originally created in the summer of 2009 by Manor’s John Booth, before being renamed Virgin Racing and then acquired by Marussia
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– but whilst all efforts were exhausted it seemed a lost cause. Marussia’s apparent demise was even more of a shame given that earlier in the year it had scored its first points, courtesy of a quite brilliant drive to ninth place by Bianchi at the Monaco Grand Prix. That saw the team leap above Caterham and Sauber in the constructors’ championship; the ninth-place finish would have been worth its weight in gold – possibly as much as US$40 million given the team had achieved tenth place in 2013. Time, however, ran out and after Marussia’s
‘home’ Grand Prix Andrey Cheglakov, one of the three men behind the ill-fated Marussia Motors luxury car brand, pulled the purse strings tight, apparently tired of plunging money into Formula One’s smallest entry. It was strange timing, just three races before a potential payday which would have gone a long way to securing the team’s short-term future. Marussia Motors, which had used the Formula One team it bought in 2011 as a promotional tool, never really got off the ground, despite big
ambitions and plenty of big talk. It ultimately ceased operations in April without a car ever getting to market, casting further doubt on a team which had always existed on a relative shoestring and done so effectively. Although the Formula One operation was run independently of Marussia Motors, the uncertainty at the very top of the organisation – the people who rarely turned up for Grands Prix and tended to watch the likes of Booth and team president Graeme Lowdon operate from afar – hardly helped.
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its own images – was brutal. It was the most serious Formula One accident since Ayrton Senna’s fatal crash at Imola in 1994. As the year ended 25-year-old Bianchi, repatriated to his hometown of Nice from the hospital in Yokkaichi, remained unconscious after suffering a ‘diffuse axonal injury’ to his brain. The team, close-knit and facing desperate circumstances, handled itself with supreme dignity. Weeks after the accident, Marussia was in administration with FRP Advisory, the firm appointed as administrator, announcing it would miss the races in the US and Brazil. Despite the best efforts of Booth and
Lowdon – impressive men both – the company then ceased trading in November prior to the final event in Abu Dhabi, many of its assets sold off via an online auction the following month. “Whilst the team made significant progress during its relatively short period of operation, operating an F1 team requires significant ongoing investment,” said Geoff Rowley, joint administrator and partner at FRP Advisory. “Sadly, no solution could be achieved to allow for the business to continue in its current form.” It was a sad way for a popular team to go, at the end of its year of genuine triumph and tragedy. Or so it seemed.
Despite the long – and lengthening odds – Graeme Lowden and John Booth never gave up hope of securing the future of what was the Marussia Formula One team. Even as little as three weeks before the start of the season, it seemed far-fetched at best to imagine Marussia – now known as Manor Marussia, reflecting the British management core – making the grid at all in 2015, let alone in Melbourne. Salvation, though, was found in the form of 37-year-old Stephen Fitzpatrick, the founder of the Ovo Energy company and, handily, a big Formula One fan. Fitzpatrick agreed
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The tragic accident which befell Bianchi at the Japanese Grand Prix devestated the Marussia team, who paid tribute to their injured colleague the following week in Russia (far left); John Booth (left) and Graeme Lowden (below) never gave up hope of reviving the team, even after it missed the final three races of 2014.
2015 PREVIEW
Picture by: David Davies/PA Archive/Press Association Images
At the same time, against the financial odds, Marussia’s small band of technicians and engineers at its Banbury headquarters in the UK had managed to produce a tidy car for 2014. A Ferrari engine also helped the team steal a march on Renault-powered Caterham, which had since 2010 been Marussia’s primary rival at the back of the grid. As Caterham chopped and changed, Marussia’s unaltered driver line-up for 2014 added another layer of continuity, with Chilton, whose family connections brought sizeable funding, re-signed alongside Bianchi. The Frenchman’s connection to Ferrari, where he was a member of its young driver programme, helped smooth the relationship between Marussia and its engine supplier. There was a quiet confidence about Marussia, which was borne out by Bianchi’s combative drive in Monte Carlo where he came back from a grid penalty and five second time penalty to score the team’s first points in 83 races. The celebrations rivalled those of race winners Mercedes. In truth, Marussia never looked like scoring again – a first-lap collision between Chilton and Bianchi in Canada was a low point – but neither did Caterham, while Sauber’s continuing failure to score despite a more competitive car meant ninth place in the championship went from dream to potential reality. Financially, though, the team always appeared on a knife-edge. In Belgium, it announced that Chilton was to be replaced by American reserve driver Alex Rossi – only for Chilton, funding secured overnight, to be handed the drive back whilst Rossi was taking part in first practice. It was a need’s must, hand-tomouth scenario. Then came Suzuka and the accident which cast a dark shadow over the season. Bianchi spun off in the rain, hitting the rear of a vehicle recovering Adrian Sutil’s already-crashed car. The impact – captured and posted online by a fan after Formula One Management chose not to broadcast
Picture by: David Davies/PA Archive/Press Association Images
TEAM BY TEAM 2015
Picture by: PA/PA Archive/Press Association Images
Salvation arrived just in time for the newly-named Manor Marussia team. Former Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King (left) was named interim chairman, following a sizeable investment from Northern Irish businessman Stephen Fitzpatrick (below).
to make an investment believed to be in the region of UK£30 million in the team – and, importantly, its Formula One entry. It was a move which paved the way for it to compete in the 2015 world championship; remarkably, the team made the trip to Melbourne. Fitzpatrick has invested on a private basis, rather than through Ovo. Former Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King, often cited as a potential replacement for Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, has been named chairman of on an interim basis but was not thought to have put any money in as the season began. Fitzpatrick’s investment alone would likely not have been enough to salvage Manor Marussia but, combined with
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the money due for a ninth-place finish in 2014, it will be just about enough to participate, if not necessarily compete with the rest of the grid. The estimated US$40 million worth of prize money, won thanks to the stricken Jules Bianchi’s marvellous drive at last May’s Monaco Grand Prix, was due to be handed over by Formula One Management in March. Midway through February, with Fitzpatrick’s investment in place, formal agreement was reached with the company’s many creditors, allowing the entity to come out of administration. The team was granted a place on the official entry list for the 2015 season by the FIA, world motorsport’s governing body, in early March.
The new operation then continued the race against time to be ready for the opening race of the new season in Australia. The 2014 cars were hastily adjusted to meet the 2015 regulations at Manor’s headquarters in Dinnington, near Sheffield, and the team made the freight flight to Melbourne just in time. Marussia’s old factory, in the UK town of Banbury, was acquired from administrators by the new Haas F1 Team, which is preparing for a 2016 debut, leaving Manor Marussia to use the premises of Manor Motorsport, Booth’s operation which has a great history in various British motorsport categories. A previous plan to run 2014 cars in 2015 was rejected by Formula One’s strategy group, which had concerns about safety and precedent. There was also the not-insignificant fact that had Marussia not survived, the US$40 million in prize money would have been shared equally amongst the remaining teams, several of whom could do with a seven-figure injection of cash. McLaren and Ferrari, two of the company’s creditors, have agreed to support the Manor Marussia operation. McLaren will provide some technical support, while Ferrari has agreed to supply the team with 2014-specification power units. The first Grand Prix, though, came far too soon for any other commercial partners to have been secured; as Marussia, the team found it hard to sell its backmarker story, but the out-of-theashes yarn may have more value in the coming months. Drivers, too, were a rather trifling matter amidst the fraught build-up. Briton Will Stevens was confirmed early in March as the first of the team’s drivers for 2015. Stevens, who competed in the Formula Renault 3.5 series last year, made his Grand Prix debut for the now-defunct Caterham team in November at Abu Dhabi. Just days before opening practice in Melbourne, Spaniard Roberto Merhi was added to the line-up. Merhi, who
MANOR MARUSSIA Team
Total Value
Contract Start
Contract End
Status
Sector
Stephen Fitzpatrick
US$30m
March 2015
Ongoing
Owner
Private
FOM TV
US$40m
March 2012
December 2020
Central prize fund
Rights holder
Total
US$70m
Other income
ran some Friday practice sessions for Caterham last season, also steps up from Formula Renault 3.5 but requires additional sponsorship to prolong his ownership of the race seat. Jordan King, the son of Justin, was named, rather predictably, as the team’s development driver, a role he will dovetail in 2015 with a GP2 race drive. The team’s immediate task was respectability. But perhaps the most significant battle has already been won. “We’ve all worked incredibly hard
to get the car ready for Melbourne and the season ahead,” Fitzpatrick said. “Our fans have given the team amazing support for many years and we want to restore Manor to the very best of racing in the future. I have a lifelong passion for Formula One and can’t wait for the season ahead, with Manor and the team.” Justin King added: “It’s a real pleasure for me to be involved in Manor. I know from the years I spent at Sainsbury’s that with the
Although the cars did not make it out of the pits in Melbourne, Briton Will Stevens (below) was confirmed as one of the team’s 2015 drivers, alongside Spain’s Roberto Mehri.
right people, the right values, and sheer hard work, you can turn any business around. In Graeme and team principal John Booth we have all three and I’m fully confident that we can help Manor be competitive at the highest level of racing.” Referring to the last six months, Lowden, who deserves much of the credit for salvaging the team, said: “It has been a challenging period for all of us but we’ve come through it and now we just want to go racing again.”
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AVL: DISCRETION GUARANTEED AVL is the world’s largest independent company specialising in the development of powertrain systems, so when Formula One introduced its new highly complex, new hybrid power unit regulations in time for the beginning of the 2014 season, it was good news for Michael Resl, AVL’s director of motorsports marketing and lead development. “I would say the workload did not come from working with even more teams,” he starts, explaining that because the company has been in existence for over 60 years, contacts and relationships within the motorsports industry are already very firmly established. “But the level of different projects and the level of integration has dramatically increased.”
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As well as powertrain engineering, AVL also specialises in instrumentation and test systems, and simulation, working with clients in motorsport and across the production car industry. “Racing was always a very strong arm within AVL, to support new technologies and get things turned around very quickly,” Resl explains. In 2015, the privately-owned company employs thousands of people, working across nearly 50 affiliate locations. “The aim is to provide and develop powertrain solutions that suit the existing and future markets – CO2, low emissions, low fuel consumption, electrification” he says. “AVL was linked, from the start, with racing.” Due to the understandable clauses inserted into all AVL’s contracts and
the strict company policy, Resl can’t be specific about exactly what AVL does for who. “We don’t tell anybody because all of what we do in racing, and the majority of what we do outside of racing, is of confidential nature,” he confirms. “We can’t say exactly what we do, but we work with the majority of teams in the premium race classes – Formula One, World Endurance Championship, Nascar, MotoGP and others. “We would have lost all our business if at one time anything had slipped out,” Resl adds, reflecting on the need for discretion, especially in the competitive world of international motorsport. “Everyone who works at AVL RACING has personal confidentiality clauses, they all know
Michael Resl (left), AVL RACING’s director of motorsport, marketing and lead development; AVL RACING’s Young Driver Programme (below) supports technologies to integrate driver specifics.
high-profile motor racing is that you provide something that the team is not willing to do, because it’s not their core business – for example, a test bed; the team has to build a car or an engine, but not testing devices. Or you support the development process by providing methodologies or solutions, simulations or specific software that allow them to make quicker decisions and break down development barriers, creating paths that are the most promising routes.” He continues: “More and more, especially with hybridisation and brake-by-wire etc, you can’t just look at powertrain systems, you have to look at the entire vehicle and integrate, either in a real or artificial environment. That’s where our company reduces
the uncertainties – rain or clouds or cold temperatures or side winds – so you can actually be sure by simulating and testing every possible thinkable situation there can be on a race track. “Now, there is a totally new chapter. Traditionally everyone from the supply industry, especially in the fields we are in, looked into mechanical, electrical engineering, but they did not combine that with the human factor of the driver – the person who runs the machine. In the past, a typical test bed would see a standard engine or powertrain system, today it would see a whole car with the virtual environment all around it and it being linked to the human being. That is the latest step in off-track testing technology.” From simulation to engineering, testing to race engineering and manufacturing, AVL works closely with its partners in a variety of forms, from consultancy to making facilities and devices available, to mirroring the development groups of the customer. But, as Resl makes clear, discretion is guaranteed. As he puts it: “You will always see us work in the background”.
