Todt gives Prost a helping hand

[Gt_R]

Formula1.com
Todt: I have enormous regard for Prost 30 Dec 2001

Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt has spoken of his admiration for Alain Prost on French programme France-Inter.
The Italian Scuderia provided engines to the French team last season and the partnership was expected to continue into next year, in a deal reputed to be worth $25 million.

However, Prost's team has gone into receivership and financial difficulties have made it doubtful whether they will be able to continue operating next season, let alone whether they will power the cars with expensive Ferrari engines.

Todt spoke of his regard for his fellow countryman, and of their relationship as the team looks to extract itself from financial difficulty.

"Since the beginning of the season we provided engines to Prost," Todt said. "We did everything to help this year, and it is clear that if we can continue to help Alain Prost by selling engines and gear boxes to him we will do so. But above all, it is with him to find the finance.

"I appreciate Alain Prost and I have enormous regard for what he did as a pilot. Four titles and 51 victories, it is extraordinary. He was extremely courageous to take up the most difficult challenge of his career (by becoming a team boss) and I wish him well, but I know that it will be very difficult."

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IF anything, i would look upon this as a nice way Ferrari is helping out Prost. We all know Prost is facing serious financial problems and future uncertainty...both of which works as a cycle, ie with finance probs, you face uncertainty, and sponsors wouldn't come to you, and u end up having more finance probs etc...

And Jean Todt's public commitment of Ferrari's behalf to supply Engines and gearbox to Prost had lend a pillar of stability to the struggling team, as sponsors now know that Prost would have a competitive engine/gearbox package and support from the championship winning team and may thus be convinced that there is still prospect in Prost's team. All the praises on Alain and open support would only help in saving Prost from the brink of doom.

And for that, i'd wish them all the best to WIN and CONQUER next year's championship!

Seriously, speaking of which, i would like to use this opportunity to bring up this suggestion again -- that if the situation arises, top engine manufacturers can be 'forced' to provide engines to a 2nd team by Bernie! We all see Mercedes and BMW having extremely powerful engines and spending millions on their engine program, yet after a year is up, the engine is almost shelved...why not sell the year-olds to lower teams...i'm sure it's still better than the Asiatechs and Harts (where are they anyway?!).

[Nicholas]

I don't regard saying nice things about Prost as giving him a helping hand; those Ferraris don't come cheap . I don't know why Merc or BMW don't sell their engines, is it because they have to devote a whole team for them? Or perhaps they simply don't need the money

[jobie]

The big engine manufacturers may be reluctant to sell to other teams, because of trade secrets and also because F1 is now becomming "Manufacturer F1" as apposed to private teams.

[Adam43]

I don't think that Todt's comments are a helping hand either. Now if he were to give Prost his engines for free...

This is obviously never going to happen. And to be fair why should Ferrari give him their engines for free. (although it may make up for sacking Prost in '91!)

I support the idea of manufacturers providing customer engines. However I can see why Merc. and BMW don't. I think they could probably make a bit of money from doing it, but this amount would be minor when compared to the overall cost of their development. I think that they think that it just isn't worth it. It could dilute the development by taking away resources and effort from the main factory engine.

[Gt_R]

Ferrari had 100 odd people working on its Works Ferrari engine, and had hired an additional 40 odd people working in a seperate factory for its Customer engines to Prost/Sauber.

And instead of year-old engines, Sauber got the use of 2001 Australia-spec Ferrari engines sometime Mid-year. Don't know about the Prost deal, but i think that Sauber got what it paid for... a highly competitive semi-Works engine which is a huge bargain considering the amount of money (about $150m p/annum) Ferrari spent on developing, testing and building the engine. Sure, they could go for cheaper alternatives... like some old-Fords or Asiatechs, but are those engines competitive at all?

It's completely unrealistic to expect Ferrari to give away their engines FOC. And it's not a matter of giving engines to help. But that Ferrari has publicly lend stability, by agreeing to supply them the equipment (as long as there is cash), to the ailing team which could help attract sponsors, who now at least know that if they would sponsor the team...the team would run with some bit of competitiveness. It makes the sponsorship a less risky affair. In this respect, Ferrari had done more than her fair share to aid smaller teams.

When you consider that Toyota is coming in with the huge budget, i think no money in Millions is considered insignificant. From the sales of Customer Engines to 2 teams, Ferrari could get a return of around $50m which could be put to good use. I used to worry when Ferrari agreed to supply Prost with engines AND gearbox, but after this year, my mind's at ease that the Works team would not be affected significantly.

