They would not be arrested if they are legally in the United States. Fernando Alonso, for example, would not be arrested. Neither would any other person abiding by existing US laws, less restrictive than those in Canada, Mexico, or Finland. JM3
I think Chicago would be a great venue, that stretch on lake shore drive would be amazingly quick, plus the foreign population, airports & hotels.
Exactly! What was nice about Indy is that you CAN roam around the infield and view the race from where ever you park your a**, like we use to do at Watkins Glen. None of this Montreal stuff, where you have to stay planted in your assigned seat.
F1 belongs to Orlando as much as it belongs to the sand pits of the Middle East. It is just a bunch of doddering old fools with their golf equipment and smirking children wearing Mickey Mouse ears. Everything even semi-decent there is man-made. Orlando is ugly, unpleasant, boring, fake and phony...wait!?!?. At any rate, I wouldn't go even if I got free tickets.
Most of GP viewers are on TV, and Indy looks quite artificial and bland. Why not Laguna Seca with challenging corners, elevations and some scenary in the background for a change? And please, NOT another US street circuit!! But the real US GP home surely must be Watkings Glen? Beside, why concentrate all US races at Indy; it already has the Brickyard 400, the Indy 500, the US Moto GP... Why monopolise?
The USGP at Indy did get some things right. The $25 2-day ticket for Friday/Saturday was a great idea along with general admission to check out different vantage points. People want different things with their F1 experience, and in many ways Indy actually offers much of it. You can camp across the street or stay in an expensive hotel only 15 minutes away. You can go to expensive dinners at pretty decent restaurants, go to strip clubs, go to regular bars, or lay low. Getting around is pretty easy, and something I've always loved about Indianapolis is the way it wraps itself around a large event, especially a race. What they need to do is seriously redesign the track. I like the use of the oval, but they have too many Mickey Mouse corners on the infield. And they should build up more of the infield hills for viewing. There are some great vantage points out there.
If you think it sucks getting into Silverstone then you need to try Laguna and the Glen for big events, they make Silverstone look fan friendly.
But like I said, the interest of millions of TV viewers worldwide shouldn't be sacrificed for the few spectators who actually attend! Ecclestone and his circus make more money from worldwide TV rights than from the gates, and it's the same from most global sports: football world cup, Olympics, etc... Therefore teams should support challenging venues. What is most important is a challenging track, not spectators facilities. It never entered my mind to judge at circuit by its toilet facilities or its car park!! It's what's happening on the track that fascinates me!! Just look at the almost empty grandstands in some Middle East or Far East GP venues. There is even a Japanese track whin almost no roadside access, I heard.
Dead Subject until for me until it actualy happens. I would have to agree on this. Not gonna happen there anytime soon. Track is too short and The Laguna Seca Fund doesn't have th efunds to bring it up to specs for F1. I wish it could happen there though. Anyone wanna get some Sponsor to put out the money to bring it to F1 specs? It's up to specs for MotoGP. Except the extra 1/4 mile of track, not much more would be needed.
I would have agreed on Watkins Glen - 35+ years ago, but the circuit has changed. (I know: what circuit hasn't?). I'm sure all of us old people would LOVE to go watch a race at the OLD SPA, 'Ring, Kyalami, San Marino, Monza high-banks, Riverside to name just a few. I don't love Indy by any stretch, but it seems to be the one track in the center of the USA, and if it cannot happen at Long Beach, and if it WON'T happen at Laguna Seca, Mid-Ohio or Elkhart Lake, then it's going to happen at a venue like Indy - or any venue that will pony up many $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to make it happen. Unfortunately, F1 wants $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ more than they do a race at an exciting facility - and that goes for anywhere, not just the USA.
I somewhat agree. He is the person responsible for ruining open wheel racing in the USA... and frankly the F-1 events were good but could never be profitable.... so not sure if it was ego or bad business sense. I think Bernie is at a crossroads. His ego cant take less money, but he has outpriced him self, and the show is boring, so eventually something will have to change.
Indeed. - In fact, I'm pretty sure the *only* $ the track gets is admission tickets. [And of course the high $, paddock club etc is all Bernies....] I hear you, but have you ever been stuck in the mud at S/stone on a Sunday evening? At least FIFA is helping to pay South Africa for it hosting the World Cup - The evil pygmy needs to share out the pie more equitably - Make it attractive to host a race [Like that'll ever happen!] Cheers, Ian
I agree with that. Well that completely depends on where you're at when you watch that race: If it is in front of your TV, then facilities are meaningless. But if you are suffering from jet lag and unusual cuisine and your body becomes highly irregular, believe me, nothing is more important than a clean and available bathroom. Been there, suffered through it.
The on site facilities have to cater, not only to the hard core fan, but to his wife and kids as well. No promotor is going to fill all his seats without them. Besides they eat, drink and buy trinkets too.
how about both? It won't. He had the perfect venue (by today's standards and requirements), and he would not budge. Aside from paying the exorbitant shipping expenses, do you ever wonder where all the money being made in F1 REALLY goes? Well, until someone drives a stake thru his heart, he CAN last forever. How on earth did you ever survive at races in the 60's and 70's????
The first GP I attended in person was Hockenheim in 79. That was very civilized. But even if it hadn't been, back then I was young and inconvenience didn't matter as much. Today I'm much less tolerant, particularly after forking over $ 500 to the organizer. For that I expect a working toilet, a connection to public transportation, some food vendors and a decent seat. Note btw that I do NOT expect a fascinating race. And I'm happiest if the grand stands are empty.
I guess not. I'm too busy during the race taking in the atmosphere and pictures to pay much attention who is in the lead or passing somebody. Even if I'd care, it is hard to do without the aid of one of those new portable TVs and if you do that, you might as well watch it from home. Going to the race is much more about seeing the cars and drivers in person, smelling the fumes and hearing the noise. Following a race strategy I can do with all the other races I watch at home on TV. Less people normally means less logistic hassle. Granted more fans add to the atmosphere, but there is a point where it is no longer fun. Indy could easily swallow 100k + fans and you still wouldn't suffer much as an individual whereas just 20k fans would cause Silverstone to burst at the seams.
I understand where you're coming from. Its just that unless you're willing to pay for all those empty seats around you its not going to make economic sense. For me, crowded grandstands adds to the Gestalt.
Of course it does. I even enjoyed the Zeitgeist in Barcelona when Alonso's fans showed up in the thousand. And I had a lot of Fahrvergnuegen on the crowded train from Nice to the Monaco GP, where I experienced very little of Mediterranean Gemuetlichkeit in the torrent rain of 84 (which led to the stop of the race): When we exited the "track" and went to the train station the gates were closed as the special trains hadn't arrived yet (since the race ended prematurely). I was at the very front and squeezed against the metal gates as the waves behind me pushed and pushed. So forgive me when I prefer la dolce vita of a Sunday morning stroll through medieval Imola town to their local go kart track (known as the GP of San Marino) or the German Gruendlichkeit in organizing a multi lane approach to their Walhalla of racing at Hockenheim.