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the game. It’s one of the key topics for being in the business this long – confidentiality.” Formula One’s new power unit regulations, however, did dovetail neatly with the type of service AVL can provide to its partners. Says Resl: “Because AVL’s main business is the automotive production industry, the cars you see on the street, and electrification, hybridisation for passenger cars has been far developed over nearly 20 years within AVL, then, yes, when the FIA decided to bring hybridisation to Formula One and the World Endurance Championship there was a clear advantage AVL could provide to the industry. AVL had the experience of all these testing and development solutions whereas the teams – and I know this because I used to work for Cosworth Racing – spent more on experts on the mechanical side but not on electric motors, currency, volts, ampers and how to restore energy.” Resl and AVL are well-placed to discuss the oft-mentioned scenario whereby Formula One showcases new technologies and, in time, the innovations filter down to road cars. In the case of the new hybrid units, Resl points out that the technology already exists in production cars, but that Formula One’s processes and operations should ultimately be of huge benefit to the wider automotive industry. “In Formula One everything is lighter, smaller and has to be delivered quicker,” he says. “This is where road cars will benefit. The development to market time in Formula One, as we all know, is very, very short and everything has to be very, very light. People will learn from this how quickly you can charge batteries, how small an electric engine can be, how efficient the cooling system can be and this will come more and more to passenger cars.” AVL’s specialism, history and reputation in the world of motorsport means that, as Resl puts it, “there’s basically no new sales pitch”. Relationships, he says, “go back years”. He adds: “The only way to sell into
A QUESTION OF FUNDS Grand Prix Investors Fund was established and began trading on 22nd October 2010. Entering its fifth season of Formula One, the mutual fund is a pool of selected listed companies involved in, or on the fringes, of the sport; the list is regularly updated and the fund managed by Autosports Fund Advisors, led by John Foti. In the past year, one significant target has been achieved: the fund has outperformed the S&P 500 index since July of last year. “Because of market conditions in Europe it has been a period of time where we have had to be very selective in what companies were involved in Formula Ones that we chose,” Foti
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explains, speaking in February. “That has worked out very well and so far in 2015 we’re beating the market pretty handily. Foti believes his fund can draw in Formula One fans, but has a wider message to deliver about investing in the markets in general. “The way for individuals to get ahead is that you have to save and invest,” he says. “Our goal is to make it easy for the fans of Formula One, not just in the US but around the world, to make a vehicle that is very easy for them to start investing and to move up the economic scale by participating in the markets. It is still as true today
as it was when we started, to invest in a fund like ours, even if you start small, which has companies that are top-notch, positioned globally in many industries, is the way to improve your own future. It is important to save and invest in the future – and the way to do it is to invest in companies that you understand.” The fund, and the research which underpins it, gives Foti a unique perspective on Formula One’s financial and sponsorship status as 2015 begins - in the United States and beyond. Two teams fell by the wayside last year, amid growing disquiet about the way Formula One’s revenues are distributed
card, but find ways to increase value to the sponsor. Maybe something more could be done to increase access. If your intent is not to lower your rate card, then find ways to add value for the people who write the cheques.”
AMERICAN ADVENTURE With the US Grand Prix now firmly established in its October slot at the impressive Circuit of the Americas in Austin and a new US team, Haas F1, set to join the grid in 2016, these are heady days for the American Formula One fan. Throw in Montreal and the return of the Mexican Grand Prix, which will be twinned with the Austin race, in October and Formula One fans in North America have not had it so good for decades. “I think the next step is to get another event or two on US soil,” Foti suggests. “I think maybe it’s a dual approach – having another US race and a US team would, I believe, open the door to a lot of potential US sponsor companies and I think the US TV numbers from last year support that position.”
SPONSOR OUTLOOK: A FLIGHT TO THE FRONT “It seemed to us that sponsors have moved up the grid,” Foti points out, reflecting on a winter which has seen Unilever brand Rexona switch from Lotus to Williams and a crop of Mexican sponsors switching from Sauber to Force India, with Sergio Perez, and Ferrari, where Esteban Gutierrez will line up as a 2015 reserve. “Formula One still provides a great value and I think the companies surrounding Formula One in the past and doing so now agree – I think people see value there.” Foti, though, confesses he was surprised at the lack of sponsor decals on some of the newly-launched 2015 cars. “From our perspective, the sidepod is prime real estate,” he says. “I’m not sure why they’re not having more success with that space, but it seems a wide open market for companies to take advantage of.”
SLICING AND DICING In a difficult sponsorship market, Foti suggests a possible solution for teams that have traditionally sold full-season packages might be, for example, a three-race package, covering the races in Canada, the United States and Mexico. “Formula One takes the position that it’s very exclusive and that they have exclusive market and positioning, but I wonder how much the cost of sponsorship is in line and whether some adjustment should be
TEAM BY TEAM 2015 / 1
amongst the competitors. “I think so far it hasn’t hurt the sport,” Foti suggests. “We’ve seen the viewership numbers in the US, up sharply. It obviously hasn’t hurt the sport, yet, but it’s something that if it is allowed to persist is going to have a serious impact – it reminds me of what Indycar went through years ago where the field got to be so small that the viewership declined in line with that. That’s something Formula One needs to be very careful about.”
TOP-LEVEL ANALYSIS considered,” Foti said. “Maybe, and this is particularly true for US companies, teams could consider a package that covers the Americas, where you can do sponsorship for a reduced fee to dip your toe in the water. That way you would get three-race exposure, raise additional money for the team and also give a serious advertiser a chance to participate without a full-blown annual sponsorship.”
ACCESS ALL AREAS? Mention of exclusivity leads Foti to discuss access at Formula One events for sponsors and their guests. The Formula One paddock has been built around exclusivity, but Foti argues that a small relaxation on the rules might yield greater returns for teams and offer a better package for partners. “Maybe the answer is don’t lower your rate
As 2015 begins, Bernie Ecclestone retains his grip on Formula One. The 84-year old may not own the sport outright – CVC Capital Partners remains the largest shareholder – but as chief executive of the Formula One Group, his influence is undimmed despite his appearances in a German court last year. Foti sees no evidence that sponsors have opted against getting involved in the sport because of the unusual management situation which persists. “It is interesting times to see him back,” Foti says of Ecclestone, adding: “I would certainly like to see a move forward with the IPO. I would think now that things have settled down they should move forward. Bernie isn’t getting any younger and it is likely you would have more volatility coming, not less.”
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CIRCUITS Australia:
96
Malaysia:
100
China:
104
Bahrain:
106
Spain:
110
Monaco:
112
Canada:
116
Austria:
118
Britain:
122
Germany:
126
Hungary:
130
Belgium:
132
Italy:
134
Singapore:
136
Japan:
138
Russia:
140
USA:
144
Mexico:
148
Brazil:
152
Abu Dhabi:
154
The following pages feature expert comment from former Jordan GP marketing director Mark Gallagher.
2
AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX MELBOURNE / 15TH MARCH
In the 20 years since Melbourne took over the Australian Grand Prix from Adelaide, the Albert Park event has become a firm favourite amongst the Formula One community and the traditional starting point of the season. Indeed, only twice over those two decades has the race not been first
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on the calendar: in 2006 its midMarch date was booked out by the Commonwealth Games and in 2010 a wrangle during negotiations over a new contract saw Bahrain again step in to stage the opener. Located in Albert Park, the circuit and many of the surrounding
facilities are temporary. The exercise of constructing and deconstructing each year adds to the cost of an event which, for many years, has found itself forced to justify itself to a public keen to know how their tax dollars are being spent. In 2014, AUS$60 million of public funds were spent by Victoria
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Velocity uses industry specific motoring and motorsports marketing knowledge, influence and key relationships to deliver creative and measurable solutions to known and prospective motoring and motorsport businesses, sponsors and competitors. Velocity also provides a unique marketing niche offering your business the opportunity to take advantage of consumer brand recognition and loyalty, while using our intimate knowledge, access and influence to create customised solutions that deliver the greatest possible value to our clients.
Velocity’s aim is to provide business to business and business to consumer opportunities that will enhance client marketing experiences, and to provide motorsports teams, sponsors and competitors with an avenue to attract likeminded brands. Velocity is dedicated to managing the entire partnership and works actively with all parties to ensure effective and successful relationships. Velocity’s vision is to work with companies, motorsport teams, drivers and related entities to develop lasting partnerships, build brand recognition, return on investment and ongoing loyalty. We apply a proven client solution process that includes strategy, planning and activation, while understanding acutely the link between this exhilarating sport and how it can be applied to business, brand, and operational challenges. Velocity is committed to identifying and developing young international motorsport talent, and to helping establish stars to define and manage their brand and profile. The philosophy behind Velocity Management Group’s youth policy is to combine the synergy of youth and experience with specialised management capabilities. We aim to produce drivers of the highest calibre from leading, entry-level championships all the way through to the upper echelons of motorsport.
His first client was Jason Bright, who went on to race professionally in the United States of America after winning the Australian Formula Ford Championship in 1995. Bright returned to Australia and went on to win the prestigious 1998 Bathurst 1000 event and currently contests the V8 Supercar Championship Series as one of the mostsponsored and best recognisable drivers in the category. Chris has been involved with motor racing since he was fourteen and worked with many teams to understand the vital dynamics of what has now become an extremely attractive sporting pursuit. A racer himself, he has competed in karting, super karts and Formula Ford. A four-year stint as General Manager of Britek Motorsport was preceded by a twoyear relationship with both IMG (International Management Group), Greg Murphy Racing and Tasman Motorsport. Chris also performed the role of V8 Supercar Championship Commentator at every V8 Supercar event between 2009-2013. He also commentated the NZ V8 SuperTourer Series as the category host for TV3, and regularly writes specialist motorsport articles for selected publications. Chris is also an accomplished and popular MC, and specialist motoring and motorsport charity auctioneer.
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state on the event, up AUS$9.3 million on a year earlier. That compares to the AUS$1.7 million of public money spent on the first Melbourne event in 1996, an indication of the growing cost of staging a Formula One race. The amount spent is closely examined and adjusted every year. “It’s a pity that it has become a recurring them because actually Adelaide did not want to lose the Grand Prix to Melbourne, it was Melbourne’s choice to take it and they’ve run it very successfully,” says Mark Gallagher, the former Jordan GP and Cosworth marketing director. “It’s a terrific event and it has been for a great many years.” Despite the scrutiny, Melbourne officials secured a new contract to stage a Grand Prix in August 2014. The new contract runs up until 2020 and will kick-in following the 2015 race. As the deal was confirmed, the Melbourne Herald newspaper reported that the closely guarded financial terms of the new deal were ‘comparable or better’ than
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IT’S AN INCREDIBLY POPULAR EVENT FOR THE TEAMS - I THINK MELBOURNE AND THE PEOPLE OF VICTORIA ARE VERY PROUD OF IT.
the existing contract, which was negotiated in 2008. The new contract is believed to include clauses granting the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, the company which operates the event and is run by chief executive Andrew Westacott, more freedom than many Formula One race promoters. That is believed to include a relaxation on hospitality rights and provisions for ‘Melbourne’ promotional branding to appear around the circuit. Rolex, already a global Formula One partner, will continue as title sponsor of the event in 2015. The emergence of Perth’s Daniel Ricciardo, who was on the podium in 2014 before he was excluded, as a genuine front-runner is likely to reverse a trend which saw attendance figures fall slightly short of those recorded a year earlier. The four-day event, which
as usual included a full programme of support races, notably Australia’s popular V8 Supercars, attracted 314,900 compared with 323,300 in 2013. Race day attendance in 2014 was pegged at 100,500, down from 103,000 in 2013. “It’s an incredibly popular event for the teams,” Gallagher says, “and I think Melbourne and the people of Victoria are very proud of the fact they’ve got the tennis, the cricket, the Formula One – it’s a very vibrant city for sport and culture.” It is also a useful race for the teams, according to Gallagher, even if direct investment from Australian corporations is low. “It’s very popular with multinational companies, with people responsible for Asia-Pacific marketing. To meet them at the beginning of the season is very useful.”
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MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX SEPANG / 29TH MARCH
The Sepang International Circuit lies some 40 minutes drive from downtown Kuala Lumpur and has staged a round of the world
championship since Formula Oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first foray into Malaysia back in 1999. As it stands, though, the 2015 event will be the last, unless a contract
extension is agreed between Formula One Management and the Malaysian government, which largely funds the race as an image and tourism-
I WOULD BE VERY SUPRISED IF MALAYSIA GAVE UP ON WHAT IN OVERALL TERMS HAS BEEN A VERY SUCCESSFUL RACE.
