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    Is Apple Inc buying McLaren Automotive?

    Apple buying McLaren Automotive - Apple Takeover

    September 26, 2016 by Shane Walters

    Is Apple Buying McLaren F1 and McLaren Automotive? – Possibly

    It’s a bit of a leap to go there but it’s possible that Apple is buying McLaren. I think it’s possible something big is in the works. If they are interested in a takeover, it’s likely for the McLaren Applied Technologies division of the automotive company.

    Apple approached McLaren on a possible investment or purchase. That is according to The Financial Times, a reputable source.

    An investment from either a marketing or technology standpoint would make sense. Especially when you have $610 billion to do a bit of marketing with. However, I tend to lean more toward a possible sponsorship of the McLaren F1 Team. Among other reasons, Apple hasn’t been known, in previous cases, to take on acquisitions.

    Apple iCar Photos

     

    Could that possible Apple McLaren investment be a sponsorship of the McLaren F1 Team? Or is Apple interested in investing in future technology they could bring to their iCar. Which is no joke, well the name I gave it ‘might be’. Apple has been, not so secretly, working on a tech friendly car for years now to go head-to-head with the innovators and friendly California neighbors at Telsa Motors.

    Apple has been in a bit of a stall out as far as innovation goes. I fancy the lack of a headphone jack myself. But, this is the company that revolutionized the computer and soon after put the computer in our pocket. Yet, billions of dollars later they haven’t stepped too far outside of the phone and computer box.

    The McLaren Applied Technologies division would come along with a bit of a headache. The McLaren Formula One team is costly, $523 million costly. That was the 2015 budget of the McLaren F1 team.

    McLaren MPX-4 Concept Car

     

    The costs add up fast, very fast. As you can see from the photo of the McLaren MP4-X concept car they push the boundaries. You have to if you want to win.

    It’s a cost mostly justified by auto manufactures, with the exception of Red Bull, as they develop and test future auto technology in a highly competitive environment. The innovative technology slowly starts making it’s way into consumer cars. When you’re creating the technology in your car, it gives you an advantage against rival auto makers.

    Aside from the use of new technology in their own auto line, the F1 team does have other ways of being useful. McLaren F1 brought in $120 Million from the Constructors Championship fund, paid once per year. The fund is basically a portion of revenue generated from the worldwide television broadcasts. The sport had 600 million tv viewers in 2008, 400 million in 2015.

    Usually, McLaren would stand to make more money by finishing higher in the F1 standings as seasons end. However, they’ve been in a development stage with a new Honda engine. F1 is not plug and play. It’s an all out technology development war against other major automotive manufactures. Honda coming into F1, means they have to start from scratch and build their way to the top. Hence the $523 Million budget.

    At the same point, McLaren recently lost it’s long time primary sponsor Vodafone, aka British Verizon. Usually, sponsorship helps justify the development costs of the worlds fastest sport. In this case, McLaren appears to be holding out, in a refusal to drop the rate card as they make their slow climb back to the podium step.

    Apple buying McLaren Automotive - Apple Takeover - Header

     

    Unless… Apple is visiting McLaren F1 to display their freshly bitten Apple logo to millions of viewers, worldwide. This possible marketing partnership makes a lot of sense to me.

    They are on the same page. These two tech companies do tend share the same mindset as far as modern design goes. The are certainly on the same page when it comes to marketing style, design and ever the general design of each others headquarters.

    However, there’s more pieces of this jigsaw puzzle. Apple recently tripled it’s R&D budget to $10 Billion. In the same breath they laid off a large number of the staff working on the iCar. It’s fairly hard to increase your R&D budget and cut staff at the same time. So, it’s likely that staff will need to be replaced. Why the lay off to make room for the future McLaren Automotive Group employee’s turned Apple employee’s?

    McLaren jumped very fast to deny all possibility of an investment. But they jumped so fast to denial that is makes me believe something big is about to happen. If it was false, they likely wouldn’t care to comment.

    Here’s what McLaren had to say, “We can confirm McLaren is not in discussion with Apple in regards to any investment,” said McLaren spokesman Adam Gron. He also said, “any other discussions between the two companies would be confidential.”

    So, is Apple buying McLaren Automotive? Perhaps! At the end of this, we can only speculate. If something is in the works neither company is interested in sharing it with us at this time. Time will tell, I tend to think we are weeks away from a major announcement.

     The Financial Times valued McLaren at $1.3 – $1.9 billion.

    Author: Shane Walters

    Photos: Mclaren.com

    Monaco is Not a Racing Circuit

    Monaco is Not a Racing Circuit

    May 25, 2016 by Shane Walters

    When was the Last Successful On Track Pass for the Lead at the Monaco GP?

    Monaco GP is Not a Racing Circuit - F1 BlogMonaco is not a racing circuit. By definition a F1 racing circuit requires passes or at least some side by side racing. Following the leader, it’s more along the lines of a high speed traffic jam.

    Monaco is a narrow stone-age, street circuit traffic jam. I think you have to go back to the 80’s or 90’s to find the last on track pass for the lead. In 20-30 years, we have not seen as pass for the top spot on the podium at the biggest event on the F1 calendar, that’s crazy.

    Despite all the technology advancements to improve passing in recent years, it hasn’t helped at Monaco. We’ve added DRS, KERS and increased passing by some 300% at the other tracks, yet drivers still can’t get by at Monaco. In order to make a pass you need to touch, touching is a sin punished by fire in the world of F1.

    It’s not just the top spot either. In the last 10 years I honestly don’t believe I’ve seen a single on track pass in the top 5 positions, not one pass. Sure, I’ve seen many passes during pit stops. I guess that’s the only way to pass in Monaco.

    Qualifying is the peak of excitement for me this weekend. The race is won in qualifying. As a racing fan, I’m far less entertained from that point on.

