My Team's Nationality

teabagyokel

#dejavu
Valued Member
The second anthem in the podium celebrations is the national anthem of the winning constructor. And who could deny that Il Canto degli Italiani is the fitting tune when a Ferrari driver stands atop the podium. But in this day and age of internationalism, it is less clear cut if the anthems are appropriate...

Take Red Bull, an Austrian conglomerate with two teams. Red Bull Racing's victories are accompanied by Land der Berge, Land am Strome, the national anthem of Austria, as the camera pans to a group of mechanics from Milton Keynes who don't know the words. Strangely, their second team, Toro Rosso, from Faenza, had one victory came with Il Canto degli Italiani as its accompaniment. No wonder when Red Bull won their first Grand Prix the Chinese podium rang out to the tune of God Save the Queen out of sheer confusion.

There are only three teams who's victories would trigger God Save the Queen, namely McLaren, Williams and Lotus Renault. Only Williams are unquestionably British. McLaren have been British for a long time, but would probably claim New Zealand roots if born today. Though the Lotus Renault team are based in Britain, the idea that La Marseillaise should be replaced by God Save the Queen to signify a Renault victory is as alien as the Union Jack being dropped to start the Le Mans 24 Hours. Especially since this has occured since their take over by a Malaysian company!

The Brackley mechanics will be celebrating to Das Lied der Deutschen this year for Mercedes, although their previous wins have been to God Save the Queen or Kimigayo. The Force India team is, of course, Indian. It used to be Irish, Russian and Dutch! It is based in Britain! Sauber are back to being Swiss not German, Virgin are apparently Russian too, even though they were British last year! Tony Fernandes' idea of bringing back Team Lotus is somewhat undermined by their Malaysian racing license.

By my reckoning, there are only three teams without a dual nationality in F1. Scuderia Ferarri are as Italian as pasta. HRT are undoubtedly Spanish, and have few sponsors to change that! Williams is a true British garagiste team limping into the 2010s!

So after all this, you have to ask, how can the constructor nationality concept still make sense in modern F1?
 
. HRT are undoubtedly Spanish, and have no sponsors to change that! Williams is a true British garagiste team limping into the 2010s!

So after all this, you have to ask, how can the constructor nationality concept still make sense in modern F1?

http://www.hispaniaf1team.com/ Base Batteries Sponsors Formula 1 Hispania Racing Team

The Indian Owned Battery Giant will be the official battery supplier for the Hispania Racing Team in the 2011 Formula 1 Racing Season and the following two years.

Chennai/Madrid, April 29th, 2011

Base Batteries and Hispania Racing, the only Spanish team competing in Formula 1 have reached an agreement by which the Indian battery giants will become the official battery supplier of the racing team during the 2011 season.

India loves sport and 2011 is set to be a big year for Motor Sport in the country through the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, the 18th GP of the 2011 season. This would be the first time India would be hosting a F1 Grand Prix, the sport has a huge fan following in the country, and the world over. Earlier, Base Batteries associated itself with the Canadian World Cup Cricket Team which had a measurable impact on its brand identity.
 
Hmm I think McLaren should use the British anthem, because even when Bruce McLaren founded the team he founded it as a British racing team didn't he? And they're based in Woking so it makes sense. However I dislike it when a team (such as Virgin, Team Lotus and Red Bull) has no link to the anthem played if they won.
 
I hate tribalism!

Nationalism is fine but not when it is diluted by "off road" connections.

Like it or not we all now seem to be multi-cultural - the only given is the nationality of the winning driver - (who, of course, drives for himself not his country) and that should be preserved??

P'raps the only way of judging a constructor's nationality is where they pay their taxes - if indeed they do!?
 
Hmm I think McLaren should use the British anthem, because even when Bruce McLaren founded the team he founded it as a British racing team didn't he? And they're based in Woking so it makes sense. However I dislike it when a team (such as Virgin, Team Lotus and Red Bull) has no link to the anthem played if they won.
http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/771eb4031a0061e5e294e4fb15b53e1d/compdetails
Name & Registered Office:
TEAM LOTUS LIMITED
HETHEL INDUSTRIAL ESTATE
POTASH LANE HETHEL
WYMONDHAM
NORFOLK
NR14 8EY
Company No. 01593504


Name & Registered Office:
VIRGIN RACING LIMITED
1 MANOR DRIVE
SHEFFIELD
UNITED KINGDOM
S25 3QU
Company No. 07379480

Name & Registered Office:
RED BULL RACING LIMITED
BUILDING 2
BRADBOURNE DRIVE TILBROOK
MILTON KEYNES
MK7 8AT
Company No. 03120645
 
I hate nationalism. We're all on the same planet, human beings. Animals, even! The great thing about sporting competition of all kinds is the fact that sport has transcended national boundaries and brought people together from around the globe. Sometimes I wonder if we are really in the 21st century with all the primitive hatred and manifest crap going on in some regions. Oops I'm straying ... back to the music ...