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booster. The odds are on a renewal, but only after a close examination of the direct and wider economic impact of what is, by a distance, Malaysia’s largest annual international sporting event. “Sepang has, in overall terms, been successful,” observes Mark Gallagher. “I’m quite sure that when the contract comes up for renegotiation there will be a very hard look at the economic benefits of it, but I would be very surprised if Malaysia gave up on what in overall terms has been a very successful race.” The 2014 Grand Prix was the 16th to take place at Sepang, a sweeping, spectator-friendly circuit which tends to provide good racing. The circuit, the most recognisable part of which is the 1.3km, 32,000-capacity doublesided grandstand, lies adjacent to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The Sunday crowd in 2014 was a rather modest 62,340, down from the 88,450 who passed through the
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gates in 2013. Since 2009, the race has had a later afternoon local start time, which works from a European television audience perspective but often means the Grand Prix is in progress during one of Malaysia’s regular afternoon monsoons. The 2009 race was halted before halfdistance due to rain, with darkness falling before a restart was possible. The start-time, however, is under review in the wake of Jules Bianchi’s horrendous accident in the gloom at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix. Amongst the safety recommendations to come out of the FIA-instigated investigation was an examination of race start-times, to avoid, where possible, darkness becoming a factor. In the past, Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone has pushed for a night race at Sepang. The success nearby Singapore has enjoyed staging a street race under floodlights, added to a more viewer-friendly European
start time, makes it an obvious topic of discussion. However, Sepang International Circuit chief executive Razlan Razali, speaking to Reuters in January, has ruled it out – for now at least. “It’s a danger to force us to do it. In the past he [Ecclestone] was pushing but now I think it’s the first time he actually listened to us as a promoter what we want. “At the moment [we don’t want it]”, Razali added. “Every circuit has its own identity; the danger is to copy someone else.” From a commercial standpoint, Formula One has enjoyed rock-solid support from Malaysian oil giant Petronas. The state-owned company has title-sponsored the Grand Prix every year since 1999 and got its just rewards for its sizeable and long-term investment in the sport last year when as title sponsor of the Mercedes team it was able to celebrate a double world championship.
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CHINESE GRAND PRIX SHANGHAI / 12TH APRIL
Located in the industrial outskirts of Shanghai, the Shanghai International Circuit has hosted a Grand Prix each year since 2004. It will continue to do so until at least 2017, courtesy of the contract agreed between the Shanghai
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Sports Bureau and Formula One Management in February 2011. The Grand Prix itself is promoted by Juss Event, a Shanghai-based marketing and events company which also operates the Rolex Shanghai ATP 1000 tennis
tournament and the Shanghai round of the Longines Global Champions Tour in equestrian. The importance of China to Formula One is obvious and Mark Gallagher believes there are signs
Andy Wong/AP/Press Association Images
IT’S A NO-BRAINER FOR FORMULA ONE TO BE IN CHINA. A LOT OF PLANNING HAS TO GO IN, BUT IT’S AN IMPORTANT RACE FOR CORPORATE CLIENTS.
that, after over a decade, the sport is beginning to make an impact in a vital strategic market. “I don’t think Formula One did enough quickly enough,” he says, “but it was very noticeable that the number of Chinese faces at the race in the last few years have gone up. When Formula One first went to Shanghai there was a very significant expat population. Now there’s been a swing and there’s a good domestic turnout.” The sheer size of the Shanghai International Circuit – it has a capacity of 200,000, 29,000 of which are housed in the main grandstand – means that even a huge crowd is sometimes not enough to fill the venue, an image problem Formula One previously faced when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway held a Grand Prix on an infield road course between 2000 and 2007. “It’s a no-brainer for Formula One to be in China,” Gallagher adds. “For every Formula One team and perhaps more importantly every Formula One sponsor China continues to represent a really, really important marketplace, either for customers or suppliers. “Because the Chinese market is so big, Shanghai is a race where you can invite a lot of guests just from the domestic market. The marketplace alone sustains it and it’s a good event for clients to go to, although the volume of corporate guests is not as high as it could be and I think that reflects some of the logistical complexity of getting to the race for overseas guests. A lot of planning has to go in, but it is an important race for corporate clients.” The Shanghai International Circuit, a decade on from its opening and first Grand Prix, remains as impressive as it is vast: such is the venue’s size that officials had to buy up Asia’s entire polystyrene stock to build it. The event is bedding in well, but the size of China and its strategic and commercial importance means that in 2015, after a decade of annual visits, Formula One has barely scratched the surface of what is possible in the country.
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Hassan Ammar/AP/Press Association Images
BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX SAKHIR / 19TH APRIL
The tiny island kingdom of Bahrain became the first Gulf nation to host a Grand Prix in 2004. The Bahrain International Circuit was purpose-built for the event at Sakhir â&#x20AC;&#x201C; essentially the
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desert â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which lies around 25 minutes away from the capital, Manama. The 2014 event was the best yet, a terrific race between the Mercedes teammates and a new twilight start-time
both combining to alter the narrative around a race which, in the previous three years, had been overshadowed by politics. The Grand Prix was postponed, then cancelled in 2011
as a result of political instability in the country. When Formula One returned in 2012 and, to a lesser extent 2013, it was an uneasy weekend. The move from a day race to a floodlit event has worked extremely well, underlining the strategic importance of an event which might have been overshadowed by the arrival on the calendar of Abu Dhabi in 2009, but has instead carved out a niche for itself. “It’s very clever that the season is bookended by two Gulf races – Bahrain, relatively early in the season, gives sponsors and teams opportunity to utilise that for corporate hospitality, PR, marketing across the Gulf region,” is Mark Gallagher’s verdict. “In some ways you can almost argue that the way it works with Bahrain and Abu Dhabi as they are, Formula One maintains a very significant presence in the region 12 months of the year.” As well as taking place under floodlights, installed at the circuit late in 2013, for the first time, the 2014 Grand Prix was, according to organisers, the best attended event yet at the Bahrain
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THE MOTORSPORT FACILITIES AT THE BIC, COMBINED WITH THE BUSINESS-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT OF BAHRAIN WERE A MAJOR DRAW FOR US.
International Circuit. 31,000 attended the Grand Prix, bettering the 28,000 from 2013, when the race took place in the afternoon on a working Sunday in Bahrain. The three-day attendance of 85,000 dwarfed the 2013 figure of 73,000. “The grandstand was sold out as were our corporate boxes, underlining our belief that the spectacle and attraction of the night race has brought a new generation of fans to Formula One,” said Zayed Alzayani, the chairman of the Bahrain International Circuit and, alongside chief executive Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the event’s local frontman. While the venue’s capacity might be lower than most, the circuit’s hospitality suites are world-class. Outside the circuit perimeter, longstanding plans for an automotive hub were given a major boost in
2014 when Bell Racing Helmets announced the relocation of its global manufacturing business to Sakhir. It is the first major manufacturing business to make the move. “The motosport facilities at the BIC, combined with the business-friendly environment of Bahrain were also a major draw for us,” was how Martine Kindt, Bell Racing Helmets’ chief executive, phrased it. It has taken some time but, like China, Bahrain is finally starting to experience the wider economic benefits an annual Formula One race can offer. “Bahrain is not a huge event in terms of attendees because it is an island and a small market,” concludes Gallagher. “But in terms of how it punches in the calendar it’s actually very good and the good racing has really helped it. I think people will now be looking forward to that race.”
SPEED. STRATEGY. SAFETY. 25
Wind speed with kph gusts up to 45 kph
Rain expected Start: 14:50 Intensity: Class 3
17
Decrease of C track temperature
3.6
WEATHER MATTERS
Precipitation mm on track
SPANISH GRAND PRIX BARCELONA / 10TH MAY
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – the name was adjusted in 2013 to incorporate the name of Spain’s second city, where it is located – has a contract in place to hold the Spanish Grand Prix until 2016. That contract was agreed back in May 2007, but the venue has hosted a race every year since 1991 making it one of the older events on the schedule. At the time the contract was agreed in 2007, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone said: “What is important is that when anyone wants to build a circuit, they say: ‘Where
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can we go and have a look?’ And I always reply, ‘go to Barcelona’. I hope everyone maintains that level.” It was a ringing endorsement. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is owned and run by a consortium made up of the Catalan government, Catalunya’s automobile club and the local Montmelo town council. Some 91,480 came through the gates to see Mercedes thump the field in 2014, compared to the 94,831 who saw Fernando Alonso romp to victory in 2013. Across the four days of the meeting - although there was no track
action on Thursday, the pit-lane was open to fans - some 205,680 attended, down from the 218,331 in 2013. For the record, 67,500 fans watched qualifying on Saturday and 32,200 were at the venue for Friday practice. Ticket-holders were granted free access to the two-day Formula One test, which took place on the Tuesday and Wednesday following the Grand Prix. The circuit is a regular on the winter testing schedule. Aside from Formula One, the venue boasts a well-established annual events calendar including a round of
Luca Bruno/AP/Press Association Images
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BARCELONA IS JUST THE BEST PLACE - GREAT HOTELS AND FACILITIES. IT’S THE PERFECT PLACE TO KICK OFF THE EUROPEAN PART OF THE SEASON.
the MotoGP world championship. The circuit was in use for 310 days of 2014, made up of 234 tests, driving courses, filming days, presentations and corporate programmes where it was rented out, 58 competition days
and 18 ‘track maintenance tasks’ In total, 548,804 spectators visited the circuit in 2014, delivering an economic impact of €322 million across Catalonia. The Formula One race alone generated €188.2 million,
or 56.6 per cent of the venue’s total economic impact. By way of comparison, the MotoGP race generated €92.1 million or 27.7 per cent of the total. For the teams, Spain marks the opening of the European season and sees the first appearance of the mobile team hospitality units. “All the teams are based in Europe, a significant proportion of sponsorship decisions are still being driven in Europe and therefore it represents the kick-off for all the corporate hospitality, PR, driver appearances in Europe,” says Mark Gallagher. “Added to that, Barcelona is just the best place. It’s a city designed with great hotels and facilities, the track’s not that far away from the centre. It is the perfect place to kick-off the European part of the season.” After Valencia staged a Grand Prix between 2008 and 2012, the Barcelona event has now resumed its position as Spain’s only Formula One event.
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MONACO GRAND PRIX MONTE CARLO / 24TH MAY
wealth in any case, but when Formula One comes to town in late May each year, the harbour swells, the hills drip, and the dusty brown high rises ooze with money. First raced in 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix has been an ever-present on the world championship since
1955. With the exception of one or two minor tweaks, the same circuit has been used throughout, wending its way through and past several of the sport’s most iconic sites in the process. The tunnel, the Fairmont hairpin, Casino Square – all of them sections that shimmer with history.
Antonio Calanni/AP/Press Association Images
The Monaco Grand Prix is the most hotly-anticipated long-weekend on the calendar and, whatever the quality of any given race, its pedigree and surrounds have cemented its reputation as the place to be and be seen. The principality is a pocket of the Cote d’Azur that pulses with
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Although there are other tracks that present similar challenges to the drivers - the Hungaroring is closest to Monaco in terms of the technical difficulty and tightness of the circuit – the Monaco Grand Prix has more in common with a Hollywood party than it does with a fellow race on the Formula One calendar. Team sponsors build their activation plans around experiential Monaco blow-outs, and it is one of a handful of sporting events to have global, transcendent appeal. Despite Singapore and Abu Dhabi’s best efforts, Monaco remains the glitziest jewel in the Formula One crown, and the most glamorous event in world motorsport. And Bernie Ecclestone knows it. Promoted and staged by the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) under the patronage of the ruling Monegasque Grimaldi family, the race, and its long-time promoter Michel Boeri, get an easier ride than any other. The race currently has a budget of
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IT’S THE WIMBLEDON OR GRAND NATIONAL OR FA CUP FINAL OF FORMULA ONE. NO-ONE SHOULD EVER MISS IT. IT’S SUCH AN AMAZING EVENT.
around €35 million, €10 million of which is supplied by the public purse. If that seems low by modern Formula One standards, it’s because it is. Boeri became president of the ACM in 1972 and over his years of negotiations with Formula One’s central powerbrokers he has not once had to cede rights to track sponsorship, nor bow to the more stringent commercial demands placed on every other race on the calendar. The latest agreement tying Monaco into the Formula One calendar was signed between Boeri and Ecclestone in 2010. The ten-year deal, the first between the circuit and the sport ever to have been made even remotely public, is shrouded in secrecy but is believed to include a desultory
franchise fee as well as a guarantee that the ACM can produce the race with its own local broadcaster, ensuring the Principality can portray itself exactly the way it wants. It expires after the 2020 race but a renewal is a formality. “I don’t think there’s anything more to say about Monaco,” says Mark Gallagher. “As I’ve got older and been to Monaco so many times, far from wearing thin it has only increased in my view of its prestige. It is such an amazing event and will continue to be – it’s the Wimbledon or Grand National or FA Cup final of Formula One. No-one should ever miss it. For every journalist, sponsor, corporate guest it’s a go-to place and it’ll keep its place.”
