Q: One question: What will happen when Hamilton pushes Leclerc off on the outside of a turn?
Ben Malec, Buffalo Grove, IL
CM: We get great drama. But I think with where they are in their careers, and what we’ve seen in Mercedes recently too, Hamilton is generally very firm but fair, and takes responsibility if he crosses a line. I’m not saying it will be smooth, but I don’t predict enormous fireworks in terms of their relationship.
Q: I’m going to assume this question will anger some of the die-hard fans but I think it’s worth asking: Is the Andretti name really that relevant today? Specifically, do F1 fans of the younger, casual, and/or “Drive To Survive” generation really care or even know about the Andretti name? And if they don’t, what incentive do they have to care? This is with regard to the statement about Andretti benefiting more from F1 rather than vice versa.
In my opinion, I think the value of Andretti is vastly overestimated when you consider F1 has a global audience of different ethnicities and demographics, the DTS effect of newer fans, and arguably is more engaged with drivers than it is with teams. And not to disregard Andretti’s achievements, but most of those achievements came in the ’90s and before, and has few significant achievements to show in the last decade.
Andrew
CM: There’s definitely an argument for that, in the sense of it not being as relevant globally to boost F1 commercially. It is clearly one of the most relevant names you can find in motorsport, but that alone doesn’t provide value and resonance in the same way that perhaps even Cadillac does more generally across the world.
There are far more road users than F1 fans, and therefore a far bigger market of people who are likely to have heard of Cadillac than they are of Andretti.
But as I’ve stated elsewhere, that still doesn’t make F1’s point a good one in my view. Mercedes is in F1 to help boost its brand, so is Red Bull, so too are McLaren and Aston Martin, and even though it tries to act differently, Ferrari’s name is synonymous with the sport too and would be impacted to some extent if it were no longer part of F1.
Every brand is using the huge marketing platform the sport and its fan base provides, and Andretti is no different. So I don’t see any reason why F1 should expect a team name to be bigger than the sport itself.
Q: I usually write in as a passionate IndyCar fan, but had to ask about the barriers to entry regarding Andretti. I have two questions — one for Chris, and another for Kelly.
Chris: Is Formula One Management (FOM) just waiting it out until the next Concorde Agreement to bilk a ridiculous sum of money from Andretti for their anti-dilution fee?
Kelly: If Andretti changes his mind about F1 and decides to jump into NASCAR (with GM as their engine supplier), what do you think NASCAR’s reaction/team reaction would be?
Rob, Rochester, NY
CM: That’s a big aspect of this. An F1 team is worth far more than the $200m anti-dilution fee suggests (even though that’s meant to be a way of compensating the existing teams so they don’t lose out financially by someone else joining), and that figure was put in place at a very different time for the sport.
As pointed out in other answers, Andretti knows that too and it’s one of the reasons why it made so much sense to the project to try and join now. A much higher number doesn’t necessarily price Andretti out at all, it just needs to still make business sense for both sides — that it shows the value of an F1 team, compensates the existing teams and doesn’t cost FOM more money, plus still leaves Andretti with an asset worth at least as much as the investment cost.
KELLY CRANDALL: I have no reason to believe the reception would be anything but positive. NASCAR and others in the industry have always spoken highly about welcoming new competition because it’s good for the sport. Hypothetically, if Andretti were to enter the sport and put forth a serious effort then it’s a win-win for everyone. And that’s before even mentioning the name attached to it, the attention it would bring, and the interest it would draw in seeing the journey.
THE FINAL WORD
From Robin Miller’s Mailbag, February 1, 2017
Q: In last week’s Mailbag, you mentioned Bill France Jr. as a ringleader among others in The Split. I’m curious to know what specific role he played? Was he simply promoting his series, or was there something more diabolical going on?
Also, as a big IndyCar and NASCAR fan, don’t you think it would be in the best interest of the two series to work together? Indy is growing but needs more exposure, and NASCAR needs to stop the bleeding. The fan bases aren’t as different as they were 20 years ago. Maybe it’s my because I’m a millennial and never understood the hatred between some of the other fans, but my family and friends are just racing fans and will watch any major motorsport. What I’d like to see is more double race weekends like Indy and the trucks at Texas. Any realistic chance they can have more doubleheaders?
Bob in Virginia
ROBIN MILLER: In the early ’90s CART was a pain in the ass to F1 and NASCAR in terms of drawing crowds, getting TV numbers and attracting sponsorship. For example, in 1993 when Nigel Mansell came over, CART and NASCAR were neck-in-neck on all fronts while Bernie was chewing his arm off when he saw the TV numbers in England for CART races. I think Bill France told Tony George to be his own man and not let car owners dictate policy, and encouraged TG’s idea to break away. And I’m sure France promised he’d be a great partner for all those IRL races.
In the final analysis, NASCAR and ISC were hardly interested in helping promote and grow Indy cars, and I think Tony figured that out a few years later. But what group benefitted most from The Split? That would be Mr. France’s stock car series. I congratulated him one day during the Brickyard for helping start the war and he didn’t find it funny. But Jay Frye has opened the door to ISC again at Phoenix and Watkins Glen and it seems to have some potential. As far as doubleheaders, I would think Iowa might consider it, although it’s not working at Texas anymore.