A group of Indian investors to buy BMW Sauber??

[Prince.M5]

I found a news that a group of Indian investors willing to buy the team with an offer around 50 Million Euros...
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A group of Indian investors have made an offer to buy the BMW Sauber team.

BMW announced that it will pull out of Formula One at the end of year due to the costs of competing and a lack of results.

However, team boss Mario Theissen has vowed to continue developing the team to attract new investors and ensure the survival of the Hinwil and Munich outfit.

That lifeline could come from an Indian consortium, according to a report by the Times of India.

“Indian investors have made an application to purchase the BMW-Sauber team,” the newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying.

The group is believed to have placed an offer of around 50 million euros and the deal would see the arrival of Swiss driver Neel Jani, who currently features in the A1 GP series and whose father is Indian.

However, Theissen has confirmed that there are other potential buyers.

“There are several interested parties and we are just about to evaluate the individual proposals,” he explained.

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What do you guys think about this??? Dr. Mario Theissen is going to sell the team for 100 million euro...

Source from Formula1.net = News

 

[prisonermonkeys]

He might sell the team, but that doesn't guarantee the Indians a berth on the grid. No, BMW will have to re-acquire the grid position first; they can't sell and then see everything fall through if Prodrive or Epsilon get the spot.

 

[Prince.M5]

He might sell the team, but that doesn't guarantee the Indians a berth on the grid. No, BMW will have to re-acquire the grid position first; they can't sell and then see everything fall through if Prodrive or Epsilon get the spot.

Yeah exactly...

 

[prisonermonkeys]

And I have to wonder: would these guys even be interested if Force India's Spa result never happened?

Call me a cynic, but it sounds to me like they've gone "Yeah, we can do that!"

 

[Ardius]

And I have to wonder: would these guys even be interested if Force India's Spa result never happened?

Call me a cynic, but it sounds to me like they've gone "Yeah, we can do that!"

Obviously, just like many of these new teams and sponsors suddenly had a motivation after Melbourne 2009.

Thats why we should celebrate the victories by the small, independent teams. They attract new people and more interest in the sport than a fully expected manufacturer win or a team that's been on form for a long time.

As for whether this will happen, well we have Prodrive, Epsilon, Lotus-Litespeed-Proton, BMW Sauber and these guys all trying to take the spot. Only the FIA knows who will get the spot. Any of these entries are likely for various reasons.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Thats why we should celebrate the victories by the small, independent teams. They attract new people and more interest in the sport than a fully expected manufacturer win or a team that's been on form for a long time.

That's true, but one has to wonder how serious thy are. Victories by small, independent teams can only be a good thing, but they're the exception to the rule. This consortium has to realise it's going to be a case of pushing an elephant up the stairs if they want success.

 

[Ardius]

Indeed, we will have to see how serious they are. But even if they only supported the team for a year, its better than nothing at all - at least perhaps then we won't be in so tough economical times and it will be easier to find more interest.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Well, I honestly think it's going to come down to Epsilon and Prodrive, though I did hear the wacky rumour that if the FIA cannot separate them, they may actually open up a fourteenth grid place and let both in (but if a current team withdraws, we go back to thirteen). Of course, if they do that, you can expect the endless lawsuits from everyone who missed out because the FIA only opened up the additional extra grid place at the end of the process instead of from the very beginning. But I think twenty-eight cars will be too many at places like Monaco. Awesome, but too many all the same.

 

[Peter]

Didn't BMW already reserve a spot for 2010? Isn't it simple enought for someone to buy the team and wait for 2010?

 

[Ardius]

Didn't BMW already reserve a spot for 2010? Isn't it simple enought for someone to buy the team and wait for 2010?

No, they didn't sign the concord agreement and only got automatically entered by the FIA as a current competitor - that doesn't reserve or confirm their participation.

Well, I honestly think it's going to come down to Epsilon and Prodrive, though I did hear the wacky rumour that if the FIA cannot separate them, they may actually open up a fourteenth grid place and let both in (but if a current team withdraws, we go back to thirteen). Of course, if they do that, you can expect the endless lawsuits from everyone who missed out because the FIA only opened up the additional extra grid place at the end of the process instead of from the very beginning. But I think twenty-eight cars will be too many at places like Monaco. Awesome, but too many all the same.