Maybe the teams should come up with their own anthems with just the drivers national anthems played for them?
 
Living in an ex Soviet country which only gained its independence in 1991 after some forty odd years of suppression the nationality issues are enforced here to the nth degree.
We have Language laws which enforce these laws.Fourteen days of every year you are required by law to fly the Latvian national flag on your house or any building which you own.A flag which is dirty is an offence.
Failure to do so results in a hefty fime.
Any advertising for any event must by law be displayed in the Latvian language before any other languages.
There are various other regulations that must be conformed with to satisfy the nationalistic regulations.
Racial discrimination is applied covertly and although I can speak Latvian my accent gives me away instantly and if I do fall foul of the traffic police for parking offences or any minor offence I am treated far more harshly than a local would be.
 
I think that Herb Alpert's "Spanish Flea" should be played to celebrate HRT's home victory this year.

For fear of directing you to the music thread it's this one:

The winning driver will, of course need to dance along. Should I write to Bernie to insist on this?
 
When cricketers come on in Twenty-20 they choose their own theme music (I seem to remember Jack Russell chose something like How much is that doggy in the window?). Maybe the drivers could choose a piece of music to be played on the podium if they win.
 
Surprisingly I do believe in Nationalism, I believe in essence it is the corner stone to national and social pride. I do, however feel it is more often mis-interpreted than sarbanes-oxley.

I believe that nationalism's mis-understanding/mis-communication starts at the Government level and goes to all levels. It has nothing to do with beating or disrespecting others, simply because it's not negative. Nationalism is a positive emotion that starts by respecting your back yard, and, logically encourages respect in the national pride of others.

Having said that, it does have it's place, and F1 has no relevance, hardly any of the new locals audiences would even recognise the anthems they hear, even fewer would have a clue regarding the relevance.

Maybe there should be a change for sponsorship, companies sponsor the "team tune", then we could have Ferrari wins celebrated to the sound of "Coke is it" - now that has a high profile sport sound to it...
 
Sporstman nails it. His situation speaks volumes about Nationalism.

I don't see Nationalism as any kind of an emotion. Its a mindset. Out of date, its usefulness and out of its time. As ably mentioned in previous posts the teams are so international and cosmopolitan in their make up F1 is much more about pride in human endeavour and achievement. I imagine the crews of the ISS looking down from orbit would concur. The world is a small place, a country is just one garden in the neighbourhood. That's my view and hope it's not offensive to anyone, anywhere.
 
The great thing about sporting competition of all kinds is the fact that sport has transcended national boundaries and brought people together from around the globe.

The World Cups (Football and Rugby)
The Ryder Cup
The America's Cup
The 6 Nations
The Tri-Nations
The team sports in the Olympics

I could go on but these are all sports where nations compete against each other.
 
The Ryder Cup? I'm not sure anyone bar frightened Daily Express readers think Europe is a nation!

So we've got Spanish flea for HRT. Any other appropriate tunes for teams?

How about the theme tune to Last of the Summer Wine for Manor?
 
The Ryder Cup? I'm not sure anyone bar frightened Daily Express readers think Europe is a nation!

So we've got Spanish flea for HRT. Any other appropriate tunes for teams?

How about the theme tune to Last of the Summer Wine for Manor?

Shame there's no more tobacco advertising, I'd definitely go for using the Hamlet theme
 
How about the theme tune to Last of the Summer Wine for Manor?

TBY this is where we have to respectfully disagree. There is only one song worthy of being a Yorkshire national anthem!

I posted it before in the other anthems thread sometime last year but if anyone is interested here's the link!
 
I'd hope one of the teams would choose something like The Garden of Eden by Iron Butterfly, can you imagine them all standing around for 10 minutes while the song went on, and on, and on...
 
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