Scorpion: The sting at the tail of the grid?

[RasputinLives]

Just a quick one to stop other threads get flooded with it. The news is the a group of American and Canadian investors know collectivly as Scorpion Racing are to purchase the assests of HRT and are suppose to complete duedil in next few days and become the official owners. They plan to move the whole operation to Silverstone, which makes sense as the majority of the industry is based there.

Apparently they've stated they'd like to join the 2013 grid using the 2012 HRT cars fitted with Williams gearboxs to begin with. It all seems a bit late but, If they can get there, should the FIA make an exception to the rules and let them come play? Bernie has welcomed them but says its a bit late for 2013.

Shouldn't we be incouraging new stuff in F1? Or would they be in the way? What do we all think?

 

[Jen]

If they can produce a safe (if not fast) car and a competent team, then they should be allowed to race this season.

 

[siffert_fan]

From what appears on Autosport, this is yet another example of Bernie talking out of both sides of his mouth. On the one hand, he purportedly told the buyers that, if they did, indeed, buy all the team property (including the license) the FIA would let them race in 2013. Then in the next breath is saying that the purchase comes too late for them to race this year!

How typical of the man!

 

[MCLS]

Surely the best idea would be to spend 2013 as a development year and focus all their efforts on entering 2014 where the big rules shake up will happen, they're only gonna spend 2013 at the back anyway if they are allowed to race this season so it's no reason to not to really

 

[Jen]

If they are allowed to race this season, it would effectively equate to a whole year's testing. For a totally new team that would be an absolute godsend and may give them enough experience and ideas to be in with a shout in 2014.
The only thing they would need to master in 2013 is getting out of the way!

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

That would be easy Jen, they would just need to avoid employing Narain Karthikeyan.

 

[RasputinLives]

I think a year of testing would be perfect for them to see what its all about and how its going to work. Depends on if they could really get the car together in time.

I know a few drivers who might be dropping them an email in the next few days.

 

[siffert_fan]

I just wonder how they could acquire an engine for the 2014 season. Most teams aren't even close to having a final-spec configuration.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I would have thought that Bernie would jump at the chance of having some American and Canadian participation in F1 think of all the big bucks Bernie you know you love it....

 

[Bill Boddy]

There doesn't seem to be any mention of Scorpion in www.f1.com, so I presume that they will not be on the grid this year. Strange that the F1 site doesn't seem to have a search facility, not on the front page anyway.

 

[RasputinLives]

Can I just clarify that I meant they should be allowed on the grid and treat 2013 as a test year. Even using a car they know has no hope I'm sure they'd learn things by being in the circus than sitting on the sidelines.

Doesn't look likely though.

 

[Mezzer]

Wouldn't testing on their own be cheaper? No fees to Bernie, no testing limitations, any mistakes out of the public eye...

 

[Brogan]

Indeed.
£50 million to enter F1 + costs to trundle around at the back of the grid, most likely retiring from most of the races seems a high price to pay.

Just design a car to suit the 2014 regulations and spend all year on private test tracks, with no limit on testing kilometres, wind tunnel time, etc.

 

[Fenderman]

Scorpion are buying the team? Unless they plan to sack everyone in it and replace them with total outsiders to F1 then I suggest there is plenty of experience within the team to know what F1 is all about. A year to prepare a car for 2014 would be far better use of their time than playing mobile chicane. I also suspect that the opportunity to steal a march on Caterham and Marussia in the development race for next year far outweighs what little they might gain with track time racing a lemon.

 

[teabagyokel]

The big advantage a team going down the ∞km testing route would have over Toyota is that all Toyota's rivals in 2001 also had the advantages of ∞km of testing. Scorpion would be the only team given the chance to test all of 2013. In fact, I think Mercedes might be better off considering it .

 

[Andrea_Moda_Rules]

For some reason this reminds me of Phoenix.

What i want to know is

• Who are these Canadian investors
• Whos money are they spending and how much have they got
• Are they going to be any better then the other four owners HRT.

Maybe Im a pessimist or a cynic, maybe both, But it sounds like the last three years all over again but with a different flag on the car.

 

[Galahad]

I can recommend the article on autosport.com for subscribers about Scorpion. Apparently their plan is to run the team on the same budget as HRT and probably use a customer chassis in 2014. If true, that's disappointing.

 

[Brogan]

Disappointing and completely pointless, one would imagine.

Sadly though, for all the extra money Caterham and Marussia have spent, their results are no better when it comes to WDC and WCC points.

So perhaps they have the right idea after all?

Something has to change; F1 seems to have become an old boy's club, with no chance of any newcomers being admitted.

 

[Galahad]

Well, there's good new blood and bad new blood. The existing nine teams are doing a good job and putting on a good show. I suspect over the next eighteen months the car manufacturers will start circling and making overtures to the existing owners.

 

[Mephistopheles]

teabagyokel I could look it up but I'm feeling lazy at the moment so pray tell what is the ASCII code for infinity? And wouldn't that look good on Red Bulls side pod this year...