JANUARY 7, 2002

Falling values in F1

ALTHOUGH everyone in Formula 1 likes to say that the recession will not have an effect on the sport, there is no doubt that the value of the teams has been dropping in recent months. A year ago shares in middle-ranking F1 teams were changing hands at a price that gave the team's values of around $100m. Since then however interest has faded. Alain Prost cannot find a sensible buyer for his team and Morgan Grenfell Private Equity has been unable to rid itself of its 55% shareholding in Arrows.

The sale of Dietrich Mateschitz's shares in Sauber, which will shortly be announced, will value the Swiss team at only $70m. The price is in part a reflection of the fact that the shares give the buyer no power to make decisions within the team but even so it is an indication of just how much the value of F1 teams has come down.