PER 2015
Mercedes on the other had is slightly different. While making some extremely fast and expensive sports cars, Mercedes is a company with much more focus on providing a quality car which is value for money than creating a roaring turbo charged speed machine. So, where has Mercedes’ interest in F1 stemmed? Well, Mercedes have a history with the sport, they competed in two World Championships in the 1950s however withdrew from motorsport until 1994 where they produced engines for Ilmor, they produced engines for a number of teams before taking over Brawn GP in 2010, creating their own team. So, why would Mercedes, a company based on providing functionality, enter the world of F1? The first reason would be the same for any company involved in F1: advertising and getting the name of Mercedes in the public domain. However, one wonders how many people haven’t heard of Mercedes before hand and how many would buy a Mercedes car because they’re good at putting together an F1 car. The reason I believe a company like Mercedes would get themselves involved in engine and car manufacture in F1 is that it enhances their knowledge of car production. In F1, the teams are fighting to save that extra tenth of a second and the research they do in finding that fraction of a second can be used in the production of Mercedes’ road cars. For example, in 2014, new engines had to be developed as the new rules dictated that they had to be hybrid power units. Mercedes used this to their advantage and their development of a far superior hybrid power unit propelled them head and shoulders above their rivals. The development undertaken on these high speed power units can be used in the production of hybrid engines on Mercedes’ road cars. This is not an isolated example either; traction control, aerodynamics, tyre design and carbon fibre have all been developed by F1 for use on high speed race cars, however they are now used on normal, road cars. There are also the four teams who are devoted to racing: Force India, Manor, Sauber and Williams. These four teams are in a constant state of change and development as they struggle to keep their heads above the water. Manor may not be a household name, but this is because they have changed names three times in the five years they have been in formula one. They entered F1 under the name of Virgin Racing, this was due to a sponsorship deal struck with Richard Branson. After an incredibly unsuccessful season, they changed their name to Marussia, which was their name until the end of last season before becoming known as Manor. Last season, Marussia did not finish the season due to them being unable to afford to run a car in the last few races of the season. This goes to show the pressures that F1 and the financial strain it puts on the teams at the bottom. This is exemplified by the fact that it is estimated that Marussia in 2014 ran their season off £70m. Ferrari ran their season off £200m more. Another one of these specialist teams is Williams. Williams is one of the most prestigious and well- regarded teams on the circuit. Drivers such as Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell all raced for them at one point or another. Williams can currently be considered among Force India and Sauber as a team which has to run off private investment and sponsorship. This revenue allows them to finish the races and compete in F1 however; these are teams, which are competing nowhere near a Grand Prix winning level (baring Williams who have remained relatively competitive despite financial limitations). These teams are competing their entire seasons off £100m, this is under double what Red Bull or Ferrari will be running their seasons off. At the end of the 2014 season, Williams reported loses of £20 million.
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