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The Saudis want to buy Formula 1 for 20 billion dollars.
Roger BenoitFormula 1 expert
When Blick exclusively reported a year ago that the Saudis were planning to buy the racing series from Liberty Media (USA), it was heavily denied. Now the offer of around $20 billion is official.
Qatar like Saudi Arabia?
For Liberty Media (the 2017 entry), it would be a bombshell. The circus was once taken over for 4.4 billion (and 4.1 billion in debt). But now the show is booming. The three races in America alone make the tills ring. And the Jeddah race brings in almost all the money from the European races.
But the immoral offer from the sheikhs from a country that is struggling with its image worldwide (like Qatar at the soccer World Cup) has divided Formula 1.
GP owners mad at FIA
The rights holders with managing director Stefano Domenicali are angry that the world association FIA with the Arab President Mohammed Ben Sulayem (only responsible for the sport) interferes in financial matters.
As with the months-long dispute over the Andretti team (with General Motors) in the back. Only McLaren and Alpine (which would supply Renault engines) are in favor of an eleventh team. The rest against.
Domenicali: «The FIA is doing its job. We ours.” It remains to be seen whether the immoral offer will be examined further. Many warn of a sponsor flight because of Saudi Arabia. But one thing is clear: there will never be a better offer!
House lawyer should fix it
In Hinwil last year, Alfa-Sauber’s election of the new “team boss” caused a stir. Why did it take so long to put the in-house lawyer and managing director Alessandro Alunni Bravi (taken from Vasseur in 2017) at the front? Officially as a team representative.
This means that the alibi team boss does not have the say in the pits, but rather the technical director, the tire strategist, the racing engineers and, above all, sports director Beat Zehnder!
Trust in Seidl
Well, the new CEO Andreas Seidl (47) has the full confidence of the Swedish team owners. The German has to do it before Audi starts in 2026. For that he needs a good car again this year.
Like in 2022, when this lightweight made a sensational start. In the end, with a lot of luck, you dragged yourself to 6th place in the World Cup. Now that would be a great achievement.
Orlen gone – Stake coming
As Blick predicted, mineral oil giant Orlen (with over 100 million customers at gas stations in six nations) has left the Hinwil team with substitute driver Robert Kubica (38, the only Sauber winner in 2008). Now the approximately ten million flow to Alpha Tauri-Honda.
And the C43 from the Zurich Oberland competes under the Alfa Romeo Racing F1 Stake. Stake.com, Australian online casino and bookmaker, has started its billion dollar climb in the US. And because one of the three founders did not move to Melbourne, he sued his ex-colleagues for 588 Australian dollars (around 390 million francs). This is now reported by the Australian newspaper Daily Mail. Is there a sequel?
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