It's okay that now BMW and Mercedes do not supply Customer engines when there is enough engines to go around, but i think if smaller teams are facing extinction JUST because of engines, those top 2 manufacturers ought to help out for a couple of seasons.

I'm just curious to know that if Ferrari's secretive revolutionary Engine/gearbox combo is going to materialise...would they supply it to Sauber and Prost in 2003 with the risk of information leaking to rival teams?

[Maxmil]

Originally posted by Gt_R
It's completely unrealistic to expect Ferrari to give away their engines FOC. And it's not a matter of giving engines to help. But that Ferrari has publicly lend stability, by agreeing to supply them the equipment (as long as there is cash), to the ailing team which could help attract sponsors, who now at least know that if they would sponsor the team...the team would run with some bit of competitiveness. It makes the sponsorship a less risky affair. In this respect, Ferrari had done more than her fair share to aid smaller teams.

Could not have said it better Gt_R. There is no criticism due Ferrari in the matter of Prost. In addition, I see no reason why Daimler/Chrysler or BMW should feel obliged to sell their F1 engines to others. Free enterprise is still the name of the game. If keeping their designs as secret as possible is worth the sacrifice in revenues to be had from selling the year-old engines, then that is their decision to make.

[Speed]

Originally posted by Gt_R
It's okay that now BMW and Mercedes do not supply Customer engines when there is enough engines to go around, but i think if smaller teams are facing extinction JUST because of engines, those top 2 manufacturers ought to help out for a couple of seasons.

Wrong..., They're not facing extinction because of engines, they're facing extinction due to lack of ca$$$h !. If they get the money, they can afford whatever they want, i.e. BMW/Mercedes engines, is just a matter of money/business. It's a shame, International Red Cross don't have any engine for those teams... but hey if you don't have the funds, you have to look for another Series.

[Minardi fan]

It's not really a helping hand is it?

Engine manufacturers should indeed be made to supply customer engines, it would stop any future 'engine crisis'.

The Asiatech (Gt_R ) is now of course in the back of the Minardi and is totally different to the one run by Arrows last season, which was just a rebadged 2000 Peugeot engine. The 2001 Asiatech is a brand new engine. Just hope it goes quickly...

[badoer fan]

Originally posted by Gt_R
Harts (where are they anyway?!).

Brian Hart had to close down a couple of years ago, after helping Arrows with much of their own engine project. he sold much of his equipment to Paul Stoddart, including two engine tuning thingies, tht PS used to 'improve' the European engine this season

[Mr V]

the ammount of times jpm rolled to a halt on the start/finish straight this season i think it's a good idea that bmw don't decied to supply engines to a second team!!!! (at the moment at least)

[BBKing]

Helping hand? Helping mouth you mean...LOL

[Nicholas]

Originally posted by Gt_R
Sauber got the use of 2001 Australia-spec Ferrari engines sometime Mid-year.

So that's why they stayed competetive!

[djb]

I'm not sure if this would apply to Mercedes or not, but I could see that an engine manufacturer would not want to farm out their year old engines, or current for that matter, without the proper technical support purely for the fact that if another team would "mis-mechanic" them and have them always going "kapowee", it wouldn't look good for the engine company would it.

That said, I expect that running a farming out program properly would at least recoup some of the development costs, but again, the billowing white smoke aspect would have to be pretty controlled from a saving face factor.

[yossarian513]

Only 1 reason why Ferrari supplied engines...political influence Im afraid )They sure dont need the money...)

Look at the ban on berillium in 2001 that really hurt Mercedes bad- who voted for the change? Ferrari, Arrows and Prost of course...what a coincidence

On another note, Prost is a badly managed poorly structures outfit that should be allowed to go to the wall- nothing personal, bit F1 is all about market economics after all!

[ghinzani]

Originally posted by badoer fan


Brian Hart had to close down a couple of years ago, after helping Arrows with much of their own engine project. he sold much of his equipment to Paul Stoddart, including two engine tuning thingies, tht PS used to 'improve' the European engine this season

so those euroipean engines were old fords or old harts? are the engines in the minardi two seaters hart or ford? similarily what powers the arrows 3 seater? great road car that! as practical as a a mclaren gt car....

[Gt_R]

Ha..i think i can answer this one...

2001 European Engines used by Minardi are Old Ford engines which are tuned using Old Hart Engine Tuning Equipment bought by Paul from Hart...

Am i right here?