2021 Silly Season Thread

[PTRACER]

Bottom post of the previous page:

So how is the current 2021 F1 lineup looking?

Presumably:

Mercedes: Hamilton / Bottas
Ferrari: Leclerc / Sainz
RBR: Verstappen / ???
McLaren: Norris / Ricciardo
Renault: Ocon / Alonso

That leaves the other 5 teams and a bunch of drivers with a few decisions to make. Including Vettel.

[erwin greven]

Racing Point has confirmed Perez - Stroll for 2021.

[DoubleFart]

There goes the Vettel to Aston Martin rumours.

[Star]

Alonso has apparently been heard to say he's ready to come back to F1, or so the headline I read went, I didn't read the article I will confess. I'm not sure if that means he has a deal or is still hoping for one.

The music is going to stop eventually, will Seb have a seat when it does in this game of musical chairs?

[Picci]

Alonso has apparently been heard to say he's ready to come back to F1, or so the headline I read went, I didn't read the article I will confess. I'm not sure if that means he has a deal or is still hoping for one.

The music is going to stop eventually, will Seb have a seat when it does in this game of musical chairs?

Yeh Briatore said Alonso is now detoxed and ready to go into action - he also essentially said Alonso is ready to consider any offer on the table. I also read somewhere else that Liberty is taking the liberty to chip in part of the salary that Alonso may demand at Renault.

[John]

So how is the current 2021 F1 lineup looking?

Presumably:

Mercedes: Hamilton / Bottas
Ferrari: Leclerc / Sainz
RBR: Verstappen / ???
McLaren: Norris / Ricciardo
Renault: Ocon / Alonso

That leaves the other 5 teams and a bunch of drivers with a few decisions to make. Including Vettel.

Here's hoping that Mercedes picks up Russel and starts to groom him as a replacement for Lewis.

[Ruslan]

The entire field for 2021 may be:

Mercedes: Hamilton, Bottas?
Ferrari (confirmed): Leclerc, Sainz
Red Bull: Verstappen (confirmed), Albon
McLaren (confirmed): Ricciardo, Norris
Renault: Ocon (confirmed), ??? (Alonso?)
Aston Martin (confirmed): Perez, Stroll
Alfa: Raikkonen, Giovinazzi
Toro Rosso: Kvyat, Gasly
Haas: Grosjean, Magnussen
Williams: Russell?, Latifi

Retirement: Vettel?

1. Clearly Hamilton is staying at Mercedes, as there is really no other seats open for him. Don't see why he would leave regardless.
2. Russell may be looking to move up...but there does not appear to be any place to move to, unless they boot Bottas.
3. Right now, it looks like the only seat in play is the one at Renault.

[MonteCristo]

Will all 10 teams survive the year?

[Star]

That is a good question, I know Williams was on dodgy ground a while back and this can't be helping them.

Will all the circuits still be viable and there to hold the races? Nothing is certain in these difficult times.

[Ruslan]

Will all 10 teams survive the year?

They usually do when it gets back down to 10 teams. Between putting assets in hock (both Williams and McLaren have done this), new buyers showing up, and sometimes help from the powers that be; these teams manage to hang on. But......having a couple of near bankrupt teams take on the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull is hardly a well-balanced racing series. As it is, it looks like Latifi Sr. provided a significant "loan" to Williams to tide them over. It does mean that there are now two teams beholding to a driver's daddy. Again, not quite what I envision when people told me this was the pinnacle of motorsports.

[Picci]

McLaren is backed by Saudi investors though, aren't they? So the Saudis can just plug in the gap whenever they feel they sold a few barrels of oil. On the other hand, WIlliams is a listed company so there are a number of factors here. It can dilute the shareholding to raise equity or put some more bonds out. Not sure how healthy the balance sheet looks for that. Its share price has dropped by about EUR1 in the last few months or so which is hardly a big deal considering trades are being made on a company which is currently not actually generating any revenue!