FORMULA PHOTOGRAPHIC INC. You don’t have to win races to win fans. Formula Photographic Inc. is a video production company specializing in capturing high performance people and machines in their element. Most recently they created the award-winning Launch Control web series for Subaru Rally Team USA, and they are the Promoter and Media Partner for the Canadian Rally Championship. Formula Photographic’s Executive Director, Warwick Patterson, explains how compelling online video can help broaden your audience, engage existing fans, and strengthen internal corporate relationships. Warwick, tell us about Launch Control. Launch Control is a documentary-format web series that covers Subaru of America’s involvement in Rally America and Global Rallycross. It explores the personalities, struggles, and triumphs behind their race program. Each season features fourteen 15-minute episodes, and we are currently embarking on Season Three. What has been the series’ secret to success? We always like to say, “You don’t have to win, to win fans”, and while the team does win, the most popular episodes have been personality-driven. Showing the drivers and team outside of race day is important because human-interest stories appeal to more than just car enthusiasts. Combined with race coverage and car development over three seasons, the
content really makes the audience feel like they are getting insider access. We currently have over 15 Million views across various platforms, and the fan engagement has been staggering. One of the most interesting outcomes has been the stronger connection between internal corporate departments and the race team. The company has become devoted fans of its own team. Why is video so important in the motorsport marketing landscape today? If you’re not producing some sort of ongoing video content – especially as a race team or race series – you’re missing a huge opportunity to tell your story and attract new fans. As motorsport becomes more complicated and less accessible to the outside observer, it’s important to create an emotional back channel through digital media and video to connect with them. Just making it to the grid at the pinnacle of motor racing is a huge accomplishment, but even die-hard fans have little understanding of the challenge and sacrifice it requires. What is the key to creating a compelling video program? To engage an audience, it’s essential to be genuine. Work with the production team to develop good story lines that naturally express your message, without being too in-your-face. If it’s a documentary style you want, fling the doors wide open for the
camera crew and allow them to document everything. You may feel there is risk in showing your weakest moments, but it captivates viewers. Bring them inside the sport, allow them to witness the pain and frustration themselves, and you’ll earn their undying appreciation. Your big win will look that much sweeter if you have footage showing the adversity you overcame to achieve it. So, we’ve produced video content, what’s next? Ensure you’re partnered with a production company that can provide you with both content creation and content distribution solutions. Gone are the days when creators can simply post videos to YouTube and be seen. The most successful videos are usually distributed through multiple established channels, pushed through paid promotion, and integrated as a tool in your marketing arsenal. What does the future hold for Formula Photographic? We’ve proven we can deliver high-end media and marketing programs to teams, corporate sponsors, and rights holders, helping them expose the drama and excitement of their sport to a wider audience. Everybody who works for us lives and breathes motorsport, and I think that shows in the end result for our clients. We’ve been growing exponentially and have carefully built a rock-solid roster of creative and support crew around the world to tackle what comes next. Warwick Patterson Executive Producer
Formula Photographic Inc. contact@formulaphoto.com www.formulaphoto.com CANADA +1-604-849-0407 USA +1-206-538-7222
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David J. Phillip/AP/Press Association Images
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CANADIAN GRAND PRIX The Circuit Gilles Villeneueve, on Montreal’s Île Notre-Dame, will remain the host of the Canadian Grand Prix until at least 2024, after a new decade-long contract was confirmed just before the qualifying session for the 2014 race. After over a decade of uncertainty, the event now appears to have stability. City officials, the Montreal tourist board and provincial and federal governments have come together and pledged to invest a total of CAN$187 million to retain the race. The city will also put in CAN$12.4 million towards the race contract, with the government of Ottawa stumping up CAN$62.4 million and the provincial government pledging CAN$49.9 million. As part of the deal the circuit’s ageing and cramped pit and paddock facilities, which back onto the rowing lake built and used for the 1976 Olympic Games, will undergo a makeover. The upgrade work will cost CAN$32 million, which will be paid for by the city and completed in time for the 2017 event. The race will continue to be promoted by Octane Management, led by François Dumontier. As the announcement was made last June, Montreal mayor Denis Coderre told the Montreal Gazette newspaper: “It is essential to invest in events with the importance of the Canadian Grand Prix. As I have said over and over again the Canadian Grand Prix is part and parcel with Montreal. It is one of the big international events that builds on Montreal’s outstanding international reputation and ranks it among the world’s great cities.”
Coderre added that the race weekend generated more marketing value for the city than four entire seasons, including play-offs, of the Montreal Canadiens, the city’s National Hockey League franchise. If the Formula One community at-large had its way, there would never have been any doubt about the event’s future: it is a hugely popular race, in a hugely welcoming city, staged on a spectacular and historic circuit. “It’s enormously important for the teams commercially,” adds Mark Gallagher. “It’s an early-summer North American race, with a great heritage to it.” The first Formula One race at the circuit was in 1978. Only twice in the years since has it not been staged: in 1987 a sponsorship dispute between Labatt and Molson saw the race nixed, while in 2009 another contractual dispute saw the event taken off the calendar.
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MONTREAL / 7TH JUNE
“It’s a wonderful location,” Gallagher adds. “Like Barcelona, it’s a city of hotels and conference facilities so corporate types can really build something around the weekend. Canada is not a huge population but it is important – it is well-off, it’s a car-buying country, a number of manufacturers have important facilities there. And it’s not far over the border, so you do tend to get corporate guests and media coming up from the United States.” The addition of the US Grand Prix in November - when Indianapolis hosted a US race it was twinned with Canada in June – also means that Montreal offers the chance for North American media to get the first of at least two bites at the cherry each year. “It’s the same for sponsors,” Gallagher suggests. “This is an important race and an important part of the calendar.”
IT’S A WONDERFUL LOCATION. IT’S A CITY OF HOTELS AND CONFERENCE FACILITIES SO CORPORATE TYPES CAN REALLY BUILD SOMETHING AROUND THE WEEKEND.
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AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX SPIELBERG / 21ST JUNE
The Austrian Grand Prix’s return to the Formula One calendar in 2014 was a triumph and the latest indication of Red Bull’s growing influence and investment in Formula One. Not content with winning world championships, owning two of the sport’s ten teams and operating a ruthless and well-established young driver programme, the Austrian drinks manufacturer successfully promoted
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and staged its first Grand Prix. In an era of government investment in Grands Prix, the privately-funded Austrian event is not necessarily a model which can be easily replicated elsewhere but by virtually all metrics its return to the calendar was a success. On the site of the revered Österreichring, the circuit at Spielberg, then known as the A1-Ring, staged a Grand Prix between 1997 and 2003.
Subsequently bought, shut down and heavily renovated by Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, it re-opened as the Red Bull Ring. The verdict from Formula One was clear, even before a CGI message - ‘Congratulations Mr. Mateschitz. Thank you. Bernie’ - was super-imposed on the track in the main worldwide broadcast feed during the closing laps of the 2014 race. Terrific facilities, despite the rural
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Black Book Le Méridien Inserat.indd 1
03/03/2015 10:41:26
location, were enjoyed by a crowd which numbered around 250,000 over the weekend, although traffic in and out of the venue was, perhaps inevitably, a challenge. Aside from Formula One and its usual support programme of GP2, GP3 and the Porsche Supercup, Red Bull demonstrated its promotional nous by filling the weekend with ancillary activities including a parade of vintage Formula One cars driven by Austrian drivers of yesteryear and demonstrations from Red Bull stunt planes. The circuit’s new facilities also won praise, notably the 500-person
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COMMERCIALLY, FOR THE TEAMS IT’S NOT A SIGNIFICANT RACE. IT’S DIFFERENT, BUT WE ALL KNOW THE REASONS WHY IT’S THERE.
capacity media centre located in the Voestalpine Wing overlooking the main grandstand and start/finish straight, before the long uphill run to the first right-hander. “Commercially, for the teams it’s not a significant race,” suggests Mark Gallagher. “Austria isn’t a significant market for anyone and being where it’s located, it’s quite far away from major centres of population – there’s
inevitably a bit of traffic chaos on the roads. It’s more of an old style of Formula One race but I think for that reason, for the teams who have sponsors who are aficionados of the sport – if I had a sponsor who liked Formula One, I’d be saying, along with Spa, come to Austria. It’s a beautiful location, an amazing setting. “It’s different, but we all know the reasons why it’s there.”
BRITISH GRAND PRIX
Jon Super/AP/Press Association Images
SILVERSTONE / 5TH JULY
There were major management changes at Silverstone in the months following the 2014 British Grand Prix, with a new managing director, former CoOperative Group executive director of marketing Patrick Allen, parachuted in. That followed a management restructure, which saw John Grant and Lawrence Tomlinson, chairman and director respectively of Silverstone’s owner, the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), take a more active role in the business. Then there was the dramatic and largely unexplained decision to suspend three senior executives at Silverstone Circuits Ltd, which operates the venue on behalf of
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the BRDC. As Allen’s appointment was confirmed in January, alongside Stuart Pringle in the new role of sporting director, so the departures of chief executive Richard Phillips, financial director Ed Brookes and legal director David Thompson were confirmed. Allen brings with him a large bank of sales and marketing experience and immediately struck the right chord with the British Formula One fanbase by offering a number of tickets at a reduced weekend rate of UK£99 for the 2015 Grand Prix, by a margin still Silverstone’s standout event but one which brings with it significant financial pressures.
“I think we’d like to drive down the prices of things like Grand Prix tickets to make it more affordable and by making it more affordable you allow more people to enjoy the spectacle,” Allen told SportsPro in January. “But once they are inside the pay line, provide an experience that’s second to none. I would say that perhaps in the past that experience has not lived up to the ticket price.” Silverstone, for the moment at least, does not face uncertainty over the British Grand Prix’s future – the BRDC signed a contract to host the event for the next 17 years in 2009 – but there remains significant
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financial pressure on a venue which, unlike many Formula One hosts, cannot rely on monetary support from central government. The annual race hosting fee over the 17 years of the contract averages out at around UK£17 million per year, which must be added to the not insubstantial costs of staging an event which in 2014 drew around 120,000 spectators on race day. Ticketing and concessions are the only major revenue streams for the venue around the Grand Prix, with large swathes of trackside advertising and hospitality swallowed up by Formula One’s central rights-holder. The Grand Prix represents around half of Silverstone’s annual turnover. “We essentially have two businesses,” Allen pointed out. “We have a thing
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THE EASY THING TO DO WOULD BE KEEP PUTTING TICKET PRICES UP AND I DON’T THINK THAT’S GREAT FOR CONSUMERS, FOR THE FANBASE.
called the British Grand Prix and lots of other things that we do, which is the other half [of turnover]. If we expand the other half and make that more profitable, then that can help subsidise the cost of running the Grand Prix.” That means the likelihood of more motorsport and non-motorsport events – in February Silverstone was confirmed as the host of the British MotoGP race for the next two seasons, stepping in again as host amidst the continuing Circuit of Wales farce. “Silverstone is not only the home but the very heart of motor racing
in this country and it will remain so,” Allen added. “I think what we can do, however, is introduce motor racing to different audiences who are not yet a fan of motorsport. If you manage it properly and maintain the brand essence of Silverstone, which is motor racing, you can expand your motor racing fanbase to much wider audiences. “The easy thing to do,” he added, “would be keep putting ticket prices up and I don’t think that’s great for consumers, I don’t think it’s great for the fanbase.”
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GERMAN GRAND PRIX CANCELLED
For the first time since 1960, the Formula One calendar will not include a German Grand Prix, as economic reality bit for the country’s two circuits, Hockenheim and the Nurburgring. The venues have shared hosting rights in recent seasons: Hockenheim hosted in the even-numbered years and Nurburgring in the odd. Amid continuing uncertainty over the
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long-term future of the Nurburgring, which has faced longstanding financial problems and has new ownership, Hockenheim appeared set to step in for 2015. But agreement could not ultimately be reached with either circuit, meaning Europe’s largest market will not stage an event this year. For reasons which have not been fully understood, ticket sales at
Hockenheim in 2014 were poor, with only around 50,000 attending a venue which has a capacity of 120,000 and boasted an atmosphere unrivalled almost anywhere else in the world during Michael Schumacher’s dominant era in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner noted in 2014: “We take a car to Sebastian
INTEREST IN GERMANY REMAINS UNDIMINISHED, PARTICULARLY IN THE CORPORATE WORLD. SOMEHOW THERE’S BEEN A DISCONNECT AT THE FAN LEVEL.
undiminished, particularly in the corporate world – they still love it. However, somehow there’s been a disconnect at the fan level. It’s quite surprising.” A long-term solution to the Nurburgring’s well-documented financial problems seemed as if it had been reached last March: when Capricorn, a specialist motorsport firm, acquired the circuit, connected hotel and facilities and the legendary Nordschleife which sits alongside the Grand Prix venue, for US$138.6 million, unveiling a plan for a further US$34.7 million in upgrades. By
November, however, Capricorn had reportedly failed to keep to its payment schedule and its shareholding was acquired by Russian businessman Viktor Kharitonin. GetSpeed, a Nurburgring-based automotive workshop and tuning company which bought in when Capricorn took over, is still believed to retain a share in the track, but the uncertainty over the acquisition has, it appears, led to the circuit losing its Formula One date. Bernie Ecclestone’s attempts to convince Hockenheim to step into the breach, however, soon came to naught.
