Bob Bell, who was doing consulting work with Manor, has left the team but this is believed to be unconnected with other resignations. Bell was always expected to move on to Lotus F1 when Tenault took it over, and it is believed he has already started at Enstone.
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Manor has already moved in with Prodrive, so is this finally Dave Richard’s entry into F1? But then why mess around putiing Aston badges onto the Force Indias…?
No it is not. Nothing to with him.
At current oil prices the pressure on continued green energy subsidies increases by the day, so it would not surprise me if Mr. Fitzpatrick is in need of cash, and wouldd want his money back before the whole team goes under. I would too in his shoes, it’s sound business.
When potential investors got turned away, it became apparent that Steven Fitzpatrick wanted out partly because of the pressure on green energy subsidies by oil prices. He probably wants at least his initial investment back before things go completely south and he can’t get any of it back.
I think that he might have stayed in the F1 game if he cash flow was better and there was more sponsorship for the cars. The pay drivers only help with the costs so much.
Until there is actual ink on paper, there is still a possibility that the Renault-Lotus deal can fall apart and they could be gone from the sport too.
The shrinking grid size is not good for the sport either but the customer cars idea isn’t a good solution because it will provide Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari another way to get points and money, keep the smaller teams off the podium, with only 1 point available for a non-customer car team, and discourage entry into the sport by independent teams because the big manufacturers will have a strangle hold on the sport which they basically do now anyway.
Hi Joe. Why they are all leaving now, when future seems quite positive with Mercedes? Fitzpatrick such a difficult character?
There seems to be an issue with something along those lines
has any1 ever heard Fitzpatrick expressing desire to run the team, make it competitive and fight for the victories? Nope. It was never a plan. The plan is that now when Manor might be some 70mlj worth and debtless to sell it asap and cash in some nice 30-40mlj. End of story. All the rest is a problem for new owner(if any). And with regards of FI ‘sexy’ future, that might be the best thing ever done by Mlja to prove that not all his ventures necessaary end with fiasco
Wrong. If one talks to SF you discover great passion for the sport. The problem is not that. He has already turned down several big offers. The problem is that he is not very experienced in F1 ways and it is not like any other business.
ok. i hope You are right on that and that SF manouvres (Manor) to some better level whatever way he choses to do so. Or – were Booth & Co too modest for more ambition?
Why did Bell go to Manor when there never was a realistic intention to stay? Was in involved with Renault to scope out Manor as a team to buy?
Nah… just for the cash
Tenault? 🙂
Ted Bull!
Go and have a lie down…
Freudian slip,
thought of Renault,
inevitably brought the word ‘Tentative’
in to JS mind…!
I’m not sure I understand this comment
“There seems to be an issue with something along those lines” – I just LOVE wry!
Presumably, there are other bigger stories behind this story?
Hopefully our roving reporter will have all the answers soon.
I still find it very sad. I suppose signing a Mercedes engine deal is one thing. Paying the bills is inevitably harder.
It’s looking more like third cars next year by the hour.
No I don’t think so…
With no confirmed 2016 driver line up at Manor, Red Bull needing engines and Mr Fitzpatrick wanting a return on his investment, it would make a cheap solution.
Yes, but things are rarely simple in F1
Joe, could this have anything to do with Tavo Hellmund? Earlier in the year there was a rumor that he was lining up some investors to buy into a team. He mentioned this himself again this weekend during an interview with Buxton for NBC. He also mentioned being a few weeks out from being able to talk about a second North American GP project.
Or is it perhaps that the Hellmund offer was turned down, and they are resigning because they feel it is ridiculous that Fitzpatrick is turning down offers from investors?
There were, I believe, two offers from Hellmund, but it seems neither was in the right ballpark. An F1 team is worth what someone will accept for it
Hello joe, you wrote that Bob Bell had planned to return at Lotus once the deal between Genii and made french. without calling into question your information, that allows you to say that Bell is probably already at work at Enstone?
Matthew (from France)
Believe what you wish.
We would say that I badly expressed. I am not giving in cause your words but we read so many rumors on the internet that it is difficult to detected those which can be considered as an FYI and those which form part of the speculation
Information and not FYI