Best Laid Plans for Turkish Grand Prix

[KC]

Ostensibly one of the reasons behind F1 taking the circus to Turkey was the lack of tobacco legislation there. Now even Turkey has signed the EU agreement to ban tobacco advertising and the F1 cars will not be allowed to run liveries with tobacco products names on them. They will able to run the colors, but not the names. How will this affect the promoter's future profits? Without tobacco advertising present on the cars and trackside will the promoter even make some money after he has already paid Bernie his $45 milion fee up front?

[hamsmith]

Bernie should wake up and let tobacco advertising go. As soon as thats gone there would be sponsors lining up. Coca-cola and McDonalds for a start.

[Peter Mallett]

Hi KC,

Its common knowledge that Turkey is aiming for the EU and this is the first real sign that they are moving that way!

The amount of tobacco advertising in Ankara is pretty minimal. They're more into designer clothes etc. So I'm not surprised.

Bernie will still get his new market but it will be aimed at cars and consumer goods. BTW. Cigarrettes cost the same here as in the UK so not cheap. Cars are even more here than the UK.

[Sodemo]

I just read a news article about Mark Webber being shown the site for the Turkish GP track.
He said that the series of left handers leading up to the back straight will be quite heavily banked!
After all those posts I made a month ago saying we need more banked corners my prayers have been answered!
I even posted about the new circuit saying that should make those left handers all banked, and it appears they are going to!
Just call me "Mystic Ben".

[KC]

Just wait till the FIA neuters the design. We can't have a challenging track these days can we?

[twig]

I thought we all saw a layout of the track, and it just looks pretty wierd.

It seems that most of the left hand corners have a long right hander before all of them.

I spose that is sort of unique in it's lack of contrast.

[Gt_R]

For a Ferrari fan, i must say i would not miss tobacco sponsors if they are banned. While i don't quite believe tobacco sponsors on cars are going to make millions of kids to start smoking, their departure does no harm to the sports, and may even bring sponsorship.

MacDonalds, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and a huge chunk of good sponsors are waiting in the wings... F1 won't die because Tobacco-sponsors leave... there are still many other industries and riches which F1 had yet to tap into.

Good to Turkey for banning tobacco sponsors.. I'm really looking forward to a tobacco-free F1 season because at least then, i can easily purchase full-livery die-cast instead of patches of white or "be on edge"

[Sodemo]

Im in a rather odd position regarding tobacco sponsorship. I actually hate people smoking around me, I think its smelly, unhealthy and distgusting.
Yet I really like the tobacco sponsors on F1 cars, im not sure what it is I like about it, but I really like seeing the Malboro, Benson & Hedges etc on the cars.

[jetsetter]

I don't think anyone would miss Tobbacco sponsorship on the side of the cars, they'd just get another sponsor & get on with life.

[DriverT]

Wow, a Tilke track that is actually good! Amazing...

[Glen]

Take a little look back at the four races we've had so far before you fall into the popular slag-off-Tilke trap - the Tilke tracks=overtaking, "traditional" circuits, not. He's done some pretty good designs I'd say - Malaysia and Bahrain both produced good races, with the extra track width making a genuine difference.

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by Gt_R
[Bi don't quite believe tobacco sponsors on cars are going to make millions of kids to start smoking,[/B]

If the sponsorship didn't make people start smoking, the fag companies wouldn't do it

[1200Datto27]

Sponsorship aim to change brands, not start smokers. That's what they have peer pressure for.

[Juicy Couture]

I have noticed that Turkish JLR Formula Renault driver Jason Tahinci has a Turkish GP thing as part of his livery.

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by 1200Datto27
Sponsorship aim to change brands, not start smokers. That's what they have peer pressure for.

That's what they say, but they'd rather get more smokers on board to get a bigger share of a bigger market

[1200Datto27]

They have banned all advertising of smokes in Australia, except for a few international sporting events that most young females would not watch, but there are 25% more under20, female smokers than 10 years ago, when advertising was banned. There has also been massive media coverage about the dangers of smoking, but these have not worked.

btw, I cannot stand smokers and smoke (allergic), I have had to put out two roadside fires this summer due to lit butts being thrown out of cars, and cannot stand having to walk through their filty **** when I go anywhere.

[foreversideways]

It would be great to see a tobaco ban enforced and the companies replaced by others.However i guess we dont know the figures involved. Remembering that tobaco companies have very little opportunity to spend their advertising budget other than F1 we may be supprised how much money they contribute. Perhaps other commercial sponsors are not prepared to invest these sums.However a slimmer F1 as per 2008 discussions may no longer need these large sums of money, perhaps reducing their addiction to the tobaco sponsorship. Does Mr E have a plan ?.

[Super Tourer]

Originally posted by KC
Ostensibly one of the reasons behind F1 taking the circus to Turkey was the lack of tobacco legislation there. Now even Turkey has signed the EU agreement to ban tobacco advertising and the F1 cars will not be allowed to run liveries with tobacco products names on them. They will able to run the colors, but not the names. How will this affect the promoter's future profits? Without tobacco advertising present on the cars and trackside will the promoter even make some money after he has already paid Bernie his $45 milion fee up front?

As I understand it, the trackside advertising revenue doesn't go to the promoter, it goes to Paddy McNally's Allsport that has the contract for advertising at all the races and to run the paddock club.

How the promoters make money out of running races is a thorny issue, the plain fact is that a lot of races lose money and those that don't have some sort of government support, justified by the boost to the economy of the region or whatever.

This is a route the British government have not chosen to go down as far as Silverstone is concerned hence, it's predicament. As Motorsport News pointed out this week, any promoter seeking to run the 2005 British GP faces an immediate potential loss of £10M - the disparity between the cost of running the race and the gate money revenue.

Possibly the issue of promoters viablity will come into the mix during the 'new future' of F1, as it is BE maintains that 'other country's make it work', which is true, whilst places like Bahrain and China are happy to subsidise the race.

However, like many current facets of Formula One, it's a situation that is unlikely to last for ever.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Kicking-back
If the sponsorship didn't make people start smoking, the fag companies wouldn't do it

Originally posted by Kicking-back
That's what they say, but they'd rather get more smokers on board to get a bigger share of a bigger market

I smoke, my favourite team (Williams) advertise NiQuitin CQ, which is an "anti" cigarette product, so advertising doesn't always work does it.

[Mouser]

I personally don't smoke,but if all these governments take
away tobacco advertising,then they should at least be
willing to help promote Formula One.

[bella]

Originally posted by Juicy Couture
I have noticed that Turkish JLR Formula Renault driver Jason Tahinci has a Turkish GP thing as part of his livery.

that's because his dad IS the turkish motorsports federation or whatever they're called. he is a cheese of the highest order.

alex storckenfeldt also carries the advertisment although he drives for a different team. logic being the advert covers the top end of the frenault field as well i suppose.

i'm not entirely convinced yet that turkey having a gp is such a good idea. if only cause it means yet another faceless history-less race.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by bella


i'm not entirely convinced yet that turkey having a gp is such a good idea. if only cause it means yet another faceless history-less race.

With the exception of Monaco, Monza, Spa and Silverstone, doesn't every other race fall under that catergory? However, they all go to make up the "bigger picture", and deserve their place on the calender