Copyright Hockenheim-Ring GmbH
[Vettel]’s home town which is 45 kilometres up the road and get a 150,000 turnout for it, so it’s rather surprising that only half a crowd is in Hockenheim at a race that is Mercedes’ home race; Mercedes winning the world championship – you would have expected a capacity crowd.” Ticket prices, the lure of a new, cheaper event in Austria and the suspicion that Vettel and 2014 title challenger Nico Rosberg have not quite captured the imagination of the German crowd in the way that Schumacher once did were all cited as possible explanations. “I just think German fans have been there and done it,” suggests Mark Gallagher. “The cost of attendance has also been a factor but it is a problem. Germany is a very vibrant market. Interest in Formula One in Germany remains
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Insurance can often be an uninspiring and, to some extent, anonymous business. Horst Graef, owner of sportvers.de, one of WKH ODUJHVW PRWRUVSRUW brokers in Germany has a background in motorsports. You are an insurance broker in the motorsport industry. How did you end up LQ WKLV Ă&#x20AC;HOG"
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Horst Graef, Sportvers.de: I realised that many things in motorsports arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t covered by insurance, as they actually ought to be. It also comes of course from my private interests because I come from a background in motorsports. When I was asked by another broker, whether I would sell motorsport insurance on his behalf, I saw it as a good opportunity. Finally I completed the training to become an insurance specialist and in the meantime was headhunted by another agency. On behalf of this agency and with the backing of a large insurance company, I built up my motorsport business over the following years. In 2006 I launched sportvers.de and became independent. Step-by-step, I developed my own business. To begin with, I only dealt with insuring track days. It then went more towards licensed motorsports. We then got involved with national events, and not long after, we also insured international business. Finally I was asked to provide insurance protection for the Formula 1 GP in Germany. Despite substantial hurdles and conditions, we were able to make this happen.
Sportvers.de: For the most part, we deal with event liability insurance for motorsport events, but we also cover all types of events. This can mean a trade fair, to a motorbike race; track events to something more eccentric like a soapbox race. We also offer professional sport cover. We insure the professional sportsman against both short-term, and also long-term inability to play or participate. Many well-known motorbike and car racing drivers are insured through us. An important sector is race car cover. Many teams from the national and international race series insure their cars, to provide ďŹ nancial security in the case of an accident. The vehicle can then be quickly restored and contracts with sponsors and organisers can be upheld.
certain responsible people from the FOM, FIA or respective teams. There is also often a supporting programme at an F1 GP. Spectators need to be insured against injury. This is at least the case in Germany, the measures can vary in other countries. This must then be recorded in the contract depending on the number of expected spectators. What type of accident are the spectators LQVXUHG DJDLQVW" Sportvers.de: For example, if a part of the car ďŹ&#x201A;ies into the spectator area and injures someone. There is always a direct connection with the event when a spectator sustains an injury in this way. %ODFNERRN 7KH LQVXUDQFH FRVWV DUH YHU\ KLJK LQ WKH FDVH RI DQ ) *3 +RZ GR \RX PHHW WKHVH LQSXW UHTXLUHPHQWV"
Sportvers.de: A Formula 1 Grand Prix has many strict rules, that need to be adhered to. For example, there are many blocked areas, in which even a course operator cannot go, only
Sportvers.de: In this case, we work together with only one insurance company. In this way, we are extremely ďŹ&#x201A;exible. And because we only ever speak with one insurer, we have the shortest workďŹ&#x201A;ow. We gained a lot of experience along the way at many Grand Prix events and for this reason, we already know speciďŹ c requests and expectations of the organiser. We are also familiar with the guidelines of the FOM.
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HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX BUDAPEST / 26TH JULY
The Hungarian Grand Prix in late July or early August has become a fixture of the Formula One calendar. The Hungaroring has hosted a Grand Prix each year since 1986; only Monza and Monaco have longer unbroken runs on the calendar. That first race was a long time in the planning: it was at the 1983 Monaco Grand Prix that Bernie Ecclestone suggested an event in Hungary, a nation then behind the ‘Iron Curtain’, to his friend, Hungarian Tamas Rohonyi. But it
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was not until 10th September 1985 that a race contract, initially for five years, was signed. The organisation of the Grand Prix is now in the hands of Hungaroring Sport Plc. The Hungaroring was once considered one of the least interesting of the circuits on the schedule but over time, and as other venues have been neutered, it has come to be regarded much more fondly. Changes to the first corner in 2002 certainly made a difference, allowing
for more overtaking opportunities, while an event that once seemed always to be bathed in sunshine has been affected by inclement weather more than once in recent times. The venue itself lies in a natural bowl, allowing for excellent spectator views from almost any point, on the outskirts of Hungary’s capital, Budapest. In 2013, the Hungarian government agreed a new five-year deal to keep a Grand Prix – the new agreement runs from 2016 until 2021.
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Crowd numbers vary year-byyear but the event has always drawn an eclectic mix of spectators; prior to Sochi’s first race in 2014, many Russians made the relatively short trip to Hungary for the race while Finnish fans have always attended in good numbers. It is nonetheless one of Formula One’s smaller events. “It’s not one of the most vital,” says Mark Gallagher, asked about the commercial importance of what is by some distance Hungary’s largest annual sporting event. “The volumes [of guests] were never that high. It’s small, but for those who do go it’s a good experience. “It’s an impressive race,” continues Gallagher, “and usually a good race at the track and Budapest is a fantastic city but in terms of numbers you’re not going to get the turnout that you would for the major markets in Europe.”
BUDAPEST IS A FANTASTIC CITY BUT IN TERMS OF NUMBERS YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GET THE TURNOUT THAT YOU WOULD FOR THE MAJOR MARKETS IN EUROPE.
Although the race is largely backed by the Hungarian government, the Hungaroring is run on a day-to-day basis by Zsolt Gyulay. The circuit is
utilised for over 200 days of the year, with other standout race meetings including a round of the World Touring Car Championship.
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BELGIAN GRAND PRIX SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS / 23RD AUGUST
The Belgian Grand Prix at SpaFrancorchamps has unofficial ‘classic’ status in Formula One: a historic venue, a magnificent race track and, usually, a thrilling Grand Prix. The rural venue has its challenges – logistics are tricky and corporate numbers are
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smaller than elsewhere – but the event remains hugely popular with drivers, teams, fans and media. The Grand Prix is Belgium’s largest sporting event but the financial pressures of hosting Formula One each year, not to mention the
notoriously difficult local politics, has led to uncertainty at times over the past decade. The threat of losing the event from the calendar was real – indeed, the race was left off the schedule in 2003 and 2006 - but a recent investment package which
Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP/Press Association Images
IF YOU ARE AN AFICIONADO YOU WILL RECOGNISE WHAT A SUPERB RACE IT IS. THOSE WHO DO GO REALLY APPRECIATE IT FOR WHAT IT IS.
resulted in significantly upgraded pit and corporate facilities was an indication of the long-term desire to retain Formula One. In early January, it was reported that the local Walloon regional government had agreed a deal to continue to host a Grand Prix until 2018 – its current three-year contract is due to expire after the 2015 race. JeanClaude Marcout, Walloon’s economic minister, has given the go-ahead despite a reported €8 million loss on the 2014 event, which took place, as usual, in August, marking the return of Formula One after the summer break. Locally, the Formula One race is organised by an entity called Spa Grand Prix, run by Andre Maes. Spa Grand Prix effectively hires the circuit for three weeks of the year from its sister firm, public company Le Circuit du Spa Francorchamps, which is responsible for running the circuit for the rest of the year. Furthermore, other activities throughout the year at the circuit – whilst once temporary and including public highways, Formula One’s longest track is now a permanent motorsport venue – are restricted by an environmental licence: the track can only be used between 15th March and 15th November, a period into which around 20 race meetings, plus track days and other corporate events, are crammed. It is no surprise the venue tends to walk a financial tightrope, especially given that the length of the track and size of the site keep maintenance costs higher than the average. For the teams, Mark Gallagher says Belgium is an opportunity to invite what he calls the “corporate aficionado”. He explains: “If you are an aficionado you will recognise what a superb race it is. You’re not going to get lots of people [guests] but those who do go really appreciate it for what it is. “I never had huge volumes of guests at the Belgian Grand Prix just because there isn’t capacity in terms of paddock club and facilities – and there never was the demand from sponsors to have large numbers there.”
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ITALIAN GRAND PRIX MONZA / 6TH SEPTEMBER
One of the oldest motorsport venues on the planet, the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, located in Monza’s Royal Park, is also one of the most atmospheric and intense stops on the annual Formula One tour around the world. It is a thrilling combination of speed – the circuit’s layout means it is the fastest of the year – history and Italian style. There is always considerable intrigue as the European part of the season ends and thoughts begin to move to the following year and, of course, there is Ferrari and their vocal, colourful army of fans, the tifosi. It is one of the must-attend events of the season, and yet in 2014 there were
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the first murmurs that its long-term future may be under threat. In July, Bernie Ecclestone, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, said: “I don’t think we’ll do another contract, the old one was a disaster for us from a commercial point of view. So it’s bye bye after 2016.” Long-term observers of Ecclestone will be aware that this kind of provocative public comment usually has an ulterior motive behind it: in this case, his comments might well have been a way to spur Italian officials into action. Just weeks later, former Ferrari Formula One driver-turned-television commentator Ivan Capelli became a board member at the Automobile Club
of Milan, an organisation influential in the local promotion of the race. Capelli acknowledged that improvements are necessary to secure a deal for 2016 and beyond. “I think Monza does need to do a step forward because it is not possible that Monza lives as it does,” he said. “It must produce something to improve its situation. I think that for the teams, the garages are average for Formula One now. “We also have to do a lot for the spectators, that is one of the objectives.” As the new year began, however, there was still no sign of a deal, although Francesco Ferri, the
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THE TURNOUT VERY MUCH DEPENDS ON FERRARI BUT IN TERMS OF CORPORATE CLIENTS IT’S THE LAST CHANCE TO ARRANGE HOSPITALITY IN EUROPE.
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expires next year, we have prepared a ‘plan B’ for the maintenance of the circuit, a number of competitions and the development of complementary activities.” Speaking in January, Mark Gallagher
Alessandro Trovati/AP/Press Association Images
newly-installed director of SIAS, the Automobile Club of Italy’s dedicated motorsport promotions division, suggested that Monza was beginning to consider life without Formula One. “If we do not extend the contract that
believes that while “they wouldn’t take Formula One away from Italy, because of Ferrari,” the potential does exist to take it away from Monza “if there’s some politics”. Italy has two other circuits which could be brought up to Formula One standards: Imola, which hosted the San Marino Grand Prix until 2006, and Mugello, which hosts the Italian round of the MotoGP world championship. “But it’s hard to see it changing,” Gallagher adds. Italy remains a vital commercial race and not just because of Ferrari. “In the same way that Barcelona is a great place to start the European season, Monza is always a wonderful place to finish it,” Gallagher says. “The turnout very much depends on Ferrari but in terms of the teams and corporate clients it’s the last chance to arrange corporate hospitality in Europe, it’s also an event which is very popular for bringing people to if you’ve run incentive programmes or competitions where corporate hospitality is part of the outcome.”
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Ng Han Guan/AP/Press Association Images
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SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX IT’S A REAL GO-TO PLACE, A JEWEL IN THE CROWN OF THE NEW RACES. THE CITY IS PERFECTLY LAID OUT TO ACCOMODATE SUCH A BIG EVENT.
2015 will see the eighth Formula One race held under floodlights on the streets of Singapore’s Marina Bay. The event has become an instant hit, drawing a huge crowd, generating corporate appeal and acting as a global showcase for the city-state. “It’s a real go-to place,” says Mark Gallagher. “It’s very successful, a jewel in the crown of the new races and enormously popular with that Asia-Pacific region and all the big companies that are based there. It’s such an easy hub to get to and the city is perfectly, from an infrastructure point of view, laid out to accommodate such a big event.” Even though the track is temporary, with barriers, grandstands and
floodlights installed each year, at considerable expense, the pit and paddock is a permanent structure, built in time for the first event in 2008 in the shadow of the Singapore Flyer, one of the world’s largest Ferris wheels. In 2014, the Grand Prix attracted the third-largest crowd in its short history. 84,454 spectators and corporate guests attended Sunday’s race, which has an 8pm local start time to suit European television audiences. A total of 253,362 people visited the Marina Bay circuit over what was a sold-out three days. This year’s race is likely to be marked by special celebrations as Singapore celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence.
