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Old 17th November 2013, 20:56   #136
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by negativeH View Post
Would love too see Perez put in an SFI. His finance could really pump them up.
But that would mean replacing Adrian Sutil, which would be bad. His career has gone to the dogs after his brawl.

Maldonaldo looks a little too complacent for a guy with no drive for next year, my guess is his Lotus deal is done. (which would also explain Hulk not wanting to jump into Lotus already).
Hulk has already mentioned that he declined the Lotus offer for the last 2 races since they didn't offer 2014 seat along with it. If Lotus is still unsure of hiring Hulk even after the deal with Quantum, it could mean they are still short of cash.

With a realistic prospect of Kimi finishing #5 in WDC and Lotus at #4 in WCC, they might be ending up with a lot less cash than what they would have estimated in October.

P3 in both championships were probably their target before Abu Dhabi and they might have counted a lot on that to ease their financial position.

Kimi ending up with #5 or #6 in WDC is something they wouldn't have imagined even in their wildest dreams but a 1-2 finish from Webber and a decent finish from Hamilton today could put Kimi down to P5 today itself, with the risk of even Rosberg catching up by last race in case he manages a podium in one of the races.

They seem to be doing a lot of spin control and PR to hide their actual situation hoping for a better result. I'm guessing they'll play safe till the Brazilian GP is over.
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Old 17th November 2013, 21:43   #137
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by zenren View Post
Hulk has already mentioned that he declined the Lotus offer for the last 2 races since they didn't offer 2014 seat along with it.
Yea, that is what I meant. If they were hesitant to still confirm an offer for him for next year, they never will be certain.
IMO if Hulk smelled a possible move for next year, he would have jumped into Lotus this weekend.
A possible argument could be that reportedly Sauber haven't paid him his full salary, and he could not risk the contract for that. But doesn't seem that deterrent given Lotus' scope for next year compared to Sauber.


Quote:
With a realistic prospect of Kimi finishing #5 in WDC and Lotus at #4 in WCC, they might be ending up with a lot less cash than what they would have estimated in October.
Yea, that makes a lot of sense. Also explains importing Kovalinen, and approaching MSC (PR bonanza).
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Old 18th November 2013, 10:14   #138
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

I think Force India would do good purging both it's drivers down the drain. Di Resta keeps moaning how good he was when Lewis / Seb were in the junior formulae and Sutil is already a spent force. You need brighter sparks.
I think Mallya should opt in for the Hulk (talent) and Perez (money brings talent) . This should take care of any financial problems which the team might face.

Lotus will hire Maldo for his money. They better watch out for his loud mouth.
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Old 18th November 2013, 13:07   #139
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by polopm View Post
I think Force India would do good purging both it's drivers down the drain. Di Resta keeps moaning how good he was when Lewis / Seb were in the junior formulae and Sutil is already a spent force. You need brighter sparks.
I think Mallya should opt in for the Hulk (talent) and Perez (money brings talent) . This should take care of any financial problems which the team might face.

Lotus will hire Maldo for his money. They better watch out for his loud mouth.
1 good driver - Hulkenberg
3 paid drivers - Maldonaldo, Perez, Sirotkin.
3 drivers without form and sponsorship - Gutierrez, Sutil, di Resta
5 seats at struggling mid field teams - Lotus, Sauber, Force India

Interesting possibilities ahead.

If Lotus takes Maldonaldo + PDVSA bundle and Sauber gets Perez + Telmex bundle, what would Force India do even if they manage to get Hulkenberg?
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Old 18th November 2013, 14:36   #140
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by zenren View Post

If Lotus takes Maldonaldo + PDVSA bundle and Sauber gets Perez + Telmex bundle, what would Force India do even if they manage to get Hulkenberg?
Excellent pickle.
FI gets Hulk and takes in Sirotkin. You need the talent and you need the money too
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Old 18th November 2013, 15:59   #141
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by polopm View Post
Excellent pickle.
FI gets Hulk and takes in Sirotkin. You need the talent and you need the money too
Sauber taking Perez and not retaining Hulk would mean they'll be giving the other seat to Sirotkin. They still have the option of retaining Hulk and getting Perez back if Sirotkin does not cry for the second seat. End of the day, if they end up last in championship due to lower quality drivers, the sponsorship will only be compensating the loss in prize money.

