Bahrain....

Hardly new. That's why F1 doesn't give a damn about the fans. Look at how much better any other racing series (e.g. NASCAR, ALMS) treats its fanbase.

It'd be easy for F1 to be more approachable but not as long as Bernie doesn't care for the sport side of things. Bahrain is just another example in a long list of failures. Why else would we even have a race in places like Bahrain or Shanghai?

 

Well I actually get Shanghai - China is definitely an emerging market. In fact Ferrari just built a limited run of 20 458 Italias specifically for China to celebrate 20 years of selling their cars there.

http://www.topspeed.com/cars/ferrari/2012-ferrari-458-italia-china-special-edition-ar127761.html

>8^)
ER

 

An emerging market with zero motorsports tradition and zero interest in motorsports.

 

I think that's a little unfair. How does one get a "tradition" without a race?

As for interest, I think it will come with time.

It is after all a *huge* potential market for the manufacturers that are left and they seem to like the track and facilities. I think it's great that F1 continues to expand globally.

Cheers,
Ian

 

How can you even say that? Going back all the way to 1996 the crowd at the BPR Global GT race held at Zhuhai was hardly lacking. Everybody has to start somewhere and I am sure if Ferrari have been able to sell cars there for 20 years there is at least some interest in motorsport that fueled that. Just because it isn't part of their culture dating back 100 years is no reason to discount them today.

>8^)
ER
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And headlines like this on MSNBC's main page aren't necessarily helping:

F1 cars to race amid deadly Bahrain crackdown?

>8^)
ER

 

It;'s the same like rejecting fresh graduates and preventing from getting jobs, and later stating that your looking for experience.

How can experience start without even a job?

I don't have any issues with wherever the races are being held at. As long as there's a race, i'm happy. Better than no race. Problem is, the track needs to be interesting, not dull and boring like Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

And, the track cannot be located too far away from the city. That's a major factor here.

 

I saw a report on TV where they commented how the Chinese are not into motorsports and that Chinese YUPPIES rather drive a Merc or Jag than a sports car or prefer being chauffeured around. According to that report it is against their culture to be a "boy racer in a Ferrari".

No idea whether that is true or not, but we have seen dismal attendance at the Shanghai GP, even despite the government handouts of tickets.

 

Looks like the FIA will go ahead with the race:

http://www.motorsport-aktuell.com/automobil/bahrain-fia-soll-gruenes-licht-geben-4700488.html

 

Yes heard a announcement on the radio stating, Bernie said it's all go for the race unless the Bahrain authorities call it off.

 

Well lets hope no one in F1, be it teams/drivers/fans/others don't get hurt

 

Amen

 

+1

FWIW, Damon Hill has done a complete 180 on the issue - He's now "100% behind" them going..... I suspect the Pygmy may have had a quiet word.......

Lets keep fingers crossed it goes off OK.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Or his bosses at Sky Sports may have suggested it too.

>8^)
ER

 

No sense in spitting in the wind

 

Now that the Shanghai GP is in the books (fair warning: no spoilers please) I wonder whether some folks on here are going to change their minds?

Bahrain might become some kind of guilty pleasure: You know it is wrong to race there, but who wants to wait another 4 weeks after the phenomenal race we just had?

 

Tis true for me my gut tells me it's wrong, but...I need more of that pronto.

 

To China's credit, they do have somewhat of an international motorsport tradition: the Macau Grand Prix of Formula 3, which has existed since 1954.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau_Grand_Prix

On top of that, the (then) manufacturers wanted a race presence in what will become the world's largest automobile market. Bahrain, on the other hand, is insignificant in the global scheme of things - in terms of a market, tradition, and apathy. A couple of rich guys running the kingdom invested in some teams, became friends with Bernie, and somehow drew some influential seats in the FIA, and only wanted a race for bragging rights to their rich guy friends from other neighboring Arab countries, and to "promote themselves on a global scale".

 

Except that Macau was its own country until 1999. So "China's motorsport tradition" goes back ten years at best.

As for the interest in the race: Did you see those gigantic empty grandstands?

Bahrain has the fastest growing economy in the Middle East and is one of the richest countries in the world. Probably also a place where lots of high end luxury cars are sold.

Hardly what I'd call insignificant in the global scheme.

 

Sorry, Bahrain is a piss in the ocean compared to China when car sales (among almost everything else) are looked at. Ferrari are celebrating 20 years in China and it's expected to be their largest market pretty soon IIRC.

Bahrain is a very few very wealthy folks and a shed load of underpaid disenfranchised immigrant workers. It *is* totally insignificant in the global scheme of things.

Cheers,
Ian

 

All true.
But

Baharain has the bucks to get what it wants.
Personally I think that the royal family have bigger worries than the GP.

 

+1 to that.

Certainly, the bucks talk loud, but as the circus says, they've gotta believe what the FIA tells 'em - Maybe the FIA is telling 'em all is good *because* of Bahrain $, but at this stage I don't think they're (the FIA) being actively "corrupted" or "bribed" to go.

Cheers,
Ian

 

No they weren't. They were already committed contractually and weren't willing to pay the forfeit. Money talks. Besides I don't see any percentage for the opposition to harm any of the participants. While they may try to interfere and get some international press they're the only ones facing physical harm.

Having said that I don't want to see F1 or any sport become a tool of international politics. Sooner or later they'll realize that running in certain venues opens them up to that sort of manipulation and not agree to run there in the first place.

 

Try 20 years at least - this is just the record of one location I happen to be familiar with:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuhai_International_Circuit

And there are empty grandstands in China because many locals can't afford the ticket prices, not because there is no interest in motorsports.

>8^)
ER