An extension to the event’s initial contract was confirmed in 2012, ensuring the race will be held until at least 2017. It is believed a reduction on the initial annual race fee of US$50 million was negotiated by Singapore, which runs the race through a public/private set-up involving local billionaire Ong Beng Seng. The opening of the Singapore Sports Hub in 2014, Singapore’s hosting of the 2015 South East Asian Games and a five-year deal to stage the WTA Tour Finals are evidence of Singapore’s wider sporting strategy. As successful as the Grand Prix has been, the return on investment the event provides is likely to be closely analysed before a further extension is agreed. For his part, Gallagher adds that the city could do a little more to accommodate visitors given the unusual evening timetable on Grand Prix weekend. “It’s quite noticeable that after all the racing is finished, if you want to go out for the night the city does still shut down. I think they’re missing a trick there and actually missing a revenue opportunity – if the hotels could somehow adjust their licensing. That’s true when the teams get back from the track at 3am or 4am and there’s nothing.” Some have also argued that despite the success of the night race – Bahrain and Abu Dhabi have since followed with twilight events – Singapore’s spectacular backdrop might be more visible to TV viewers if the event was staged during the day. But these are mere quibbles: Formula One rarely looks as good as it does under Singapore’s high-power lighting system.
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MARINA BAY / 20TH SEPTEMBER
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX SUZUKA / 27TH SEPTEMBER
Suzuka returned to the Formula One calendar in 2009, following a twoyear sojourn in which the Japanese Grand Prix was held at Fuji Speedway. In the meantime, pit, paddock and main grandstand facilities were upgraded at Suzuka, which is run by the Mobilityland Corporation. They now hold a contract to hold a Grand Prix until at least 2018, a deal struck midway through 2013. Suzuka’s unique figure-of-eight layout is hugely popular amongst drivers, while spectators on-site are well catered for by the Motopia amusement park which lies just behind the main grandstand. In 2015, local interest and excitement around the race is expected to be significant: Honda’s return to the sport with McLaren is likely to be a central talking point. Organisers are already heavily promoting Honda’s involvement as they look to sell tickets. “Honda will obviously pump up the domestic interest in that race from
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THE JAPANESE ARE SOME OF THE BEST FANS IN THE WORLD. THEY ARE AMAZING AND MAKE IT SUCH A PHENOMENAL ATMOSPHERE.
a spectator point of view,” confirms Mark Gallagher, “but the Japanese spectator base is already mad-keen on the sport. They are some of the best fans in the world, right up there with the tifosi or the British crowd. They are amazing and make it such a phenomenal atmosphere. The track, of course, is outstanding and produces great racing.” From a commercial point of view, Japan remains an important market for Formula One even if there are fewer sponsors from the country active in the sport than was once the case. “When you have Japanese sponsors, it’s massive,” Gallagher says of the event. “For all the other companies involved in Formula One, it’s always a
much lower-key event because the way the Japanese market – an important market – is managed is usually quite different. You do get people there but in much smaller numbers than at other events.” While the event has always managed to draw a large and enthusiastic crowd, the lack of Japanese involvement is always felt. As it stands there will be no Japanese drivers on the grid this year and while Honda is returning, other major Japanese car manufacturers, notably Toyota and Nissan, have invested in the World Endurance Championship rather than Formula One. “I think it’s worth Formula One reflecting commercially on Japan,” Gallagher says. “These manufacturers have, somewhere, elected not to spend money on Formula One even though they are spending very, very considerable amounts doing a championship which really only has one race [the Le Mans 24 Hours] people know about.” The 2014 Japanese Grand Prix was marred by the threat of a typhoon and then the horrific accident which saw Jules Bianchi critically injured when, in wet, gloomy conditions, his Marussia hit a recovery vehicle that was retrieving Adrian Sutil’s crashed Sauber. Japan’s race will be one of five 2015 Grands Prix to begin an hour earlier, one of the safety recommendations made in the wake of Bianchi’s tragic accident.
Shuji Kajiyama/AP/Press Association Images
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BLACK BOOK 2015 l 139
RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX SOCHI / 11TH OCTOBER
From an organisational standpoint, the first Russian Grand Prix in October 2014 was an outstanding success. Fresh from staging the winter Olympic Games, a large section of Sochi’s Olympic Park was transformed into a permanent motorsport venue in just a few months, while the event, despite high security, ran smoothly from first to last. Whether, given world events in 2014, Formula One should have
140 l BLACK BOOK 2015
pandered to Russian president Vladimir Putin, who featured prominently on the live race broadcast as Bernie Ecclestone’s guest of honour, is another matter. The statistics around the event were undeniably impressive. Over 166,000 people, including over 500 government officials, attended the inaugural race at the newly-named Sochi Autodrom, which winds its way through the buildings constructed for
the Olympics and the stadium which will host matches during the 2018 Fifa World Cup. 20,000 people attended on Thursday, 34,000 on Friday, 37,000 on Saturday and 55,000 on race day. The race itself was organised by a company called OJSC “Center” “Omega”, in collaboration with representatives from the local Krasnodar region, Sochi city officials and the Russian Automobile Federation, which provided over
Luca Bruno/AP/Press Association Images
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IT’S A VERY GOOD THING THAT FORMULA ONE HAS NOW ADDED RUSSIA, WITH THE LAND MASS IT REPRESENTS, ALONGSIDE CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES,
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1,100 sporting officials and marshals. The team was led by Richard Cregan, the Irishman who was once the team manager of Toyota and then oversaw the launch of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina before moving to Russia. “It was enormously impressive as an event,” is Mark Gallagher’s verdict. “I think once we’re past the current political issues Russia will rebound and it will be an important race going into the future – and an important market. It’s just a very good thing that Formula One has now added Russia, with the land mass it represents, alongside China and the United States. Bernie really has ticked some very big boxes in the last ten years.” Race promoter Sergey Vorobyev was delighted with the inaugural event, but added: “It’s only the beginning.” He continued: “I hope that Formula One will come here for dozens of years. We’ve managed to lay the first stone in the foundation of the history of the Formula One Russian Grand Prix and the foundation appears to be extremely solid. You saw it: full grandstands, happy spectators. The Russian people were clearly eager and excited to get acquainted with Formula One – for the majority of spectators it was the first motorsport event they’ve visited.” There are also plans to increase the annual usage of Sochi Autodrom. Negotiations with other motorsport championships are underway and Vorobyev reports high demand from corporate and private clients. “The circuit will be used all year round,” he confirmed at the end of 2014, before countering suggestions that Sochi, for all its world-class venues, has become the ultimate Olympic white elephant. “This is another positive thing about the project,” he said. “Racing is here in Sochi to keep the place living and going, in parallel with the fact all the other facilities are being used for other events, and the hotels are being used very actively by tourists. Altogether, it is proof that the Olympic infrastructure is being used very well.”
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 141
UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX AUSTIN / 25TH OCTOBER
The Circuit of the Americas (COTA), located in Austin, Texas, hosted its first United States Grand Prix in 2012. The permanent facility, complete with its challenging layout, won immediate acclaim from fans, teams and drivers, while the city of Austin has slotted into the annual Formula One calendar seamlessly. The event, held each November, is a success, despite the continuing financial challenges of privately-funding and operating a Grand Prix. Combined with NBC’s
144 l BLACK BOOK 2015
acclaimed coverage of Formula One, and these are healthy times indeed for the sport in a market it has traditionally found hard to crack. “It just goes to show what happens when you put your money where your mouth is,” says Mark Gallagher. “Formula One is happy to go there, it’s a great track, the fans and city embraces it – everybody can’t believe how much Austin has embraced it.” Gallagher believes the US Grand Prix is “achieving what Formula One
ultimately can best hope to achieve in the United States, which is to become an important niche sports event”. He adds: “It’s not going to be mainstream any time soon, for lots of cultural and historical reasons, but to establish a niche position within the US marketplace is good news for Formula One commercially.” The economic impact of the event – and the venue – already appears clear. According to research commissioned by the Circuit of the Americas at the
David J. Phillip/AP/Press Association Images
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FORMULA ONE IS HAPPY TO GO THERE, IT’S A GREAT TRACK - EVERYBODY CAN’T BELIEVE HOW MUCH AUSTIN HAS EMBRACED IT.
end of 2014, events at the facility that year created an economic impact of US$731 million. Formula One alone generated US$507 million in economic impact for the wider area with the other events, including the hosting of ESPN’s X Games for the first time, contributing a further US$161 million. “COTA is a thoughtfully designed facility that has helped Austin successfully compete for and host events that put our city in the global spotlight,” is the verdict of Bob Lander, Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau president and chief executive. “We attract over 21 million visitors annually – three times as many as only
a decade ago. Tourism has a substantial impact on the Austin economy providing nearly 54,000 jobs and US$6.2 billion in direct traveller spending. World-class facilities like COTA greatly enhance our ability to attract new international audiences and markets that widen our spectrum of business.”
Economic impact aside, however, the reality is that COTA is not yet a profitable venture. “It’s certainly a goal,” confirmed Bobby Epstein, an early investor in the project and still a driving force, in a SportsPro interview at the end of 2014. “I think it’s very profitable for the people from the hospitality industry in Austin and I think over time it’s going to be a great success for the circuit’s investors. We’ve got a large campus that has yet to be maximised, but now we can show we have 800,000 people coming through the gates annually – and hopefully we’ll cross a million soon – it gives credibility to other pursuits you might have on-site, whether that’s a hotel or an entertainment or amusement offering. And on-track, we’ve got arguably the best track in the world, so it should have the best driving club. I think those are goals next year.”
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 145
MEXICAN GRAND PRIX MEXICO CITY / 1ST NOVEMBER
Though its Grand Prix has been off the calendar since 1992, Mexico’s flirtation with Formula One has been burgeoning for several years. Mexican sponsorship money has flowed into the sport in recent times, most notably from Carlos Slim’s Telmex conglomerate and most notably to teams fielding Mexican drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez. In July 2014, the return of a
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Mexican race was confirmed after a deal between local authorities, Formula One and event promoter CIE. For Mexico City director of sport Horacio de la Vega, it represents an international promotional opportunity to match anything outside the Fifa World Cup or Olympic Games. “We need to do it well for sure,” he said, “because you do not only have to
handle this the right way and to have a good and positive result, but you’re going to compare it with Abu Dhabi, with Monaco or Monza or Silverstone or Austin, Texas. There are very important cities that actually are hosting these Formula One circuits, and for us I think the Grand Prix is going to be for sure the most important event that we’re going to have in 2015 – and potentially through the years because the contract
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PEOPLE THERE ARE PRICKING UP THEIR EARS AND SHOWING THERE IS INTEREST, SO IT’S GREAT TO HAVE IT BACK ON THE CALENDAR.
we signed is for five years, from 2015 through to 2019.” The Mexican Grand Prix will be back in November at the circuit which held the last edition of the race 23 years ago. The infamously bumpy track at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has not lain dormant in the years since Formula One last juddered out of town, hosting races in Nascar, A1 Grand Prix and other series in the last decade. It is, however, being comprehensively revamped, with pit and spectator facilities brought up to Formula One standards and the
circuit layout made safer for modern racing; the fearsome final corner, the Pereltada, however, is no more, replaced with what should at least be a distinctive section winding through the baseball stadium which now sits inside the old circuit. Work should be completed by the FIA’s 1st August deadline. The capacity will be 75,000. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is in an enviable downtown location, a short drive from the airport and at the heart of the city’s sporting redevelopment project. All being well, all parties will be hoping
to make the most of the opportunity. “Formula One is more of a sports tourism approach,” explained de la Vega. “We’re pretty focused on that part as well because we’re trying to generate jobs and have a positive economic impact with these kind of big events.” Local analysis suggests the race will help create some 18,000 jobs, either directly or indirectly and generate an annual economic impact for the city of some US$398 million. Mark Gallagher, who was a member of the fledgling Jordan team the last time the sport pitched up in Mexico, is sold on the country’s return to the calendar. “I think it’ll be amazing,” he says. “I think the Mexican fans will get behind it. People there are pricking their ears up and showing there is interest, so it’s great to have it back on the calendar.”
