IMO Bernie sees Montreal starting to stumble and there'd just be another stalemate in the near future. So, if you've got other places knocking on your door that will accept these demands then why not go with them and get rid of the venues that are struggling? He doesn't want to be seen as caving in to demands as other places would try to do the same thing. He's a hard @ss negotiator(except when it comes to his wife) and that probably won't change anytime soon.
True, but the economic landscape is changing on a daily basis. Bernie wants longterm security with the schedule, but he ain't gonna get it. He can very easily sign a 1-year deal and dump them later if it doesn't work out. But canning Montreal is almost as dumb as putting all your assets under the name of your gold-digging wife.
It is starting to occur to me that we might have a better chance getting Montreal back on the schedule if his wife made that part of the divorce settlement...
LOL! I heard Montreal organizers pulled support for the race when they saw pictures of the 2009 cars.
LOL. The only problem is that Luca usually likes to icepick his victim's hand to the table. That's not usually a problem except in Bernie's case he has his hand in our pocket...
What needs to happen is ALL venues need to 'unionize' and say 'this is what we can afford, take it or leave it', and then see what F1 would do. Can you say 'IRL' ? (yeah, I know, the FIA would strip all 'super licenses' from every driver). I can live just fine without F1, and so can you.
+1,000,000! I was thinking to myself today what needs to happen for this moron to quit moving GPs from Europe to Asia. It seems like we have to wait for him to croak. So for the next ten years F1 will be screwed. ...and no, I can't live without F1.
Its a private business...its called supply and demand. There are only a certain amount of F1 races per year available...so why shouldn't the highest bidder get the race?
Indeed it is. However, people can still feel disgusted (as I am) and repulsed by the aura of cold-hearted greed that shouds it. It's like at the office. We're all numbers.....and dispensible.
The 145 million were actually a guarantee for several years of F1 racing combined. The price for one race is more like 35 million.
There's a balance that must be struck between loyalty, continuity, consistency, etc. and whoring out for the most money on an annual basis. When Bernie merely chases after the biggest pile of cash, he makes a statement that the history of the sport means little or nothing to him. Many of these newer races are suspect for the long-term. Just look at Malaysia and China. Lots of money is thrown at the race and a few years later they can't give tickets away. Meanwhile, European fans flock to the races year after year. The USGP drew large numbers but went away. Every time the sport returns to the States there's the same discourse about how the race needs a long-term home to gain momentum. Well, a few years and out doesn't get that job done. Now, if and when they return, fans will once again be skeptically cautious about returning, feeling burned by the greedy hand of BernieCo.
Wanting to get the best price the market will bear for your product is not greed...it's capitalism. Per your statement everyone that sells at auction is greedy. Bernie is merely a salesmen of F1. If a city/country does not want to pay to buy a race at prevalent market prices, so be it. If the cost to host an F1 race rises higher than the market will bear, no one will buy and the price will drop. What would you suggest, some government organization decide what a private business such as F1 can charge for its product?
I'm a strong believer in market forces and would in general agree, however the problem here is, that the traditional role of the buyer is not the consumer, but the middle man: We, the fans are the consumers and we don't like artificial places in Asia to replace traditional venues of the sport. However we don't pay for the product (or only in a very diluted way); that's done by the middle men, the race organizers. That's why the end product doesn't appeal to the consumers, yet the consumers can do relatively little to change that. Ultimately the shift from North America and Europe to Asia will harm F1: The Asian fans are far and few in between and we as well as the Europeans will eventually loose interest. That's when the price tag will go down and the races might shift back. However given the multi year contracts Bernie hands out, this will take a very long time. Bernie's lifespan might actually come to an end before that and resolve the situation.
You've completely missed my point. Bernie's brand of capitalism is greed. Always trying to up the ante and leveraging long-time, loyal facilities to do so can be--and usually is--short-sighted. Sure, in a healthy economic climate you can look at those maneuvers as shrewd. But turning your back on the sport's history will come back and bite you.
That's just the point. It's not private business. It's government subsidised tracks vs. private enterprise. All of them, Dubai, Bahrain, China, Shanghai, Malaysia. All government projects that the likes of Tony George and Norman Legault are supposed to compete against. Now China wants to bail because of the cost. No one goes to the races. Same with these other venues. Attendance is minimal. Ecclestone's business plan may rake in the bucks today but is shortsighted as a long term plan. Bernie forgets that you were just supposed to shear the sheep, not butcher them. Sounds like a Wall St. business plan to me.
Bernie is practicing business the same way it is done in the Diamond industry by DeBeers and in the Waste Removal Business in North Jersey. Recent moves in F1 like abandoning North Ameria, France and other traditional circuits in Europe plus proposed rule changes such as spec engines could open the door for a manufacturer based rival series with the Rules and Regulation set by a Board of the Manufacturers. Engine formula production based to 5 Liters natural induction or 2.5 forced induction. Open to any configuration, pump fuel. The series must be cost affective for the manufacturer and help their bottom line of "SELLING CARS". Then do a an 18 race series at Historic circuits around the world that are no longer used by F1. 1.Argentina - Buenos Aires 2.Brazil Rio 3.Mexico - Mexico City 4.US West - Laguna Seca/Long Beach 5.Japan Fuji 6.UK Brands Hatch 7.Belgium Zolder 8.Netherlands Zandvoort 9.Germany Hockenheim/Nurburgring (North) 10.Austria A1 Ring 11.Italy Imola 12.France - Paul Ricard/Dijon 13.Spain Jarama/Jerez 14.Portugal Estirol 15.Canada - Montreal 16.US East - Wakins Glen 17.US South - Daytona 18.US North - Indy Then have Roger Penske run it. Joe
Sounds like a plan to me. Some of the places you mention however are unrealistic as venues (Watkins Glen, Brands Hatch, Laguna Seca), but that's details.
