Rodin Carlin envisions a Formula 1 team with its own power unit and its own female driver

Rodin Carlin is considering signing up to compete in Formula 1. The team would develop its own power unit and guarantee a seat for a female driver. The New Zealand company already has experience building F1-type cars.

Carlin Motorsport is active in Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 4 and F1 Academy, among others. Robert Kubica, Kevin Magnussen, Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, Carlos Sainz, Logan Sargeant, Takuma Sato, Yuki Tsunoda and Sebastian Vettel, among others, have driven for the team in championships below the premier class. The British team used to compete in IndyCar and Formula Renault, helped run Mahindra in Formula E and has now also teamed up with Lewis Hamilton’s Extreme E team. Rodin Cars became one of Carlin’s sponsors in 2022 and the New Zealand carmaker has been the majority shareholder since this year.

From F4 to F2

“We make the whole car here and we guarantee we’ll have a woman in one of the seats,” Rodin Cars founder David Dicker told me. Motorcycle Sports from New Zealand. “We would be the only team to have a full junior programme. We are on the whole spectrum from Formula 4 to Formula 2 and no one else comes close to what we do. A lot of people would be really interested in having a New Zealand team in F1. It would mean a lot for Formula 1.”

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Own power supply

Rodin Cars is already building the FZED racing car at Mount Lyford in New Zealand, a Formula 1 type car with a V10 engine. “We actually have a very attractive offer because we can manufacture our own powertrain,” continued Dicker. His company Dicker Data made a profit of €1.8 billion last year, so the money to start your own F1 team is there. “I’m sure none of the others who are considering entering will be making their own power units. We already have a fairly sophisticated facility. We already have all the equipment we need to build the car.”

Andretti and Hitech

“Might as well bring the American team in,” Dicker said, pointing to Andretti. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they let Hitech in as well. Oliver Oaks [directeur en teambaas van Hitech Grand Prix] is a nice guy. But the problem is that again it’s a team based in England and then the teams are not spread out. People outside the UK don’t care about another team coming from the UK.”