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Team boss Racing Point is not only worried about small teams

Team boss Racing Point is not only worried about small teams

11-05-2020 20:03
1

GPblog.com

The longer the corona crisis continues, the more people are worried about the fate of Formula 1 and its teams. Especially for smaller teams like Williams and Alfa Romeo is feared. However, Otmar Szafnauer, team boss at Racing Point, thinks we shouldn't overlook the factory teams.

The parent companies of Mercedes and Renault will not fall over quickly, but if they consider it necessary to stop their Formula 1 team in difficult times, they will not fail to do so. That would be a drain on the sport, is the reasoning of Szafnauer, who experienced a similar situation at Honda in 2008.

"I remember that Honda waited a long time to make a decision," he says in conversation with Sky Sports F1. "They didn't want to leave Formula 1, but it didn't look like the financial crisis would end soon. The car sales would probably not increase and so they decided to pull the plug".

Is motor racing our core business?

According to Szafnauer, at a time when a manufacturer has just invested a lot in new models that are not sold due to a crisis, the company is vulnerable. "As a major manufacturer you have to ask yourself at such a moment 'is motor racing really our core business? No, it's not."

On the other hand, he's confident that it's going to be all right. Even after the 2008 crisis, the economy picked up again and cars were sold in abundance. Until that time, it is especially important for Formula 1 to race fast again.