Now, I am and always have been a HUGE F1 fan, but in all honestly, it isn't as interesting as it used to be. When F1 Racing mag first debuted, I'd read each new issue cover to cover the moment it arrived. Even articles I never thought would be interesting (Ralf horseback riding?!) turned out to be interesting. Now almost 10 years later I don't think there's enough to write about in ONE magazine, let alone two. So, it's no surprise if Formula 1 mag goes under. They never seemed to deliver that exclusive access you expected.
I think part of it also has to do with the internet where we get feedback and stories on a daily basis. So what's left for the mags? Background stories and nice photographs. I have finally quit my RACER subscription. Used to be a great mag for CART and F1 coverage. Nowadays it has become IRL, NASCAR and go kart. Way too US centered.
You're right. I've always been tempted to write Road & Track and ask them what the purpose is exactly of their competition section. They are always 2-3 months behind in their coverage because of the way they "push" their issues.
This really is a shame though, depite the decline F1 Racing still is a pretty cool mag and the best thing that exists stateside, maybe the problem is the British are too spoiled, what with most of the teams being based there and constant exposure to new year-round. I am so sick and tired of all the focus on red-neck round -and -round we get here in the US on Speed TV and in all the US car publications. I love to see Motorsport Mundial every week just to see how the other half lives. I bought Jan 2004 issue of Racer Mag thinking they would give MS 6th title some coverage but instead it got very little !! Imagine, the most historically significant thing to happen in ANY form of racing, ley alone the highest pinnacle that exists in all the world of motorsport, and yet it only warranted 4 pages !! Unbelievable, what MS has accomplished will never be broken and instead Racer had to load up on dirt track, midgets and Nascar !! YEEE-HAH !!! Come listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed ....
All very well said! I felt exactly the same way. RACER used to be good, but then they hopped onto the NASCAR bandwagon and threw in anything else they could find in the US.
It's also a shame because I like to use all the excellent pics in F1 Racing in order to spice up my model kits. I guess I will have to resort to more Google searches now. I would have thought, as marketing savvy as Bernie is, he would keep this mag going, regardless of its commercial viability just to have it. I mean, seriously, he's got enough money, doesn't he need write-offs too? I see this Red Bull thing Danny Sullivan is trying to pull off and while I admire his fervor it will never amount to much I believe and that is so unfortunate. The reason F1 will NEVER take off in the US has nothing to do with whether or not there is a US driver and has EVERYTHING to do with the lack of American manufacturers in the series. The Jaguar/Ford relationship notwithstanding, Cosworth, et al. are actually European subsidiaries of the US marques, and as such march to different cultural, and economic drums. Why is WRC not that popular in the USA? I believe because Ford of Europe that supports teams is actually run by European guys that are not interested in the American market. I know for a fact that several years ago when Jack Nasser was CEO of Ford Motor Company he openly said in a boardmeeting while reviewing the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year: who is this guy Eddie Irvine and why is he the highest paid Ford employee? I'm paraphrasing but I have it on very good authority that this statement was made. Nasser was wondering why Irvine's salary eclipsed his at the time. Un-friggin-believable !!!
It was a pretty good read when Nigel was Editor in Chief and Eddie could make an a** of himself every month. The content, photgraphy and features took a drastic downhill turn when Bernie took over. Some of the later issues were so full of fashion fluff (full page pictures of vacuous models languishing in drivers suits? really....) and we love Bernie ka-ka I nearly threw up. I quit buying it last year. Sadly the magazine ended up focusing on the giga-nauseous factor of a P-Diddy or Micheal Douglas showing up at a race....and yes I know we heathens should be thankful for the chance to pay homage to the self-absorbed celebrities with the pit pass who don't know which end of the car goes first. It's really a shame as there was so much to offer. What Mika might be up to, Michael's jet, a detailed accounting of Ayrton's best drives or an in-depth auto review would all be (and were) interesting and worth my dollar but alas....the politically correct tales of Bernie greed were not.
I know what you're saying but godamn, we're stuck with Racer, Road & Track, Car & Driver et al. that don't pay ANY attention to F1.
Take heart gentle readers, help is on the way. While I rather like Bernie's F-1 magazine, a top shelf motorsport magazine which is not beholden to all things NASCAR is about to hit the market. The likes of the aforementioned publications isnt aware of what is about to hit them. Stay tuned. BHW
If they like freelance photographer/writer contributions, let me know. I had the whole JPM/Barrichello Indy crash frame by frame through my Nikkor 600mm lens and offered it to RACER. I would have given it to them for free, but nah, not interested.
Not quite sure what 'credentialed' means. I have no pit passes etc. But I have done freelance work in the past for newspapers. Once I covered the German GP at Hockenheim in text and pictures.
BHW, I would be interested in this enterprise, when you get the chance email or PM me with more details.
If you get AUTOSPORT mag in your areas, take a look at it....It covers just about everything when it comes to racing with emphasis on F1 and Rally racing...It also has smaller sections on IRL, NASCAR, DTM and ALMS as well.... In the age of information overload, everyone including magazines need to be well rounded when it comes to providing information.....It's almost impossible to cater to a small section of racing fans (F1) and not cover anything else in the US...Especially at the prices they're charging per issue...It ain't going to happen in this country... AUTOSPORT is a bit late with the latest coverage by the time I get it in the mail but I don't mind....I like reading the F1 race coverages, photos and driver's profiles....Besides I'm a big fan of ALMS/Sportscars and it's about the only magazine that covers those races. A very well rounded racing magazine. http://www.autosport.com/ VK
Not trying to be a show off, but here some of my 'credentials'. Two from the 01 USGP and MS on the way to his sober win at Imola last year. Happy to work with you.