Eike Batista is Brazil’s richest man. He is a controversial figure, who has had many ups and downs in business. His net worth is reckoned to have been as high as $34.5 billion, but the latest estimate is that he is worth $20,4 billion after recent losses in the value of the shares of the six publicly-traded companies that he controls. It is still a vast amount of money, but his stated aim of overtaking Carlos Slim to become the world’s richest man by 2015 seems a little far-fetched. Slim is reckoned to be worth $69 billion. Batista is involved in Formula 1 as a backer of Bruno Senna at Williams. The team has the support of OGX, the largest independent company for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in Latin America. In recent years he has diversified into many other ventures, including real estate, high technology and sports management. The 55-year-old, a former powerboat racer, has recently announced an interesting new deal with rising Brazilian football star Neymar. The 20-year-old has signed over the control of his career and his image rights (for life) to Batista’s Talent IMX company.
“With IMX Talent we will develop the careers of some of Brazil’s biggest sporting icons and discover more talents,” Batista said.
Neymar joins a number of other rising stars in the IMX Talent portfolio, including Olympic long jump gold medallist Maurren Maggi and sailor Torben Grael.
Neymar is much in demand and is reckoned to be pulling in as much as $1.5 million a month from his club and his sponsors. He has turned down offers from several European clubs and will stay with Santos for at least two more years.
It remains to be seen whether or not Batista will get any more involvement in Formula 1. Brazil is looking for new stars as Felipe Massa comes towards the end of his career. Senna is trying hard to establish himself as a frontrunner, but behind him are others who have struggled to find the funding to get to F1, notably Lucas di Grassi, Felipe Nasr, Luis Razia, Lucas Foresti and others.
The only problem with Batista’s idea is that some of the top F1 teams insist that their drivers sign over their image rights for the term of their contracts, which means that deals would need to be struck if a suitable Brazilian gets into that position.
On the other hand young Brazilian racing drivers will soon find there is one less track to learn their trade and develop their skills as Jacarepagua circuit in Rio is being demolished (see below link, one of the main grandstands being taken down) and the promissed new track hasnt had a single spade of dirt shifted.
Motorsport in general isnt doing well in Brazil, public interest in local events has been declining, only F1 once a year attracts large crowds, and anyone wanting to drive will soon have no option but come to Europe at a very young age. And that is a great shame.
http://sosautodromorj.blogspot.com.br/
I agree it is a shame, transplanting young hopefuls, and I didn’t know motor-sport in Brazil was so poorly serviced.
I suspect the same is not true of Go-Karts though?
That seems the obvious ladder Brazil to Europe to Blighty to F1.
It has served Rubens and Filipe well enough.
Consider Au and NZ hopefuls though, they have thriving homebase series, but still have to do the feeder formulae in England, or France, to break into F1.
So home-races are not the only factor.
How could a talent like Gilles Villenueve have remained so well hidden, from the eyes that matter, that it took so long, and a fellow driver to wake F1 up?
A local hero, but F1 non-entity, until James gave him a leg-up to a McLaren test.
Have things changed that much since then?
Colin, go-karts also have been hit by mismanagement and exploitation by organizer clubs and team owners – more or less the same thing that happened to F3 Sudam, which once was a national championship (in 94, for example, this had in its grid the likes of Zonta, Castroneves, Da Matta and Junqueira).
the homebase series situation in AUS and NHZ is doubtless better than here in BR – this year the formula series created by Massa and FIAT was finished and F3 is having a restart (as a number of times in its history), under new management this month; with a poor grid, true, but then this is the reality of most of F3 series all over (F3 Masters at Zandvoort has had very poor grids last and this year).
I see, sad but perhaps understandable in this economic climate, even for a BRIC nation.
Perhaps Uncle Rubens will use his millions to kick start a new series?
And what about the Fittipaldi family, I hear they have a bob-or-two, and nothing to do.
well, Emerson has since long strengthened his links with US motor racing, first Indy Cars and now tutoring the buildup of his grandson Pietro towards top NASCAR races. He uses to show up for the Sao Paulo Indy street race and the GP at Interlagos, and that’s nearly all about it.
Worth to note Massa lost some relatively significant money in creating a monoplace starter series that lasted only two seasons.
and Have in mind sport promotion (specially motor racing) in BR is prone to drag most of the sums put in it, presumably for its growth, but…
I do hope he helps Felipe Nazr as what what I’ve seen he appears to be the most talented of those mentioned. That plus if he gets into F1 it would be amusing listening to the commentators trying not to mixed up with his name and Felipe Massa’s.