If Force India hires Maldonaldo, they will be a true global team - Indian owners and name, HQ in UK and funded by Venezuelan government!
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Old 18th November 2013, 18:17   #142
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

Sirotkin for Sauber is a done deal, isn't it? And if Hulk does manage to move away, I guess Sauber would want to retain Guetti, he's done a decent job.

DiResta has been whining a lot this season, and that has seeped into his performances in the latter part of the season.
Sutil, he's one of my fav's, but I guess he's a tad below par now.

Perez + DiResta should be good for SFI.

Read Today that Eric Boullier is keen to lock up Hulk for the next season; but their financial package is still not done. :/

Maldonaldo might just have nailed his own coffin after accusing Williams of such treachery.
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Old 18th November 2013, 18:35   #143
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

The Quantum Sports deal seems unlikely at this point. Lotus will end up taking Pastor and the oil money, and Nico will end up without a decent seat. Shameful, esp. after Pastor's antics on Saturday.
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Old 18th November 2013, 20:50   #144
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao View Post
The Quantum Sports deal seems unlikely at this point.
Any sources for this info?

Based on the reports I see, the deal is still on but they are still sorting out some of the issues involved in transferring the funds to Genii.

Quote:
The consortium comprises members of Far Eastern royal families and Middle Eastern families, with the primary investor being a major oil and gas conglomerate in Abu Dhabi.

That particular investor chose to pay in the form of treasury bonds rather than cash due to it apparently being an easier process, only for major issues to arise which have resulted in delay after delay.

It would appear the hurdles have finally been overcome, although the proof of the pudding will be when the finances finally land in the bank account of current owners Genii Capital.

Ijaz, a trained nuclear physicist but who has worked in investment for the last 27 years, told Press Association Sport: "We believe sometime this coming week this whole process will be completed.

"It has been real hell to get it done, but to be clear, the money exists, and our desire to conclude the transaction is without any doubt, so there is no possibility this deal will not happen.
Source: http://www.foxsportsasia.com/motorsp...-of-Lotus-deal
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Old 18th November 2013, 23:03   #145
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao View Post
The Quantum Sports deal seems unlikely at this point.

Quote:

Quantum Motorsport has promised its funding will come through this week, with investor Mansoor Ijaz saying the money has been delayed by compliance checks.

"We're still very much going to join them [Lotus]," Ijaz told Sky Sports. "We have done what we need to to make sure that the assets from our portfolio were released.

"We live in a world where the banking compliance frameworks and the way in which international transfers work are quite complicated. We're not talking about moving small sum of money and every time you have Middle East investors involved in a transaction where the monies are coming directly from the Middle East, the complications can be quite significant and the compliance process can take some time.

"We will not quit this week until we finish it and we will finish it this week."
Source:
http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/s...PX9EglOJLyF.99
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Old 18th November 2013, 23:20   #146
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by zenren View Post
Any sources for this info?

Based on the reports I see, the deal is still on but they are still sorting out some of the issues involved in transferring the funds to Genii.



Source: http://www.foxsportsasia.com/motorsp...-of-Lotus-deal
Quote:
Originally Posted by negativeH View Post
Quantum has been re-iterating their intent for some time now, but time is running out fast to close the deal.

I actually want this deal to come through so Lotus can take Nico on merit (which is the team's first choice as well), instead of getting Pastor or Sergio for the money. But we're approaching the end of season, and there's only so long the team can wait before taking one of the other available options. Every day spent like this will jeopardize preparations for 2014.

Edit: Not to mention that Mansoor Ijaz never seems to mention anything factual or verifiable, just claims of intent and his 'international connections'. The only known facts so far are that Quantum first showed interest in Lotus in May 2013, and the deal is yet to go through. Gerard Lopez was quoted saying just yesterday that Lotus won't wait much longer for Quantum to sort their stuff out.