    You risk your car and your life to make a pass at Monaco. The barriers are right next to the track, “the drink” is just on the other side of that. Safety was brought to our attention in the last decade or two of F1, but Monaco has no room for improvements. It’s truly an unsafe place to drop in some rocket ships on wheels.

    I’m not sure why F1 goes to Monaco. It’s not good for the sport. It’s the most watched race of the race, which means the Monaco GP catches the eyes of many people who watch casually as well as many first time viewers.

    Monaco doesn’t help at all for retaining these viewers and converting them to fans. They must think we just watch cars follow each other in circles. I’m a huge fan but this race is my least favorite on the F1 schedule.

    It’s more of an off track show. A-list celebrities walk the paddock with sunglasses. Camera’s flash as the celebrities gaze at the “Indycar’s”. Or so they think. After all, they aren’t racing fans, for all they know it’s an Indycar. Most of them are there for the press and the party.

    The wow and glamour factor of the Monaco GP doesn’t impress me. I’m not into celebrities, I’m into motorsports.

    Change or die. The track is a Dinosaur, virtually unchanged in decades. It’s time to move on. The track can’t by modified and F1 has no business on a one line hillside road.

    I’m a racing fan, where’s the racing?

    Written By: Shane Walters

    Mercedes F1 Inspired Oil Painting 2015-4 (14)

    May 22, 2016 by Shane Walters

    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist F1 Painting 14 2974
    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist AMG Mercedes Formula 1 Painting 14 3000
    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist AMG Mercedes Formula One Team Painting 14 2980
    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist AMG Mercedes Formula One Team Painting 14 2993

    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist Lewis Hamilton F1 Painting 14 2983
    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist Lewis Hamilton Formula One Driver Painting 14 2987
    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist Mercedes AMG F1 Painting 14 2976
    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist Mercedes F1 Painting 14 2996

    Shane Walters Art Modern Minimalist Mercedes Painting 14 2975
    Shane Walters Art Modern Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Painting 14 3001

    Modern minimalist Mercedes F1 inspired oil on Canvas painting by St. Louis based artist Shane Walters. This large 30″ x 48″ oil on canvas painting features all the colors of the Mercedes Formula 1 car in the style of motion blur.

    This artwork was created using only the highest level of oil paints and professional grade canvases available. The art should last more than a lifetime when handled, displayed and preserved correctly.


    MEDIUM
    Oil Paint

    SIZE
    30″ x 48″

    DEPTH
    1.5″

    Click here to purchase or learn more about the modern triangle painting shown above.

    BLOG: Worlds Collide As Formula One Returns To America

    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track

    November 15, 2012 by Shane Walters

    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The TrackIt’s been five long years since the premier form of motorsports has crossed the pond into the United States. Primarily dominated by oval racing fans, America’s corn fields and high rise buildings alike are filled coast to coast with rabid fans who follow the NASCAR circuit. However, this form of oval racing fails to reach the radar of anyone on the other side of the ocean. Wherever the destination, Formula One brings the world with it.

    During the 2008 season, F1 had 600 million sets of eyes glued on the television tube (per race), nearly double the U.S. population. In comparison, this makes the NASCAR viewing audience appear a small sewing circle at just 5 million. Furthermore, the cumulative F1 television audience was calculated to be 54 billion during the 2001 season.

    F1 is the undisputed polar opposite of what the general American expects to see when they enter a racing circuit. Bumpers are replaced by wings, roofs replaced by helmets. Full blown rocket ships on wheels will enter the Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas this weekend making the oversized NASCAR stock cars look like small ill-handling trucks. While in 2012 their isn’t much of anything stock on a stock car, F1 is the future of everything automotive. For years, these formula teams have laid new technology groundwork while simultaneously paving it for auto manufactures worldwide.

    The purest form of racing in the United States isn’t done on pavement. Here our tracks are carved in dirt then covered in late models or sprint cars who slide sideways and turn right to go left. While we have an equally strong base of asphalt tracks and fans, the same types of cars will be found on both with a few minor changes.

    Europe on the other hand grows their motorsports fan base through the use of karts, similar in size but much different than your Target shopping carts. These are really really fast karts, topping 125 miles per hour on a regular basis with built in, yet unnatural, seat warmers as these buttox holders scrape along the racing circuit. Karting is the only form of racing machines capable of reaching g forces equal to F1 cars as they turn on dimes simultaneously hopping over the curbs, chasing the hundredth of a second advantage.

    These two very different worlds of motorsport will again collide this weekend for the first time in five years. Tomorrow, practice 1, cars will be unleashed on the shiny new circuit for the first time. The first purpose built Formula One track ever constructed in the United States. Built around a state-of-the-art 3.4-mile circuit track with capacity for 120,000 fans and an elevation change of 133 feet, the facility is designed for any and all classes of racing – from motor power, to human power.

    Previously, the United States Grand Prix took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, that was 2007. Two years prior arguably the most controversial sighting in Formula One history, as over half the sporting teams refused to compete. These teams were obligated to use a set of tires that were faulty for the IMS banking and sure to cause disaster. Only a handful of cars using a different brand of tires crossed through turn 1. Following the event, tensions ran extraordinarily high between track owner Tony George and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone who was later quoted saying it did not matter to him whether or not there was a Grand Prix in America.

    Most importantly, as an American I’m thrilled that for this weekend only it’s not required I stay up until 4AM just to watch a practice session.

    Written By: Shane Walters

     

    PHOTOS

    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track
    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track
    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track

    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track
    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track
    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track
    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track

    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas) The Track
    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas)
    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas)
    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas)

    2012 Formula One Returns To America (Circuit Of The Americas)

     

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    I'm not here to save you. I'm just here for the ride. So, let me entertain you and everything will be fine.

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