Alex,
Considering the trajectory of both drivers, it’s unlikely Massa and Nasr will be in F1 at the same time.
Terrific meaty post Joe.
I do admire the way you introduce us to strangers, and immediately provide a complete relevant upto date biography.
No idea how you dig these facts and numbers up so quickly.
I sense you really enjoy doing such analyses, and could be described as your F1 forte.
I’m sure Massa will be surprised to learn he’s coming to the end of his career, surely he’ll be able to spin along for quite a few more seasons, like old Rubens did.
What a silly, and shallow, ambition Snr. Batista has, to be the world’s richest man by whatever. Hasn’t he learned anything other than deal spinning in his 55 years? Doesn’t he know about the eye of the needle he’s going to face?
It didn’t really serve Rubens too well in the long run though did it? But I bet he is enjoying life more now!
Third in the WDC in 2009, wasn’t bad.
Even at Williams, Paddy Head said he knew Rubens was quick enough to win, if only Williams could give him the right car.
Compare Rubens’ final seasons with say, Jacques Villeneuve… I didn’t notice any dimming of the coals in the Brazilian’s furnace.
His current struggling in the US is making Mansell look good eh?
Who on earth is Paddy Head?
Paddy Head? As in Padraig, as in Patrick: The Farnborough Volcano.
As if you didn’t know
Joe. Do you think there’s really any chance of a Grand Prix in London?
None at all.
There is a london grand prix, it’s happening right now.
Although it’s for athletes not f1. ;p
But Bernie is adamant this is a realistic proposition. Could this be anything to do with falling F1 revenues. Singapore refusing to sign without reduced fee’s. Belgium getting a 3 deal with reduced Fee’s (China last year get fee reduction) Korea in trouble…. just talking up possible future revenue streams to keep CVC/et al happy.
When involved in motor racing journalism there is only one guaranteed path on investigation: follow the money. If you can show me who is going to pay the hundreds of millions of pounds needed for a race in London, I will happily accept it as a reality. I just do not see how it can possibly happen, forgetting all the practical/legal/political elements. Finance is key and there is none.
I’m not sure that I would want to sign over rights to my image and career for life at such a young age. We all know how badly that tends to go wrong in the record industry for the labels when it goes to court.
I wonder what the termination clauses on the contracts lhat Batista is handing out look like? I can’t imagine many of these young stars would be prepared to put up with the metaphorical hand cuffs, if they ever became a World Champion.
I have been impressed with Razia’s racing in the last few GP2 races. I think he deserves a shot at F1 if he can get the funding.
The problem for Razia is he has shown well in the last few races, but has he done enough to brush aside three seasons of indifferent performance?
Leigh, I share the same view, Razia lacked brilliance in the seasons before this one and after his only win at Monza ’09; brilliance I had seen him display in F3 Sudamericana; my impression is that he got somehow laidback, fascinated by and enjoying life abroad, though never loosing sight of challenging for wins when he get all aspects right, what seems to happen in this 2012 season.
Razia and Nasr were both raised inside motor racing environments (Razia started in Bahia local autocross races in which his father took part, only after he did one Brazilian kart championship, which he won in the top category, and Nasr is nephew of an ex F3 racer and currently a team owner from Brasilia-DF).
Interesting to note that they dont have Ayrton Senna’s glorious career and image as starting point to theirs; it is all down to their own homes context.
please read ‘only after that he did kart’
Sounds about right. Good points.
I think it’s creepy when young people sell the control of their career and the rights to their image for life. That’s a pretty long time.
It is quite difficult to see another Brazilian talent in motorsports. There are no investments in the base of motorsport to help Brazilians to develop their driving skills. Only the richests can move to Europe in their earlier days in orther to compete in small formulas. There are no small series in Brazil and the old SouthAmerican F3 which used to be the best school for young drivers in Brazil has almost finished. The circuits are destroyed and the government is giving more attention to the 2016 Olympics and motorsport is dying.
I doubt that transferring image rights at a later date will not be a problem, providing that suitable compensation is agreed with the teams. That currently happens in football: when the players are at a small team the management has their rights, but then if/when they move to a big club the club buys those rights. It’s how the manager makes the real money.
Again, in F1 the smaller teams will be glad of the sponsorship cash the drivers bring and the bigger teams will just buy the merchandising rights as part of the driver’s contract. Everyone’s happy.
Well Razia is fighting tooth and nail with Valsecchi for the title this year, so will be interesting to see where they end up as they’ve had quite a few years each in GP2.