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 149
BRAZILIAN GRAND PRIX SAO PAULO / 15TH NOVEMBER
Brazil’s annual Grand Prix doesn’t generate the same interest of a one-off Fifa World Cup or the upcoming summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, but it remains one of the country’s largest annual sporting events and offers a major boost to the economy of Sao Paulo, one of the world’s most populated cities. The 2014 Grand Prix, the penultimate event of the season,
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attracted 133,109 fans across the three days, a slight increase on the 130,475 who attended in 2013. Sao Paulo’s Centre for Tourism and Events estimate that the race is responsible for generating R$260 million in tourism money, with the average foreign spectator spending 3.83 days in the city. The city’s hotels reported 90 per cent occupancy during the race weekend, whereas not so recently hotel
occupancy during Grand Prix weekend had fallen as low as 50 per cent. A great circuit, by modern standards, and a passionate fanbase combine to make the Brazilian Grand Prix one of the most colourful and visuallyappealing races of the year, at least on television; the facilities at Interlagos, however, have fallen behind most other Grand Prix hosts. A major package of improvements
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track, in much the same way as has been achieved at Spa,” says Mark Gallagher. “I think Interlagos is such an amazing venue – the media love going there because the fans go nuts for Formula One; it’s just such a euphoric event to be a part of.” From a commercial point of view, the Brazilian Grand Prix has always been a strategically important race for Formula One and, since 1999, the sport’s only Latin American stop. “For any multinational in the Latin American market, you go to the Brazilian Grand Prix,” Gallagher confirms. “The corporate hospitality is usually pretty good, it is usually very well sold up. It ticks that box for Latin
America, although the facilities were never fabulous. Access to the track can be difficult, with congestion and traffic, so that is a challenge. Those issues aside, it’s a great event and very important for Formula One to be in the region.” A Formula One season without a stop at Interlagos simply wouldn’t seem right: the venue hosted Grands Prix between 1972 and 1980. After a decade in Rio de Janeiro at the Jacarepaguá circuit, which is now being transformed into the 2016 Olympic Park, Interlagos returned to the calendar in 1990, following a US$15 million revamp which significantly shortened the original layout.
to paddock and pit facilities is planned over the next few years. The US$73 million work is designed to ensure the race remains on the calendar, as planned, until 2020. The proposed facelift will include a new three-storey pit complex, featuring 40 hospitality boxes, a new control tower, press centre and podium. The work is being conducted in and around the Autodromo Carlos Pace’s existing events calendar, which includes a host of domestic Brazilian championships as well as international race meetings, under the watchful eye of SPObras, a Sao Paulo City Hall organisation created by the Department of Urban and Infrastructure Works. “There’s plenty of scope for them to improve the facilities without damaging the [layout of ] the race
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ACCESS TO THE TRACK CAN BE DIFFICULT, BUT IT’S A GREAT EVENT AND VERY IMPORTANT FOR FORMULA ONE TO BE IN THE REGION.
ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX YAS MARINA / 29TH NOVEMBER
Putting to one side the misguided attempt to raise the jeopardy of the final event of the Formula One season by making it worth double points, a situation that was out of the control of the organisers in Abu Dhabi, the Yas Marina event has become one of the standout races on the calendar, generating a magnetic appeal for sponsors, high-rollers and celebrities. “I meet people all year, every year who say they are looking forward to going to Abu Dhabi at the end of the season – it’s interesting how
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many people in the corporate world do gravitate towards it,” muses Mark Gallagher of the venue, created as part of the US$40 billion manmade Yas Island project. Following the departure of Richard Cregan, who headed for Sochi to assist with preparations for the first Russian Grand Prix, the Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management organisation appointed Tareq Al Ameri as the new chief executive of Yas Marina Circuit in March 2014. Al Ameri, a former Abu Dhabi Aviation executive
who was 34 when he was appointed, previously ran the circuit’s burgeoning commercial division, but has now taken the top job – the experienced Cregan, however, has retained an advisory role and reports to the board. “Since coming to Yas Marina Circuit I have been bitten by the motorsport bug,” Al Ameri said. “And that will always be our core business. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix is an iconic fixture on the Formula One calendar and that alone is a truly fantastic achievement for everyone
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THE ECONOMIC LEGACY OF THE GRAND PRIX FOR ABU DHABI HAS BEEN VERY SIGNIFICANT. IT’S DEFINITELY DRIVEN A LOT OF BUSINESS THERE.
involved. The Grand Prix will always be the focus but we must keep driving forward what we do throughout the year – from exciting motorsport racing to bringing even more fantastic events to the circuit. Al Ameri added: “In 2011 and 2013 we hosted the World Economic Forum which shows we are so much more than just a racetrack. That strategy will continue and we will be fighting for business in the market. Yas Marina Circuit is truly passionate about motorsport – here in the UAE, in the region and globally.” Gallagher has been impressed with the way the venue, a state-ofthe-art, scarcely-believable facility,
is maturing. “The track was built from scratch in the desert and it’s no longer on its own there,” he says. “It’s ringed by hotels. It’s a conference centre capital for the Middle East. Any MENA conference will inevitably look at Dubai and Abu Dhabi and quite often Abu Dhabi wins. One
of the reasons it wins is because companies enjoy going there, visiting the track or Ferrari World [Ferrari’s theme park adjacent to the circuit] and doing a bit of go-karting. “Building that racetrack and the infrastructure around it, in a very micro-scale is what the Olympics talks about in terms of economic legacy of a sporting event. The economic legacy of the Grand Prix for Abu Dhabi has been very significant. It’s definitely driven a lot of business there.” Al Ameri appears set for further expansion. He said: “I am ready for the challenge and responsibility of developing all areas of the business.” The race has a local start time of 5pm, ensuring it begins in daylight and concludes, with the obligatory fireworks and the changing LED tones of the Yas Hotel exterior, under floodlights. It is a spectacular way to round off a lengthy season.
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 155
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STATISTICS 2014/2015 Statistics:
158
3
2014 CONSTRUCTORS’ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
MERCEDES
701 WILLIAMS
320
Position 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
RED BULL RACING
405
2014 DRIVERS’ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
Team Mercedes Red Bull Racing Williams Ferrari McLaren Force India Toro Rosso Lotus Marussia Sauber Caterham
Points 701 405 320 216 181 155 30 10 2 0 0
2014 AVERAGE QUALIFYING POSITION (FINISHING POSITION BEFORE PENALTIES)
Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Driver Lewis Hamilton Nico Rosberg Daniel Ricciardo Valtteri Bottas Sebastian Vettel Fernando Alonso Felipe Massa Jenson Button Nico Hulkenberg Sergio Perez Kevin Magnussen Kimi Raikkonen Jean-Eric Vergne Romain Grosjean Daniil Kvyat Pastor Maldonado Jules Bianchi Adrian Sutil Marcus Ericsson Esteban Gutierrez Max Chilton Kamui Kobayashi Will Stevens Andre Lotterer
Points 384 317 238 186 167 161 134 126 96 59 55 55 22 8 8 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Position 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 25
158 l BLACK BOOK 2015
20
15
10
5
0
Average Qualifying Driver Position Nico Rosberg 1.68 Lewis Hamilton 4 Daniel Ricciardo 5 Valtteri Bottas 6 Fernando Alonso 6.89 Sebastian Vettel 7 Felipe Massa 7.68 Kevin Magnussen 8.21 Jenson Button 8.47 Kimi Raikkonen 9.89 Daniil Kvyat 10.63 Nico Hulkenberg 11 Jean-Eric Vergne 11.37 Sergio Perez 12.21 Adrian Sutil 15.32 Esteban Gutierrez 15.79 Pastor Maldonado 17.83 Jules Bianchi 18.2 Kamui Kobayashi 19.5 Max Chilton 19.69 Will Stevens 20 Marcus Ericsson 20.81 Andre Lotterer 21
STATISTICS 2015 ENTRY LIST Name
Nationality
Age
Team
Engine
44
Lewis Hamilton
Great Britain
30
Mercedes
Mercedes
6
Nico Rosberg
Germany
29
Mercedes
Mercedes
3
Daniel Ricciardo
Australia
25
Red Bull
Renault
26
Daniil Dvyat
Russia
20
Red Bull
Renault
19
Felipe Massa
Brazil
33
Williams
Mercedes
77
Valtteri Bottas
Finland
25
Williams
Mercedes
5
Sebastian Vettel
Germany
27
Ferrari
Ferrari
7
Kimi Raikkonen
Finland
35
Ferrari
Ferrari
14
Fernando Alonso
Spain
33
McLaren
Honda
22
Jenson Button
Great Britain
35
McLaren
Honda
27
Nico Hulkenberg
Germany
27
Force India
Mercedes
11
Sergio Perez
Mexico
25
Force India
Mercedes
33
Max Verstappen
Netherlands
17
Toro Rosso
Renault
55
Carlos Sainz Jr
Spain
20
Toro Rosso
Renault
13
Pastor Maldonado
Venezuela
30
Lotus
Mercedes
8
Romain Grosjean
France
28
Lotus
Mercedes
12
Felipe Nasr
Brazil
22
Sauber
Ferrari
9
Marcus Ericsson
Sweden
24
Sauber
Ferrari
28
Will Stevens
Britain
23
Manor Marussia
Ferrari
98
Roberto Merhi
Spain
23
Manor Marussia
Ferrari
Venue
Date
Local start time
STATISTICS / 3
Number
2015 FORMULA ONE CALENDAR Grand Prix 1
Australian Grand Prix
Melbourne
15th March
16:00
2
Malaysia Grand Prix
Kuala Lumpur
23th March
15:00
3
Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai
12th April
14:00
4
Bahrain Grand Prix
Sakhir
19th April
18:00
5
Spanish Grand Prix
Barcelona
10th May
14:00
6
Monaco Grand Prix
Monte Carlo
24th May
14:00
7
Canadian Grand Prix
Montreal
7th June
14:00
8
Austrian Grand Prix
Spielberg
21st June
14:00
9
British Grand Prix
Silverstone
5th July
13:00
10
Hungarian Grand Prix
Budapest
26th July
14:00
11
Belgian Grand Prix
Spa-Francorchamps
23rd August
14:00
12
Italian Grand Prix
Monza
6th September
14:00
13
Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore
20th September
20:00
14
Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka
27th September
14:00
15
Russian Grand Prix
Sochi
11th October
14:00
16
United States Grand Prix
Austin
25th October
14:00
17
Mexican Grand Prix
Mexico City
1st November
13:00
18
Brazilian Grand Prix
Sao Paulo
15th November
14:00
19
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina
29th November
17:00
BLACK BOOK 2015 l 159
THE ANNUAL REPORT 2015
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THE ANNUAL REPORT 2015 Destinations Report 2015 Middle East
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The Destinations Report 2015 | 33
Destinations Report 2015 Asia-PaciďŹ c
THE SHOW NEVER STOPS By David Cushnan
Two World Cups and a return visit from the Volvo Ocean Race fleet are the highlights of Aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2015 calendar, but they are but one element of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Developmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well-established, well-honed events strategy.
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ith a population of just 1.4 million, Auckland doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it onto the list of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest cities, but New Zealandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest certainly punches well above its weight when it comes to bidding for and staging major events. As 2015 began, it was poised to welcome the Cricket World Cup and, in June, the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The Volvo Ocean Race, meanwhile, was due to make a return visit in late February for a 17-day stopover. Combined with an annual V8 Supercars date (the ITM500 Auckland) and the recently-launched Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines, which sees every team in Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Rugby League (NRL) make the short hop to New Zealand to compete in a nine-aside tournament, plus a multitude of non-sport and community-focused projects, Aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s event strategy has long been regarded as one of the most sophisticated on the planet. Since 2010, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events acquisition arm has been part of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), an organisation formed when eight council bodies were amalgamated into one â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;super councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. It was one of several new bodies created as part of the administrative changes and was immediately thrust into action as Auckland staged 15 of the 48 matches at the Rugby World Cup 2011. Major events planning, tourism and wider economic development now fall under the ATEED umbrella. The approach to major event bidding, acquisition and hosting has been honed
ever since, event by event. In 2014, that translated into a dual approach: international events designed to drive tourism and stimulate the economy, and domestic events with a more local and community focus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For us, we have a consistent approach ZKHUH ZH FRQVLGHU YHU\ VSHFLĂ&#x20AC;F DWWULEXWHV for the hosting of both major sporting and non-sporting eventsâ&#x20AC;?, explains Rakel Liew, ATEEDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s general manager of major events, who joined the organisation in December 2013. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But because we take a whole-of-portfolio approach when it comes to measuring our outcomes, each type of event may contribute in a different way towards achieving targetsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;To provide some examples, cultural events like the Auckland Diwali Festival, $XFNODQG /DQWHUQ )HVWLYDO DQG 3DVLĂ&#x20AC;ND >D FHOHEUDWLRQ RI 3DFLĂ&#x20AC;F ,VODQG FXOWXUH@ capture the attention of the diverse Auckland audience and contribute towards our liveability targets. We FDQ JHQHUDWH VLJQLĂ&#x20AC;FDQW *'3 LPSDFW through concerts and business events. In WHUPV RI LQWHUQDWLRQDO SURĂ&#x20AC;OH VSRUWLQJ events tend to be the best way to achieve our targets. Obviously we always try to make sure we have balance in the portfolio and that all events held in Auckland are relevant to our city.â&#x20AC;? Auckland is one of 14 host cities for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, played across Australia and New Zealand. The responsibility for securing the event sat with the central governments and cricket bodies of New Zealand and Australia; ATEED then led on the process to secure four matches during the
Auckland will welcome back the Volvo Ocean Race in 2015, an event which is designed to showcase the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harbour and marine sector
tournament at the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 48,000-capacity Eden Park, including a clash between WKH FR KRVWV DQG RQH RI WKH VHPL Ă&#x20AC;QDOV Liew says there are many ways in which Auckland can optimise the opportunities of playing host to one of the largest sporting events of 2015. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What it does present is a very good platform to collaborate with the other cities and at the same time work on attracting more people to Auckland. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our plan is to activate across the tournament as a whole, not just during the Auckland games, to showcase the city to the world and reinforce our brand positioning, because the world will be watching us.â&#x20AC;? Liew adds that opportunities exist to showcase the city to business leaders
We ensure that every year we have events that globally reinforce our positioning.
