Start, IndyCar, Pocono, 2019

IndyCar CEO “concerned about our whole ecosystem” but believes teams are “resilient”

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In the round-up: IndyCar CEO Mark Miles admits he has concerns over how the Coronavirus will affect the championship, but says their competitors are “resilient”.

What they say

Miles was speaking after the championship called off its season-opening race at St Petersburg:

I think we’re concerned about our whole ecosystem. [On Friday] we had a call with all of our team owners. Everybody is taking stock in the situation. Everybody will sort and grind through it. I didn’t hear anybody thinking they weren’t going to be in business.

We will be in very regular touch with them. I think if there’s anything about IndyCar teams, it’s they’ve shown their resilience. They know how to manage. They care about their people. Right now I think even more than thinking about their businesses, they’re thinking about their employees, keeping them safe, keeping them employed.

We have real admiration for the team owners. I’m sure they’ll get through it.

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Comment of the day

Why did Mercedes decide not to continue pressing the FIA to reveal details of its investigation into Ferrari’s power unit?

Of course money talks and in a major motor sales recession even before these immensely economically damaging responses to the Covid-19 virus, the problem for the car manufacturers is only going to get worse. So of course money talks between those manufacturers who have a partnership to develop the ‘next big thing’ in cars, bigger even than electric or hydrogen engines.

Only speculation, but I wonder if Elkann gave Mercedes the full story of the FIA statement while continuing the partnership in autonomous driving. After all there is a need for trust and transparency between the partnership of Fiat Mercedes and BMW.

If Mercedes has got the full story on a confidential basis it would make sense that they no longer need to pursue the issue and it’s dog eat dog in Formula One as we are all well know. I’m alright Jack I’ll pull up the ladder. Does anybody think Red Bull, Renault, Williams would not have done the same in the same circumstances.

Not nice but then Formula One politics is not nice and never will be and never can be. Just look at the nasty politics in any sporting club even when money is not involved.
Witan

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Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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8 comments on “IndyCar CEO “concerned about our whole ecosystem” but believes teams are “resilient””

  1. My guess.

    Each motor racing series will be looking to connect all the teams simulators up, and then get “virtual” races happening between all of the drivers.

    Teams engineers will work with software engineers to bring upgrades like they do now with their simulators, Drivers already spend time in them so it’s not new to them.

    Once organisations like Liberty work out how to monetise that (and they’ll have people working on that right now) F1 and other series will be broadcast as live “esports” to replace the seasons races, or at least quite a few of them.

    1. @dbradock – instead of PU’s blowing up during a race, we’ll have simulators rebooting to install the latest Windows update. And instead of boasts of 1000 bhp engines, we’ll hear of 100 teraflop simulators (“my sim is bigger than yours”, or “my sim can beat up your sim”).

      Sorry for responding to your serious comment with a bit of flippant humour! :)

      1. Funny, but you’re opening a cam of worms! Will data rates be limited to GB per second?
        Will team setups be regulated?
        Will Pirelli mandate tyres that start to glitch over time?
        I hope it keeps light hearted :)

        1. Will team setups be regulated?

          @eurobrun – drivers can use only one desktop wallpaper for the entirety of the season, except for 1 joker race where they can change it.
          The FIA will provide 3 wireless connections (5G, 4G, 3G), and teams must use at least 2 of them during the race.

          1. Make them all use the Australian National Broadband Network – slower than a 2019 Williams.

      2. @phylyp all we’ve got left this season is a bit of humour.

        Sad part is Ross Brawn will probably steal our ideas, particularly if they’re outrageously silly.

        1. V8 Supercars has announced it will go iracing as well.

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