If you like Succession, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Melbourne, Paris, Ljubljana, Budapest, Napoli and Stepney and the old Top Gear, then you’ll love the 2022 season of F1.
No, not Chase Carey’s successful Netflix promotional series (now in its third series, with a fourth on the way) Drive to Survive (DTS) but the real thing. You know DTS: “Drivers, managers and team owners living life in the fast lane – both on and off the track – during each cutthroat season of Formula 1 racing.”
If you’re not a petrol/carbon fibre/aero wash head, then watching DTS used to be much more exciting than the real thing. But new F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali (only the third CEO in the sport’s commercial history) has overseen a move back to real reality with the deadly Hamo vs. Mad Max war; the bitter Mad Mercedes: The Road Warrior tale of members of a German racing team that are defending themselves against a roving band of marauders including two from ancient foes, the Austrians, both of which are owned by an Auric Goldfinger type character, Dieter Mateschitz (“Auric was only interested in winning, and that thirst for victory activated something within Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, that reinforced his own competitive instinct”); the Hamo “maybe I won’t race again and I won’t talk to anyone or even tweet till I’ve made my decision” story; the “will Hamo carry out his dream of becoming a fashion entrepreneur?” and the four-time F1 world champion, Alain Prost, accusing Alpine (the race team formerly known as Renault) of having “no respect” and attacking the “jealousy” of the chief executive, Laurent Rossi, after “retiring” as a consultant and non-executive director and telling French newspaper L’Equipe: “Laurent Rossi wants all the light.”
Phew!
I can’t put any more in that paragraph, but Alpine appears to also have given executive director Marcin Budkowski the flick. So, is Succession’s Tom Wambsgans based on Laurie Rossi? Music fans, bad news! Laurie is not the Laurie from French euro disco group from the seventies, Bimbo Jet.
(Who could forget the lyrics: “Come on, you, too, dance bimbo, following your compass you will come to you, to feel, to dance, to live, to enjoy The Bimbo”? Fortunately I had, until I had to write this.)
Anyway, no aspersions on either French euro disco groups or management consultants, but 47-year-old Laurie spent a couple of years at Boston Consulting Group in New York, then four years as the global automotive lead at Google, before rejoining Renault. Laurie caught the eye of new CEO and renaissance person (really) Luca de Meo.
Three things you need to know about Luke. His thesis on business ethics was the first ever in Italy. Hmmm.
He has held top jobs at most of the euro metal makers, and he is a Commendatore by the order of merit of the Italian Republic Grand Cross of Order of Isabella the Catholic. And all Al Prost has is a French National Order of the Legion of Honour.
Laurie and Luke wouldn’t care or probably don’t know Al was also crowned the best driver in the history of Formula Renault. And all Hamo has are a Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, a Knight Bachelor, 10 Hawthorn Memorial Trophies, eight world constructor championships and seven world driver’s championships.
If all that hasn’t got you onto Google to buy a sub to Foxtel or Kayo, then you must be a management consultant.
Although the Sultan, the only Australian holder of the German Republic Grand Cross Order of the 1961 BMW 1500 (saviour of the near belly-up carmaker and filling the niche left by the Isabella), artiste to the Royals (except three) and owner of the Michael McMichael Motorwerks Servicing Shop did get a strange call on Friday.
He had just picked up our WART BMW rally car from the panel beater (who, topically enough, is an ex-star tennis player – shows you where the money is), where non-structural repairs were successfully carried out to the passenger side after an (expensive) metal massage in the Adelaide Rally, when the phone (landline of course) rang. “What do you think I should do, Mick?” an English voice with a slight American accent said. “Stay in the racing caper or get into the schmatte trade?” Always the muse and not knowing what the schmatte trade is, Mick said knowingly “What would Schuey do?”
Talking of fast cars, why not bid on the 2014 McLaren P1 at the Barrett Jackson auction at Scottsdale today? Number 24 of 375 cars that all sold out before they were made, this one has been owned by supercar collector Sam Lee.
The Hong Kong-born property developer already had a Macca P1 in Europe and wanted another one for driving around Hollywood and environs. Sam commissioned McLaren Special Operations in the UK to refinish it in “Racing Chrome” like the McLaren Formula 1 racing team has its cars painted. Let’s not go into the scandals at McLaren. Don’t worry about poor servicing or high costs, Sam’s car was last serviced in August last year at McLaren Beverly Hills at a cost of $50k for the oil and grease change. Unfortunately, the Macca is limited to 350km/h but does nought to 100km/h in 2.8 seconds. I still think the 2022 Corvette, whatever you have to pay for it here in Oz, is the steal of the year.
OK, I can’t resist. Show me the Monet. Yup, five paintings by Claude Monet (Oscar to his mates) will be selling for $70m at Sotheby’s in the capital of soap dodger land in March. Most great artists, like the old bloke, don’t make money while they are alive but reap it in when they arrive at the big atelier in the sky.
Claude was no exception. They’ve been selling for $100m each. Seriously? Buy the Macca for $2m, the Corvette for $150k and waste the rest on old Feezers and old Coopers.
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