Mercedes Exec Dir Toto Wolff said that his team has been left with a "bitter-sweet feeling" after having to pay a record $4.8M entry fee for the 2016 Formula 1 championship, according to Pablo Elizalde of MOTORSPORT. The German car manufacturer "already had to pay a big fee for this year under the revamped system," after scoring a total of 701 points during the '14 season. But not only have the fees gone up slightly -- Mercedes must pay $6,194 per point scored, on top of a base entry fee of $516,128 -- "it has also scored two more points than last season." It means the entry fee is a record $4,870,510 -- which Wolff admits "has been painful to pay." Of the scale of its entry fee, Wolff said, "Expensive. It is always sad signing it off. It was a system being set up a couple of years ago now. It leads to a situation where if you score a lot of points the entry fee for next year is huge" (MOTORSPORT, 12/19).
| F1 Team Entry Fees For 2016
|
| TEAM |
Points Scored
|
Entry Fee |
| Mercedes |
703
|
$4,870,510 |
| Ferrari |
428 |
$2,725,036 |
| Williams |
257 |
$1,842,505 |
| Red Bull |
187 |
$1,481,235 |
| Force India |
136 |
$1,218,024
|
Lotus/Renault
|
78 |
$918,686 |
| Toro Rosso |
67 |
$861,915 |
| Sauber |
36 |
$701,924 |
| McLaren |
27 |
$655,475 |
| Manor |
0 |
$516,128 |
LOYALTY: In Sydney, James Matthey wrote F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone "had a sly jab at the reigning champions' fans, saying the team would always enjoy the favour of supporters when they are winning, but when times are tough, their fans won't be so keen to hang around." Instead, the 85-year-old "lavished praised on Ferrari's supporters, saying they were more loyal than their rival's brigade." Ecclestone: "Ferrari have an incredible fan base even when they lose. You don't find that with Mercedes. If they begin to lose, then you'll see what happens. ... If Mercedes stop winning, I don't think many people will feel any sympathy for them." Much like the world's biggest football clubs, "Mercedes has gained a reputation as a team that will spare no expense in the pursuit of glory." While that is "a perfectly reasonable approach when the results are going your way, it leaves rival fans with little reason to appreciate their success, as they view Mercedes as buying trophies" (
DAILY TELEGRAPH, 12/19).