Nasr has done ok but for taking to GP2 like a boss see James Calado for a demonstration of how to do it (although a lean weekend at Silverstone hasn’t helped)
regarding the Brazilians in GP2 this season, I wonder if the competition in the World Renault Series is not harder, due to a greater number of talented drivers.
If good looks and a pleasant personality were enough to bring success in F1 then Senna would be tops. He is also lucky to have as his teammate a model of gentle mild-mannered charm from which to learn…
The fear is that, as Joe has hinted in his post on Bottas, Williams view him more and more as a replacement. Probably likely if they can find increased sponsorship for Bottas. Then we will have no Brazillians drivers in 2013. Bruno must up his game to stay in. I’m pretty sure he can do that, and Bottas will end up having to wait.
Not directly relevant I don’t think, but the first word of this post I misread, and as a result have been unable to divorce my mind from a famous Danish [if that's what she was] actress of the Peter Sellers era, surname Sommer. I blame Joe and failing eyesight for lost time.
From Wikipedia (FWIW)
Elke Sommer
Born Baroness Elke von Schletz
5 November 1940 (age 71)
Berlin, Germany
Sigh. I must do a picture search sometime..
WOW !! Just done a pic search, quite a magnificent screen image in her twenties.
Joe, please, if you still have a place to fill on your quota of VIP guests for Hockenheim, why not invite Elke Sommer?
I bet at 71 she can still put today’s vacuous glamour acts in the shade. Plus, as Tim says, she’s a local girl ?
She was the leading lady in A Shot In the Dark, which created Peter Sellers as the first best to George Sanders, then and now a great, for the whole legend of The Pink Panther.
This was the beginning of the end of Blake Edwards, as his ego demanded more and more, never matching equal to Breakfast In Tiffany’s, or Shot.
Since A Shot In The Dark was out when I was a boy, I count Elke Sommer as a all time great actress. Hormones. Infatuated.
Maria Gambrelli is BEAUTIFUL . . . I MEAN INNOCENT . . Hercule, think of the logic!
I think the number of drivers racing from Brazil is quite high in fact – it’s just that they are racing everywhere but in their own country! FYI: Can someone please tell RB he is wasting his time racing in Indy Car? It’s painful watching him tool around at the back of the pack in that POS equipment they’ve given him.
Massa may be surprised to learn that he’s in the twilight of his F1 career however, the fact of the matter is that it’s exactly where he is. Can’t see him going on as long as RB did; there’s just too many more people out there that would be driving the wheels off that Ferrari. He just isn’t producing the results and hasn’t done so for a long long time. He’s a million miles away from the driver that produced that stunning ‘champions’ drive at Interlagos in 2008. That deserved to win the title for hime on its own and it’s a shame that he just fell short to Lewis limping home ahead of a knackered Timo Glock. Having said that, Silverstone produced a glimmer of hope for him but he needs much more than that. Senna (Ayrton) was my all time great and I’d love nothing more that to see the Senna name on the top step. Trouble is that, as much as I admire Bruno as a person and his work ethic, I’m not quite convinced that he’s got that something extra to make the difference. Great to hear that he’s got the financial backing though.
More, late afternoon, than twilight, I suspect.
Massa would be snapped up by the Teams lower down the grid.
He’s learned a lot since his wild days at Sauber.
Getting away from Snr. Alonso will be enough to revitalise him, it’s all psychological. He’s got a good few seasons yet before being put out to grass.
The only thing I can say: It’s a shame Lucas di Grassil not be on the grid. No doubt he is the best Brazilian driver since Ayrton Senna. Always destroyed his teammates in the youth, including some who came to F1 in good teams, like Di Resta, Petrov and Buemi. He still won Kubica and Vettel in Macau. He always had the best results possible with the equipment they gave him.
Unfortunately today the driver paid for his place. And here preferred to invest in famous surnames (Senna, Piquet) than in excellent drivers, like Di Grassi.
Joe,
Happy Birthday & Joyeux Le Quatorze Juillet!
Happy Birthday Joe!!
I saw a clip of Lewis doing a doughnut at The British GP Did this really happen? It would have been great to have seen that on the coverage.
All the best!!
Iain
Interesting to see that Williams will no longer display the “Senna” logo on their car in memory of the great man. I never believed Bruno was hired by Williams for his sponsorship money or his “potential” as a driver. He was hired because the team still bears the cross of Ayrton Senna’s death. Justified or not. Bruno has served his purpose to Williams and will be replaced in 2013. I will never forget the FW16.
Why are we forgetting that we still have Ayrton’s nephew racing. Yes, he’s been a dissapointment but still he’s Senna..