Hmm, doubtful, though I don't see 28 being a huge problem, even at Monaco its not like back in the late 80s where some teams were so off the pace they were a danger and were filling the circuit with mobile chicanes. At least these teams would be at least on the pace.
Think about how many people get lapped nowadays, its a relatively small number. So too much traffic isn't really a problem anymore.

Pit space/garages may be a problem, but surely they can fit an extra team in if they can fit all the GP2 teams and equipment as well? There are ways around this and solutions, so its not an impossibility. Not having refuelling equipment and the associated crew should help a little. There are numerous ways they could cut down the teams or make more space.

I personally think Litespeed-Gascoyne-Lotus-Proton have a pretty good chance as well, at least similar chances to Epsilon because they apparently have the backing and the technical expertise. They could feasibly use the Toyota engines that Williams may not be using considering Lotus Cars' current relationship with Toyota. But if Cosworth could supply a fourth team, I doubt they would mind as much as Prodrive clearly do.
Prodrive really really really want the Merc engines. If Red Bull also get Mercs, would Mercedes supply a 5th team? I doubt it.
I've never rated Epsilon at all as a team, they don't seem to have much focus and I don't understand all the fanfare surrounding them. How are they any better than Litespeed F3 as a team? I realise they have had more success and more history but its not like they are so far superior that they are more credible as a Formula 1 entry, I don't see the defining element that makes them more likely an entry.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Hmm, doubtful, though I don't see 28 being a huge problem, even at Monaco its not like back in the late 80s where some teams were so off the pace they were a danger and were filling the circuit with mobile chicanes. At least these teams would be at least on the pace.
Think about how many people get lapped nowadays, its a relatively small number. So too much traffic isn't really a problem anymore.

Pit space/garages may be a problem, but surely they can fit an extra team in if they can fit all the GP2 teams and equipment as well? There are ways around this and solutions, so its not an impossibility. Not having refuelling equipment and the associated crew should help a little. There are numerous ways they could cut down the teams or make more space.

Well, for now it's only the meanest of rumours; I've only heard it in one place, and I don't set much store by it.

I personally think Litespeed-Gascoyne-Lotus-Proton have a pretty good chance as well, at least similar chances to Epsilon because they apparently have the backing and the technical expertise. They could feasibly use the Toyota engines that Williams may not be using considering Lotus Cars' current relationship with Toyota. But if Cosworth could supply a fourth team, I doubt they would mind as much as Prodrive clearly do.

I guess that if Manor can make it, Litespeed can too. I'm still unsure about it all, though, probably because we don't know much about it. We don't know how the Malaysians fit into the picture regarding the Lotus name - I suspect they're either backing or have bought out the Litespeed effort - and details have been fairly vague for the time being compared to the others; these Indian guys apparently want to put Neel Jani back into a racing seat because he's half-Indian or something.

Prodrive really really really want the Merc engines. If Red Bull also get Mercs, would Mercedes supply a 5th team? I doubt it.

I doubt they'd be able to, either. They might have gotten a special provision to supply three teams this season because Brawn needed engines, but I doubt the other teams will extendthem the same courtesy here. Especially if Mercedes supply Brawn, Red Bull and McLaren, arguably the three fastest cars on the grid, with Force India moving up through the ranks every day.

Besides, if the thirteenth team were given permission to run something other than Cosworth, you know USF1, Campos and anor would have something to say about it. Personally, I don't believe the thing about the Cosworth being three to four seconds a lap slower than everyone else. There is simply no way the FIA would allow the new teams to run something like that because it would kill them very, very quickly. And I don't think Cosworth would carry on with it, knowing that their engine is that bad.

I've never rated Epsilon at all as a team, they don't seem to have much focus and I don't understand all the fanfare surrounding them. How are they any better than Litespeed F3 as a team? I realise they have had more success and more history but its not like they are so far superior that they are more credible as a Formula 1 entry, I don't see the defining element that makes them more likely an entry.

Yes, I have heard they're a bunch of no-hopers who can't sit still long enough to see a project through to the end ... but maybe they can this time. Back when we had the budget cap of forty million Euros, Joan Villadelprat said he'd secured sixty-five million Euros' worth of funding. That spoke to me of common sense; he clearly recoginsed that some thing would be exempt from the budget cap whereas some of the other teams didn't.

 

[Ardius]

I heard that Cosworth can only supply 3 teams maximum, so the argument that the other 3 teams would complain is not going to happen.
Whoever replaces BMW will have to use something other than Cosworth, regardless if they like it or not.