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What If Dodge Entered Formula One?
- Thread starter redriderbob
- Start date
HotCarNut
Member
I love a good fantasy as much as the next person, but c’mon. I love F1 and have been following it since the CART/Indycar split broke American open wheel racing and the “Car of Tomorrow” killed NASCAR. Dodge doesn’t have the technical resources, capital, or leadership appetite for F1. Let’s start with capital. Forget what the F1 budget cap says for a minute. The entry fee is north of $200M currently, and logically will go north of $300M if Andretti, Porsche, and VW all are added to the grid by 2026. So Dodge would have to pony up AT LEAST $500M in year one just to get on the grid between join fees, startup costs, and R&D pre-joining. Then there’s the annual cost which is capped at $135M next year and realistically will probably rise to something north of $200M as large teams bitch about the restraints and larger manufacturers join. Sure, maybe Williams and Alpine fail, but I don’t think Liberty Media will cry if they’re replaced by Porsche & VW.
Getting back to Dodge, I just don’t see them making a $700M+ investment in a sport where the cars have to, you know, TURN. Let alone trying to go racing at the highest, most competitive, and most expensive level in any arena of Motorsport. Then you have the technology transfer portion which is the crux of this argument. There’s a reason that Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes can transfer technology to road cars - they all have 6-figure cars that wealthy people are falling all over themselves to buy. Same deal with Porsche who currently does technology development in other racing platforms. Dodge can’t command $150k+ for technologically advanced sports cars, let alone the $250k+ Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin can command. The technology transfer would simply be too expensive, even if Dodge managed to relaunch the Viper at a $125k price point.
Other issues:
1. Dodge isn’t global, so can’t spread costs amongst a global performance base.
2. Alfa Romeo is ALREADY in F1, so trickle down technology transfer within Stellantis could happen now if Dodge could price to afford it.
3. America is discovering F1 with 2 races this year and 3 next year (Austin, Miami, Las Vegas), but interest still trails dramatically amongst Dodge’s target demographic.
4. American management in Auburn Hills makes “short-sighted” the understatement of the year. F1 would be a decade long slog just to be competitive. These “geniuses” can’t commit to a five year plan or properly executing a vehicle launch.
I love F1 and technology, and I love Dodge muscle, but this argument is patently absurd.
Getting back to Dodge, I just don’t see them making a $700M+ investment in a sport where the cars have to, you know, TURN. Let alone trying to go racing at the highest, most competitive, and most expensive level in any arena of Motorsport. Then you have the technology transfer portion which is the crux of this argument. There’s a reason that Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Mercedes can transfer technology to road cars - they all have 6-figure cars that wealthy people are falling all over themselves to buy. Same deal with Porsche who currently does technology development in other racing platforms. Dodge can’t command $150k+ for technologically advanced sports cars, let alone the $250k+ Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin can command. The technology transfer would simply be too expensive, even if Dodge managed to relaunch the Viper at a $125k price point.
Other issues:
1. Dodge isn’t global, so can’t spread costs amongst a global performance base.
2. Alfa Romeo is ALREADY in F1, so trickle down technology transfer within Stellantis could happen now if Dodge could price to afford it.
3. America is discovering F1 with 2 races this year and 3 next year (Austin, Miami, Las Vegas), but interest still trails dramatically amongst Dodge’s target demographic.
4. American management in Auburn Hills makes “short-sighted” the understatement of the year. F1 would be a decade long slog just to be competitive. These “geniuses” can’t commit to a five year plan or properly executing a vehicle launch.
I love F1 and technology, and I love Dodge muscle, but this argument is patently absurd.
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