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and to â&#x20AC;&#x153;demonstrate strength as one of the leading cities around the regionâ&#x20AC;? throughout the tournament. That is consistent with Aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s positioning for the Rugby World Cup 2011. The elongated format of the Cricket World Cup â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the tournament begins on Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day and does not conclude until the end of March â&#x20AC;&#x201C; means that EHWZHHQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW JDPH DQG WKH Ă&#x20AC;QDO WKH
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9ROYR 2FHDQ 5DFH Ă HHW ZLOO KDYH DUULYHG in Auckland, spent 17 days there and left, bound for the Brazilian coastal resort of ItajaĂ. The race came to Auckland, a city sometimes nicknamed the City of Sails, during its 2011/12 edition, a stopover so successful that ATEED promptly signed up not only for 2014/15 but also the next event, in 2017/18. Again, there are VSHFLĂ&#x20AC;F UHDVRQV IRU GRLQJ VR
â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have been very deliberate in looking at the race as a catalyst for Aucklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marine sector,â&#x20AC;? Liew explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To a great extent, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about showcasing our harbour, our marinas, and our marine expertise. The success of 2012 did not just capture the attention of New Zealanders who have a passion for sailing, it also reinforced the position of Auckland as a destination for all things marine and for a return of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover.â&#x20AC;? This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stopover, which begins on 27th February, is scheduled to be longer than in 2011/12, allowing for more footfall in the race village. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re anticipating about 400,000 people to come through the race village,â&#x20AC;? suggests Liew.
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5
THE ART OF NETWORKING – FORMULA ONE-STYLE By Richard Partridge Team personnel, VIPs, media and those who want to be seen congregate in the Formula One paddock.
It’s a dream come true – you’ve finally gained access to the glitzy and glamorous Formula One paddock. Your friends and colleagues are green with envy and your family are telling everyone they always knew you had it in you. In their eyes you’ve reached the
260 l BLACK BOOK 2015
pinnacle of your profession. This is your big chance to schmooze with the high rollers and close that big deal. However, spending a couple of days inside the hallowed ground of the paddock or the Paddock Club
on a Formula One weekend can be challenging even for the most experienced networker. At its best, it can be an opportunity to meet and mingle with marketing decision-makers and CEOs from global brands. At worst, you could spend
the weekend wandering aimlessly and gossiping with the professional voyeurs and hangers-on that populate the paddock. So to help you, here are a few pointers to making the most of your time in the Formula One paddock. They might just help you make the most out of a networking opportunity like no other.
1. FIND A WAY TO GET IN! Although there are a variety of routes on offer, none are easy and few inexpensive. Even with free guest passes you will pay premium prices for room and transport just to get yourself there in the first place. If you have the business
connections then being accredited through one of the teams, who have a number of guest passes allocated to them, is clearly an excellent and low stress way of gaining access. However, as you’d expect, team passes are like gold dust and it transpires that for 2015 they are looking even harder to get hold of than usual - the Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene took to the grandstands during Formula One testing at Barcelona as a protest against proposed pass restrictions on teams this season. “I heard that there will be more restriction in terms of passes and I think this is not acceptable,” Arrivabene explained, in February. Alternatively, you can apply directly to the FIA for accreditation for a
given race but don’t get your hopes up as it seems to be harder and harder to get on the approved list these days, even for the lesser races. Make sure have a very good reason to apply, mention the right people, work for an approved media organisation or have a particular objective in mind. With the right approach you might be pleasantly surprised.
2. CHOOSE YOUR DAY(S) CAREFULLY Even if you are successful you’re likely to be allocated a paddock only pass for either the Friday and/or the Saturday – not race day itself. Fridays are usually pretty quiet in the paddock although you’ll find
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Picture by: Luca Bruno/AP/Press Association Images
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Picture by: Luca Bruno/AP/Press Association Images
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, the 2014 world champion, makes his paddock entrance at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi.
the teams and their representatives have a little more time to talk than on Saturdays or Sundays. Saturday, just before and after the all-important qualifying session, tends to be the best time all round for meetings; everyone is around and networking. Sunday is race day and that tends to mean the focus of your attentions might be hard to track down or be entertaining guests in the Paddock Club. The excitement of being in such a rarefied environment can quickly be dampened by the sheer boredom of wandering around for several days pretending you’re actually going somewhere. You can spend a lot of time tracking people down, rescheduling meetings and chatting to the same old faces. Sometimes you might have to try and look inconspicuous (as perhaps you’ve borrowed someone’s pass and perhaps should not really be there in the first place).
3. FOOD AND DRINK It might sound a bit basic but it’s worth knowing there are no food or drink outlets in the paddock, so be aware that you can’t just grab a burger from the nearest van if you’re a bit peckish.
262 l BLACK BOOK 2015
If you do get regular paddock access then use all your charm to make friends with the catering staff in the team motorhomes. These people could be your life-savers. A seat and a free coffee now and then can be a Godsend when you’ve been tramping round the paddock for hours. Remember, despite the smell of money and the shiny exterior it’s brutal in the paddock and very much a case of survival of the fittest. However, if you can afford it and feel the need to impress then you can invest in a Formula One Paddock Club pass for around US$5000 each for the three day weekend. Now you’ll be able to wine and dine your clients, set up and hold meetings and close those deals in impressive and conducive surroundings. There is a caveat here as Formula One Paddock Club passes do not come with automatic access to the main Formula One paddock itself – however it does include the impressive pit lane walk.
4. WHO CAN YOU MEET? Each Formula One paddock is obviously a reflection of the region where the race is held, particularly when it comes to the business people
and celebrities who might be there. The core of the Formula One roadshow make up the bulk of the crowd - an eclectic mix of mechanics, drivers, marketing people, sponsors, celebrities and of course the world’s media.
5. WHY ARE THEY THERE? Some will be the invited guests of Formula One teams who hope to coax sponsorship and partnerships deals out of them over the champagne and canapés in the Paddock Club. The excitement and buzz of a Formula One weekend has lured many CEOs over the years into putting their hand in their corporate back pocket to help fund a team – even though it might then spend the season at the back of the grid.
6. HAVE SOMETHING TO OFFER Whether you are there for arranged meetings or just hoping to schmooze around and see what happens, you must appreciate that networking is a two-way street. A networking relationship should be mutually beneficial to each party.
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Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen (right) makes his way through Malaysia’s paddock; the exclusivity is preserved by Bernie Ecclestone (below) and his FOM team at every Grand Prix.
What’s in it for the other party? What information and insights can you offer them? Everyone has something to offer; whether it’s time, talent, or performance. But perhaps the most valuable networking currency is information. Remember networking is just that. It’s work and the goal of networking is to make business connections - not friends.
7. PLAN AHEAD – BUT BE PATIENT AND FLEXIBLE Pre-arrange as many meetings as possible and don’t expect them all to happen as planned. Focus on all your targets and ensure you make as much contact as possible with them over the weekend. Minimal face to face contact when handing over a business card is far better than a series of unanswered emails and phone messages.
8. LOOK LIKE YOU BELONG – BUT DON’T GET STARSTRUCK Look like you should be there. Act nonchalant. Pretend your Formula One day is like any other on your calendar - perhaps only slightly more boring - and never get excited when you meet anyone famous. Do not
264 l BLACK BOOK 2015
under any circumstances ask for an autograph and pretend it’s for your son-daughter-partner etc. No one will believe you and your credibility will take a slight dive.
9. LOOK THE PART – BUT BE SUBTLE Dress well but not corporately. Make sure that watch or jewellery that’s been handed down for generations is polished up and subtly visible. Wear labels but not ostentatiously. Take care of your shoes: traditional and comfortable is good and if you’re going to wear casuals make sure they are straight off the page of a high-end magazine. In short, be very smart and very smart casual at the same time
10. DON’T OVERDO THE ‘ENTERTAINMENT’ Most importantly, make sure your faculties are fully functional; these people are sharp or they would not be there, and you’ll need your wits about you. So, no dancing on the tables at the pre-Formula One party the night before you are due to network in the paddock. Step up to the plate and make the most of your invite to the Premier League of networking.
The greatest, sexiest and king of all networking events is, of course, Monte Carlo and the Monaco Grand Prix. The great thing here is that it happens all over the Principality for the whole week preceding the event. This means you can meet some good contacts without actually needing a paddock or Paddock Club pass. Meetings and parties are hosted on yachts and if you look the part and have some decent contacts you can get involved. The other key networking events on the Formula One calendar tend to be regionalised. The Australian race has its own business ecosystem, Barcelona represents the first opportunity for the Europeans to network and Germany and Silverstone hold the aces for the manufacturers and motorsport companies involved in Formula One.
12. MOST OF ALL – ENJOY IT Opportunities like a pass to the Formula One paddock don’t come along that often. It’s not everyone who gets the chance to mingle so, if you get the opportunity, or can afford it, live your dreams and make the most of it. It’s a lot of fun.
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Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and just a short distance from the Grand Prix circuit itself, the Amber Lounge Monaco Fashion Show at Monte Carlo’s Le Meridien Beach Plaza will kick-off the festivities at this year’s Monaco Grand Prix. Guests in years’ past have included HSH Prince Albert II and HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, model Naomi Campbell and pop star Justin Bieber. The glamorous setting is the perfect backdrop for the fashion show, includes Formula One paddock personalities, including many of the drivers, modelling an exclusive collection, from British fashion label Apsley – the dramatic suspended runway over the Le Meridien Beach Plaza’s swimming pool adds to the theatre. The event has also evolved into an important fundraiser: over US$4 million has been raised for causes including the Special Olympics, the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund. The fashion show is the opening act of U8nite, which will also include a charity auction and the Fashion After Party, on Friday 22nd May. On Saturday and Sunday evenings, the Amber Lounge opens its doors – in 2014, 21 Formula One race and reserve drivers, including podium finishers Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo, all attended the final night to celebrate.
The Singapore Grand Prix has quickly established itself as one of Formula One’s must-attend events; the race, which begins at 8pm local time, takes place on the streets of the city’s Marina Bay area and in 2015 Amber Lounge will be on hand once again for the post-qualifying and post-race celebrations on Saturday and Sunday evenings. In 2015, Amber Lounge will be part of the celebrations as the city-state celebrates SG50, the 50th anniversary of Singapore’s independence. The bill at Temasek Reflection, in Milenia Tower, includes the F1 Driver Fashion Show, choreographed by fashion guru Daniel Boey, and performances by internationally-acclaimed artists. In 2014, Grammy Award winner Estelle performed for guests including celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey. “Amber Lounge has huge surprises in store to celebrate Singapore’s 50th birthday,” promises Sonia Irvine, looking ahead to September. “I cannot wait to bring back the Amber Lounge savoir-faire from Monaco to Singapore for this truly remarkable occasion. I promise it will be an unforgettable weekend!”
22ND, 23RD AND 24TH MAY 2015
Created and launched by Sonia Irvine in 2003, Amber Lounge has provided Formula One’s stylish, unique, VIP nightlife for over a decade – across the world. In 2015, four Amber Lounge locations have been confirmed: the original in Monaco, including the now traditional Friday night Amber Lounge Fashion Show, U*nite; Formula One’s night race in Singapore; the seasonfinale on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina; and, new for 2015, an event in Mexico City, which will coincide with the return of Mexico to the Grand Prix calendar after 23 years.
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MEXICO CITY:
ABU DHABI:
Formula One’s return to Mexico City has been a long time coming and as the final preparations continue at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where the race will be held, Amber Lounge has confirmed its presence for three nights of festivities across the Grand Prix weekend. Amber Lounge will take over the Casino Campo Marte in Palanco, one of Mexico City’s ‘most glamorous and upscale’ areas, transforming it into a premier Grand Prix hospitality venue. All three nights will feature ‘electrifying live performances from global artists and DJs, a captivating fashion show with international supermodels’, with guests mingling with the Formula One community. “I’m so excited to bring Amber Lounge to Mexico City,” Irvine says. “After a 23-year absence, the Mexican people are charged with anticipation for the return of the Mexican Grand Prix and I can’t wait to share the exhilarating Amber Lounge event with them – I promise it will be an unforgettable weekend!”
The final race of the 20-event Formula One season allows the chance for many to let their hair down. Amber Lounge will be present in Abu Dhabi, at Yas Marina, on 28th and 29th November for two nights of end-of-season partying. 20 drivers attended last year’s post-race event, including world champion Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, alongside high-profile celebrities. Previous Amber Lounge guests include Bono, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Hasselhof, Gerard Butler, Kim Kardashian, Prince Harry of Wales, Sir Richard Branson, Nicole Scherzinger, Kylie Minogie and Taio Cruz.
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