The Bahrain GP has just been cancelled, and there is no cartainty that it can be slotted back in later in the year. Local politicians in Melbourne are making noise that the Australian GP is too costly and don't want the contract to be renewed. The Malaysian GP has 'lost its lustre' if we believe its organiser who may terminate the deal. The German GP is under threat because no one wants to fund it, and may disappear soon. There are clouds of uncertainty over Spa-Francorchamps about the future of the Belgian GP in a tug of war between two local authorities. Ecclestone keeps saying that the Interlagos circuit at Sao Paulo is falling behind and may not be able to host the Brasilian GP much longer. Is F1 in trouble?
I don't know. The past few years were exciting as far as WDC and Bernie probably has a list of other countries that may want to host an F1 race. TV viewership may be up. The problem may be the instability of the area he wants to put some of these races where longevity and sustainability maybe be an issue.
F1 in trouble? No. Bernie's ever-increasing, outrageous fees for races sold to the highest bidder, even though the local populace isn't interested in F1 and can't affort to attend? Hopefully yes, it is in trouble. Malaysia, Shanghai, Turkey, Bahrain - the locals don't care and don't want F1. Australia, Germany, Spa - the locals want F1, but Bernie is pricing them out of the market to where they can't afford it. It's Bernie/CVC that is the problem, not interest in F1 per se.
Had similar thoughts I do confess. But more due to fact alot of melt down in places, and oil prices mainly. In the grand scheme of things IMO F1 will survive, there is still alot of rich boys that want to play with toys. In one sense I tend to think it is more popular than ever, it helps because there is no certain winner, as in some times in the past. GordonC I agree with your post...The problem stems from Bernie and the CVC debt, and the shady dealings he did with Mosley, before that.
I would say "yes" but not for any one reason. There are several. I think F1 is becoming too expensive for localities to run and too expensive for fans to attend. In the long run, that has to effect the sport. Also, the teams are still hanging on by a thread. Sponsorship money is tight and if your in he mid pack or lower, it's got to be tough to survive an entire season. The money deck is stacked in favor of the better teams who score more points. It's the classic "rich get richer". Lastly, Bernie has to be worried about public outcry if there's a major tragedy. The world is changing and, just like boxing, sports that have high risk are at risk at public or legal backlash. Let's hope everyone always stays safe, not because we like to preserve racing but because we want the drivers to live their lives without injury or pain.
Great post; bernie's blind pursuit of the dollar, regardless of the great tracks in the world, is finally showing more signs of backfiring on him....
+1 Short answer is: no Seems to me that every other year somebody brings up a "the end is near for F1" thread for whatever reasons. Everybody chimes in. Some lament that Ferrari "only" does F1 and wishes they would go back to Le Mans racing. Eventually the "crisis" passes and F1 continues on as always: Dominating the sportsworld and making a ton of $$$ in the process. This is no different. Who cares whether we loose some tracks as long as there are new ones standing in line to get into the action? Next.
I agree with you and Bdelp. I have to say though, I am surprised F1 is still around. When we experienced the oil embargo in the 70's, I was a kid dreaming of being an F1 driver. I thought if the fuel crisis was real, the automobile as we knew it, wouldn't be around much longer and F1 would fade away. Happily, it's still around 40 years later and its as exciting as ever. But it seems those same conditions are occuring again. With the price of oil rising so dramatically and the affect it will have on the cost of everything else, I wonder how pertinent motorsports will be to the general public.
Dominating the sports world? That's a very strong statement; that is pretty debateable. And making a ton of $$ is primarily due to the exhorbinant amount Bernie charges each country - which is increasingly becoming harder to justify, and pay. Is f1 in trouble? No - but it ain't as healthy as some make it out to be. (particularly the tv figures - which are always inflated)
Quite the opposite: Look at the prices of yachts and race horses: Sail boats and horses were commodities when they were just mere ways of transportation. Technical progress made them obsolete and look what happened: Now they are toys for the super rich and the average Joe Blow is happy to watch them race. At some point all "cars" will be some electrically powered boxes zooming around and a fuel powered combustion engine will be a thing from the past. Yet we will even more so go to race tracks to admire that juggernaut from the past. The only way they could kill off F1 is if they go totally electric. At least at that point it would have died for me.
Most watched sports event on TV worldwide. That is not debateable but fact. Except for when there are the Olympics or World Cup Soccer, but that's only every 4 years.
Everything's fine. The only problem is the current economic situation i believe. But most of the posters here i think have no idea what they're posting about.
Will the opening F-1 Race come to America?? Lets see what happens; America Formula -1 Fans are waiting. Lets Hope it comes to our shores.
for me f1 has always been about the technological pursuit. i wouldn't have a problem with an electric powered f1 car. i liked the six wheeled car, why not electric. kers is a portent of things to come.
Yes.... been going down hill for years. about the past 10 years. There is a finite amount of money that the world is willing to pump into F-1. I think Ecclestone has been over the limit for a while now, and they are going to pay the price. ever since CVC partners / Deutchebank / Morgan Grenfeled bought F-1 it completely stopped being a sport... pure entertainment.... Ecclestone has to show a profit to service all the debt for his new masters.... The tracks are about all the same, fans are an after thougth and TV advertizing is it... There is a reason why western europe and North America are the traditional home to F-1 ... and I think we are seeing the reasons now... the west is the most stable area.....
Which I find quite ironic, seeing as everyone and their brother in the FIA is trying to cut the operating costs. I.E. Less testing, no in season testing, no engine development, etc. Bernie and his fees heading in 1 direction and the FIA headed in the other.
There are only a handful of races on the calendar that I truly get excited about and look forward to now...and it is definitely because of the racing (not atmosphere) that they produce. I'm thinking Melbourne, Spa, Montreal, Brazil, and I'm finding myself at a loss for a fifth.
I have no problem with KERS. In fact it makes sense. But I would never watch a race of electric only cars. Just as I can't get enthusiastic over Diesel powered LeMans cars. I'm probably a dinosaur.
If so thanks for the oil A lot of us more mature fans have deeply ingrained associations with the IC engine that the newer generation doesn't. The universal attraction is the sense of speed.
