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| Geoff Collins at Virgin Racing |
Continuing with our exclusive look at the reasons for and against pay drivers, we have an exclusive interview with Geoff Collins.
Geoff Collins has a inside knowledge of how formula One works, having worked for the Virgin F1 team for two and a half years. Virgin are one of the teams that have been mentioned in many articles about pay drivers. In this interview we ask about pay drivers and get some interesting answers.
I was planning to give you some background to Geoff Collins in this paragraph, but Geoff has been thorough in answering the first question.
This interview is from the heart of an F1 team. The answers are both interesting and sometimes controversial. You have to make your own mind up. No one can tell you what your opinion should be, but this interview will help you come to a decision, following on from my last article. We will have a part 3, so keep visiting to read that.
For now, enjoy what Geoff had to say.
First of all can you tell me a little about your experience in formula one?
I ran a Formula Renault team with Graeme Lowdon, now sporting director of Marussia, for six years. I've also raced single-seaters and found out what it's like, and that I wasn't that great. Good, but not great. When Virgin started, I joined and was there for two and half years, in the PR team and as Social Media Manager. I attended 25 GPs with the team.
It's said that a pay driver is someone who brings a lot of cash or sponsors to a team, which then moves the driver to the top of their potential driver list. Is that what you believe is a pay driver? or do you have a different view?
As I said in the Bruno article (http://startinggrid.blogspot.com) there are drivers that bring a budget and drivers that don't. Pay drivers are people like Giovanni Lavaggi and Hector Rebaque. I don't believe they exist any more. If you were running a team and had to choose been two equal drivers, one of which would give the team cash - which would you pick? That's closer to the truth than how you view it. Ant Davison was a bit unlucky, but he's about the only driver I feel could have gone further. But he didn't - which means that the team managers didn't think he was that special...
Pay drivers make it difficult for drivers from GP2 and GP3 etc to get into F1. (there is a comment on my original article from a GP3 who was pretty upset about the situation. Is it fair on the drivers who come through the ranks and then can't get into F1?
They don't exist - how can it be unfair? :-) Seriously, do you think GP3 and GP2 are "fair"? Why do you believe that the GP2 Champion is better than the guy that comes seventh? They probably don't have equal budgets, and therefore don't have equal equipment. The GP3 driver in your article is a whinger that needs to buckle down and win the championship if he's that good. I'm guessing he's not.
How much do you believe it costs to buy a F1 drive?
A GP2 drive costs a couple of million, and F1 is a step up from that, and with more races. So it has to be at least double that. The numbers in your article aren't far off my understanding, but, as always, it depends.
Could having pay drivers on the grid be dangerous? I'm thinking if they are too slow and inexperienced and get in the way when being lapped.
No. They are not too slow, maybe the cars at the back are a bit but if the teams survive they will improve, and in any case they have teams telling them over the radio who is approaching. Go and watch a video of a race from the late 80s and you'll see how different/better for leading cars it is now. Personally I preferred the old way.
I had a couple of ideas to stop people buying a racing seat. One is a promotion system from GP2, the champion and the next 2 or 3 in the championship go onto a list for F1 teams with an empty seats. The other idea was to get a very good salesman to get in the sponsors. I know I could raise just as much as a pay driver by getting sponsors (only because I've been a successful salesman for many years). Have you any ideas of how the pay driver situation can stop?
They don't exist - it can't stop :-) Seriously - you have to understand the whole motorsport business, and not start at F1 and work back. If you introduced a system like that, prices for GP2 drives would skyrocket, as drivers tried to get in the best cars - which would of course be run by F1 teams...
And why would an F1 team have an empty seat? Rubens would never retire! It's unworkable. And ok, you're a salesman, but all the teams have chunky commercial departments.
Now away from pay drivers - what do you think of the noses of some of the 2012 cars?
They perform a function. Maybe the regulation needs to be re-considered.
McLaren's nose was very normal. who has got it right in your opinion?
I think the Caterham is the best solution I've seen so far. (editor/author comment - I agree Caterham have stolen a march on their rivals, great for a new team)
What do you think of the move to smaller engines with turbo power? There are a lot of people saying that it'll spoil F1 as the noise of an F1 car is half the attraction.
Nonsense. I remember 1.5 litre cars from 1965 when I was a child - and the turbos of the 80s. F1 cars are too noisy now anyway - it is painful if you don't have hearing protection. They could stand to be a bit quieter.
Does F1 need to vary its designers of circuits? I'm wondering what you think of the Tilke tracks
A monopoly of anything is bad news. I don't understand why F1 allows it to happen. Unless it's money :-)
So that's it, some great points for you to think about, and there is nothing better than getting the views from inside F1. Especially as its from someone in a new team. It's. certainly given me food for thought, I expect it's done the same for many readers. I hope you enjoyed it.
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