Thread: WEC WEC 2021 season
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Old 3 Jan 2020, 13:01 (Ref:3949670)   #93
sceptic
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Join Date: Aug 2001
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sceptic should be qualifying in the top 10 on the grid
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Originally Posted by Akrapovic View Post
The $200m figure isn't nonsense. If Toyota are spending $50m a year (which they by all accounts, are), then you're not going to build an LMP1 team from scratch, including all of the investment you'd need to make in racing hybrid technology, and then beat Toyota for an 'easy Le Mans win' on the same $50m budget. You have to go in big if you want the 'easy win'. You have to not only produce a good car quickly, you have to now take on all of the experience and expertise that Toyota have gained over this decade. You don't do that by spending the same money. And whilst you're on a reduced knowledge base compared to your very well honed competitor, doing a reduced schedule is not going to help.

You could absolutely run an LMP1 team on $50m or less. You just won't easily beat Toyota on it. And it's hard selling $50m a year to the board when your pitch is 'We probably won't win'.

The manufacturers were not going to come and fight Toyota on a dead rule set. Change had to happen. The change they've opted for isn't particularly good, but there was no option.
You also have to consider the amount that Audi were spending on their massive hospitality operation at Le Mans. You could have run a GT team for the full season for less than Audi spent on a tent in France for a week.
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