Adios Mexico GP 2020?

Yep, 2019 looked "iffy." Apparently the mayor wants to divert the funds that will benefit the city long-term instead of an F1 event. Shame too, the turnout was always over 300k+ and the festivities were fun to watch.

 

I wonder what F1 would do if every city that is having financial problems quit hosting an F1 event.

 

If a few circuits were to form a cartel, and demand lower fees from Liberty Under the treat is quitting, I am wondering what would be the outcome.

Think about tracks like Silverstone, Spa, Hockenheim and Monza getting together and blackmailing Liberty which claims European circuits are important.

I think Liberty's business model could be in serious trouble then.

 

That would be ****. Mexico races tend to be quite good.

 

Not the mayor, but the President. He already moved the F1 funds towards a "Mayan Train" that will run through the jungle and is considered to be an enviromental hazard.

 

Bernie knew the model was broken and saw what was appearing and left. The last financial crisis was a nice marker and he set up his sale and exit. No racing without circuits and the promoters know it. Liberty will have to be a touch flexible.

 

Mexico is one of the best GPs, together with Brazil, USA, and Canada.

 

You could almost have a Championship of the Americas if you throw a GP of Argentina in the mix !!!

 

Very well remembered.

Sincerely, F1 should go to the Americas, Europe, Australia, and Japan. All the other tracks are boring as hell.

 

Baku has yet to dissappoint and so far I like it on the calender.

 

Hummm, in reality F1 has to go where the money is, because it needs a lot of it!

Ecclestone and Liberty have gone away from the traditional fan base (Europe + US), because they could sell the circus better.

Don't forget that France couldn't "afford" a GP for 8 years, Germany had thought about not renewing its contract and Silverstone may drop out soon.

In an ideal world Liberty would lower its fees to keep GPs where the regular audience is, but maybe it cannot afford it?

 

Agree 100% Joe, Baku is awesome.

But I would rather prefer to see F1 racing in Zolder, Estoril, Imola, Buenos Ayres, etc., than in Bahrain or Abu Dhabi.

 

Yeah, but that's why I like to watch those old GPs from thr 80's/90's, the tracks were more interesting.

 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/47490727

SO Mexico in peril and now this on British GP

Ross Brawn says it is "frustrating" that Formula 1 and Silverstone have so far failed to reach an agreement to save the British Grand Prix.

The circuit's contract expires after this year's race and talks on a new deal have stalled.

"We want to find a solution with Silverstone," F1 managing director Brawn said. "But we are differing in our views of what's reasonable.

"We're not far apart. It's frustrating that we can't find a solution."

Relations between the two parties cooled further in January when Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle organised a statement from F1 race organisers criticising the sport's current management.

Brawn said that F1 was determined to ensure a British Grand Prix remained on the calendar.

He said: "I don't think it will be the final British Grand Prix. Whether that's at Silverstone or not is another matter."

And he gave what might be interpreted as a thinly veiled threat that F1 could look elsewhere for a venue by making reference to a time between the 1960s to 1980s when Silverstone used to alternate as the race's host with the Brands Hatch track in Kent.

"Racing in the UK is important to us and obviously Silverstone has been the home of the British Grand Prix for the last few years," Brawn said at a pre-season news conference, "but most of us here can remember it being held at Brands Hatch and it didn't seem that strange that we had a race at Brands Hatch one year and Silverstone the next.

"We are determined to make sure we keep a British Grand Prix, and hopefully at Silverstone, but there's no certainty."

F1's owners, the US group Liberty Media, have considered a race in London, and sources say a street track in the Docklands area, close to where a race in the all-electric Formula E series will be held next year, is under consideration.

Brawn said: "London would be a different race than the British GP. It is a city race. There is a place for both.

"I don't think it's feasible to have a London race in the middle of London, unfortunately. The chaos and impact it would have would be too severe. But on the periphery of London there are a number of areas that could work. I don't see it as it would necessarily replace the British GP - it would be the London GP."

 

First, there is no realistic short term alternative to Silverstone to hold a GP in UK.
Brands Hatch is not up to standards anymore, and there is a ban on holding major racing events because of the housing around it.
The only place that could hold a GP could be Donington, providing it spends a lot of money to bring up the track to safety standards for F1.
The last GP promoter who had a contract at Donington went bankrupt with the cost of transforming the circuit that never saw a GP since!
So we can put that argument to bed. It's Silverstone or nothing.
As a Londoner, I cannot contemplate a GP held in the capital; that would be a disaster for our city. I bet it would be shortived too.

Now about Brawn's statement "it's frustrating" that Formula 1 and Silverstone have so far failed to reach an agreement to save the British Grand Prix."
If Liberty was more reasonable in its demand, there is no doubt that the 2 parties would agree quickly on a deal.
But Liberty is greedy, wanting a lot of money for the race, and offereing a several years contract with "escalating fees" going up year after year.
Silverstone just can't afford such clauses, that could put the future of the circuit in jeopardy and bankrupt the club that owns it.
What part of "we cannot afford this!" Liberty doesn't understand?

I can only see one solution out of this.
Liberty rents the tracks in countries where it wants to have GPs.
Liberty promotes and finances the races itself, covers the costs, swallows the loses, sells the TV rights, etc...
In one word, Liberty takes the risks instead of the circuits owners and promoters.
Liberty has to put its money where its mouth is !!!

 

Reading between the lines, they think the future of F1 is in street races.

Good luck with that. The game is already boring enough as it is.

 

This as you post and I agree with William input on Liberty. The promoters have no way to pay more. Bernie fleeced Liberty and left them holding a bag that is leaking........they can talk all they want about the next formula. The problem is not just that. The infrastructure is failing to even hold a race.