Identities.....

[Exoticar]

Just sitting here and reading through the Fomula 1 forums (wich I had never realized existed here 'til today) and a few posts (here and there) made me wonder if it'd be nice to have again an image of national identity in F1?

Where are the days of real manufacturers? I can still buy a Ferrari and some very fortunate ones might get their hands on a McLaren F1, but who can buy a Benetton? A Jordan?? A Williams? Where are gone the days of Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Renault .....

I miss the days of seeing an italian manufacturer with an italian driver on italian tyres.

Ferrari should try to get pirelli back in the action and ask Schumi to take itialian citizenship

Button should be driving a Jaguar or Lotus with Dunlops.

Panis with a Renault and Michelins.

Some might argue that not every country has car manufacturers (wich is true), but it wouldn't need to be a major league compagnie.

Koenigsegg, Seat, Lada and so many more are in countries not known for their automobile industries, but those same countries have given us great drivers over the years.

It would be fitting that Formula 1 doesn't end up being nothing more then glorified Indy racing.

Would like to get some feedback......... out of curiousity.

 

[vrmx]

Why Goenigsegg?
There's no swedish F1 drivers...

 

[Exoticar]

Originally posted by vrmx
Why Goenigsegg?
There's no swedish F1 drivers...

You mean Koenigsegg don't you?? As for drivers, though there might not be any swede presently, one shouldn't forget Stefan Johansson and if memory serve's me, Ronnie Peterson :-)

I may however have been wrong whereas Lada's concerned....

 

[vat_man]

You might not be able to buy a Benetton, but you can certainly buy a Renault and a Toyota.

Manufacturers are a mixed blessing - it's great while they're involved, but they can just up and walk away. Just look at sportscars - after Mercedes, Porsche, Jaguar and eventually Peugeot walked away, the backside fell out of the formula (well, that and the ridiculous 3.5 litre rule).

On the nationalistic side - it would be cool, but there's not many countries that could support it. Given the dollars involved, you really need a manufacturer involved, and those countries with manufacturers are all pretty well involved.

 

[Exoticar]

True, some manufacturers are coming back (Renault) and others have begun (Toyota), but it's still a far cry from what it has at one time been. Perhaps Bernie should look into that aspect?

I agree with you that under present circumstances it wouldn't be easy (not even feasable) for small operations to envision an entry into F1 world (though a few have dabbled over the years).

Since cost cutting is becoming more and more a subject in the FIA, maybe having some form of caping wouldn't hurt (though I can't imagine how it would be enforced or even verified).

Countries like Barheim can afford to build brand new tracks, surely those same one wouldn't have a problem creating a micro exotic/supercar company that could eventually race in F1 (take example of Saleen and a few others in Le Man).

Does anyone remember the days when there were more then 20 cars on any given starting grid?

Thanks for the input thus far ..... :-)

 

[vat_man]

Hell, yeah - I remember the early 90's where just about everyone had a grand prix team, with some old car design they found lying around with a Cosworth DFV bolted into the back of it. Remember pre-qualifying? How about the Life team? Andrea Moda? Mastercard Lola? Simtek?

Wild days...