Last edited by Chetan_Rao : 18th November 2013 at 23:44. Reason: spelling, and additional points
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Old 19th November 2013, 07:55   #147
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao View Post
Quantum has been re-iterating their intent for some time now, but time is running out fast to close the deal.

...

Gerard Lopez was quoted saying just yesterday that Lotus won't wait much longer for Quantum to sort their stuff out.
Ok, I got where you are coming from and the end result might be the same irrespective of whether they get the deal or not, if its not done by next week.

Quantum deal or not, Hulkenberg wont wait longer than next couple of weeks for sure. He already has an offer from Sauber and given the fact that Perez has suddenly jumped into the equation, Hulk might be keen to ensure he has a seat for 2014 by signing up with Sauber for another year.

Even if Lotus and Hulk want to delay the signing till the Quantum deal is finalized, Sauber might want some clarity for their lineup and might settle for Perez if Hulk is not ready to sign in the next few weeks. That's a gamble Hulk cannot and will not take at this point since his seat at Lotus is not assured.

The moment Hulk becomes no longer available, Pastor is the next logical choice for Lotus and the Quantum deal is no longer needed for them. Respect for Kimi has also increased btw since he clearly anticipated all this and decided to return to Ferrari

Sad to see the least talented of the 3 drivers having maximum confidence for next year's seat and the most talented guy having the least!

Starting to feel that F1 may not be a sport after all. It used to be, but based on where its heading, its unlikely to continue that way!

Last edited by zenren : 19th November 2013 at 08:00.
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Old 19th November 2013, 12:39   #148
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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Originally Posted by zenren View Post
Ok, I got where you are coming from and the end result might be the same irrespective of whether they get the deal or not, if its not done by next week.

Quantum deal or not, Hulkenberg wont wait longer than next couple of weeks for sure. He already has an offer from Sauber and given the fact that Perez has suddenly jumped into the equation, Hulk might be keen to ensure he has a seat for 2014 by signing up with Sauber for another year.

Even if Lotus and Hulk want to delay the signing till the Quantum deal is finalized, Sauber might want some clarity for their lineup and might settle for Perez if Hulk is not ready to sign in the next few weeks. That's a gamble Hulk cannot and will not take at this point since his seat at Lotus is not assured.

The moment Hulk becomes no longer available, Pastor is the next logical choice for Lotus and the Quantum deal is no longer needed for them. Respect for Kimi has also increased btw since he clearly anticipated all this and decided to return to Ferrari

Sad to see the least talented of the 3 drivers having maximum confidence for next year's seat and the most talented guy having the least!

Starting to feel that F1 may not be a sport after all. It used to be, but based on where its heading, its unlikely to continue that way!
If the most recent interview with Eric Boullier is anything to go by (it was on Sky Sports post-race, can't find it now), it seems Nico is no more the de-facto choice even if the Quantum deal goes through. That money is apparently not enough by itself to secure the team's budget, and Lotus might still go for Pastor and his oil money. Eric seemed really uncomfortable when probed directly about driver choices, and both him and Mansoor dodged the question with vague answers. Mansoor's position is Quantum coming on-board will attract a major sponsor going around F1 at the moment, which does point heavily at PDVSA, as Telmex is already involved with Sauber and may continue to do so, in case Nico goes elsewhere and Sergio takes the second Sauber seat.

Fishy business, and definitely not confidence inspiring.
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Old 19th November 2013, 13:02   #149
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Its true that Quantum wants Hulk, but you need to spill the bucks before you put any demand on the table. EB has already mentioned in one of the interviews that Hulk is on the way to a competitor team and its happening the way EJ had predicted sometime back that Hulk is heading to FI.

There are also reliable tweets about Maldo going to Lotus. I think Lotus will get the Mafia vinyls, "You hit me, we hit you"

Last edited by anachronix : 19th November 2013 at 13:06.
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Old 19th November 2013, 13:15   #150
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Re: The 2014 F1 Season

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There are also reliable tweets about Maldo going to Lotus. I think Lotus will get the Mafia vinyls, "You hit me, we hit you"
or better " Keep distance or else I will hit you" , may be not.

I so wanted Hulk to be in Lotus. Can hardly wait for the next year F1 action.
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