[Ruslan]

McLaren is backed by Saudi investors though, aren't they? So the Saudis can just plug in the gap whenever they feel they sold a few barrels of oil. On the other hand, WIlliams is a listed company so there are a number of factors here. It can dilute the shareholding to raise equity or put some more bonds out. Not sure how healthy the balance sheet looks for that. Its share price has dropped by about EUR1 in the last few months or so which is hardly a big deal considering trades are being made on a company which is currently not actually generating any revenue!

The majority owner of McLaren is a Bahraini company that is "The sovereign wealth fund of the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain." It is the Mumtalakat Holding Company.

[Picci]

McLaren is backed by Saudi investors though, aren't they? So the Saudis can just plug in the gap whenever they feel they sold a few barrels of oil. On the other hand, WIlliams is a listed company so there are a number of factors here. It can dilute the shareholding to raise equity or put some more bonds out. Not sure how healthy the balance sheet looks for that. Its share price has dropped by about EUR1 in the last few months or so which is hardly a big deal considering trades are being made on a company which is currently not actually generating any revenue!

The majority owner of McLaren is a Bahraini company that is "The sovereign wealth fund of the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain." It is the Mumtalakat Holding Company.

RIght, thanks for clarifying. So that means it is state owned in essence right? Meaning it has infinite sources of finance from $$$ of oil barrels produced

[Everso Biggyballies]

But McLaren are it seems in quite deep financial do-do as a group. (ie not just F1)
According to Bloomberg McLaren Group is seeking about 300 million pounds in fresh funding just months after completing a similarly-sized capital raise. The last funding was from existing shareholders. (ie Mumtalakat and others)

McLaren are claiming that the whole Covid 19 thing has shut down income (car production has ceased and a new car release has been postponed )and have admitted they are “looking at a severe liquidity crunch” which will be most acute in the middle of the year, according to chief financial officer Paul Buddin. We are in continued dialogue with our banks and investors to help navigate these short-term business interruptions.”. They are also said to be working with an adviser as it examines ways to strengthen its finances.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ew-funding

They seem to be having difficulties obtaining a further funding..... It seems they are trying to use the same assets cover collateral of more than one loan.

"A group of McLaren Group Ltd. bondholders wants to block plans by the supercar maker to raise emergency funds by mortgaging its headquarters and historic car collection, according to people familiar with the matter.

Law firm Paul Hastings, acting on behalf of the creditors, sent a letter to the management of the company on Wednesday stating that the site and the classic cars are already pledged as collateral on $700 million of bonds sold in 2017, the people said, asking not to be named discussing private information.

“The notes benefit from first-ranking security over substantially all of the assets of the issuers and the guarantors, presumably including the heritage cars and the Woking headquarters,” Caitlin Carey, an analyst at credit research firm Covenant Review, said in a note, referring to the town in southern England where McLaren is based.

"The proposal to transfer the real estate and the historic car collection as a guarantee to new lenders would reduce the security package for existing bondholders and lower their potential recovery in case of insolvency or liquidation, the people said."

[PTRACER]

But McLaren are it seems in quite deep financial do-do as a group. (ie not just F1)

I did suggest a while ago that we would lose teams or venues due to this situation...I did not expect McLaren and Renault to be on the danger list.

[Ruslan]

McLaren is backed by Saudi investors though, aren't they? So the Saudis can just plug in the gap whenever they feel they sold a few barrels of oil. On the other hand, WIlliams is a listed company so there are a number of factors here. It can dilute the shareholding to raise equity or put some more bonds out. Not sure how healthy the balance sheet looks for that. Its share price has dropped by about EUR1 in the last few months or so which is hardly a big deal considering trades are being made on a company which is currently not actually generating any revenue!

The majority owner of McLaren is a Bahraini company that is "The sovereign wealth fund of the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain." It is the Mumtalakat Holding Company.

RIght, thanks for clarifying. So that means it is state owned in essence right? Meaning it has infinite sources of finance from $$$ of oil barrels produced

Yes, that is a good way of looking at it....McLaren is the stated-owned team of the Kingdom of Bahrain.