First Indian GP in 2010 but maybe less BGP's

[Stephen Green]

According to Bloomberg this morning, Bernie plans to hold the first Indian GP in 2010 and the British GP maybe be reduced to 'every other year' alternating with France.

"Ecclestone, 76, said in an interview he was "far down the line'' in negotiations with a regional government, which he declined to identify, to build a racetrack in India. Talks with cities including Hyderabad had petered out, while work on the new track should begin shortly and take three years, he said."

"Ecclestone, who has run Formula One since the 1980s, is cutting races in the sport's European heartland and expanding into Asia. Germany and Italy are losing one of their two races next season and, contrary to reports, the San Marino Grand Prix - - held at Imola, Italy -- won't be reinstated, he said.

"It's bye-bye to San Marino,'' Ecclestone said.

The 56-year-old British Grand Prix is struggling to raise funds to improve the Silverstone, England-based venue -- changes that Ecclestone has demanded since 2000. The sport's oldest race may alternate with the French Grand Prix on the 18-race schedule, he said.

French organizers "are happy to do that,'' Ecclestone said. "As for the British race, I don't know what they want and I'm not sure they do.''

"No one at the British Racing Divers' Club, which owns the Silverstone track, was immediately available to comment. In 2004, the BRDC reached an agreement with Ecclestone to stay on the calendar through 2009."

[luke]

If the British Grand Prix is at stake simply because of an Indian Grand Prix, I won't watch Formula 1 again.

Go to Brands Hatch for flippin' heck sake!

I really don't know how, a race that is now sold out, held the first ever F1 Grand Prix 50 years a go, that has held the most British Grand Prix, a fantastic circuit that produces great racing at times, a favourite with the drivers. I've been to Silverstone and as far as I'm concerned has wondeful facilities. Nothing quite the same elsewhere, maybe the new Donington complex but hey it's all about freaking cash. Heck at one point, what nine of the eleven F1 teams were based around Silverstone in; 'Silicon valley'..
Sometimes I wish the new Grand Prix Championship Series or whatever it was called would happen. We wouldn't have the silly politics that we have with the FIA, and the classic circuits probably would be reborn.

What next, a race in Iran? An island built in the Asian, Indian ocean so there can be a race track for Formula 1? Another desert race?
It's unreal. No doubt other people will not feel the same way as me...

[Doc Hollywood]

I think its getting a bit silly at this stage, it undoubtedly means that India will be the new home for another "sanitised" circuit thats barely capable of producing anything that mildly resembles a race.

[Adam43]

Number of people in Britain 65 million*.
Number of people in India 1 billion*.
And the suggestion is that it is a crazy idea!

India will be paying more for the GP. Is the suggestion so crazy?

I agree that Britain should keep its GP. The history is important, the support is important and the location of the teams is important. However if we spout on about the craziness we are just showing ourselves to be dim and undeserving!

*rough number picked out of my head

[Stephen Green]

And you are forgetting that this is another swing at the BRDC to get the work done on Silverstone. More like sabre rattling at this juncture I think.

[luke]

It will be a majour blow the area but not as big as it will be to British motor racing. Not just for the fans sponsers etc, but for the national junior championships IMO.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by Stephen Green

And you are forgetting that this is another swing at the BRDC to get the work done on Silverstone. More like sabre rattling at this juncture I think.

Yeah, it is all from Bernie this.

[luke]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

Number of people in Britain 65 million*.
Number of people in India 1 billion*.
And the suggestion is that it is a crazy idea!

India will be paying more for the GP. Is the suggestion so crazy?

rough number picked out of my head

Yes. Lets take F1 racing to the ice caps shall we?
60 million people here. 120,000 attendance at Silverstone should be next year neither there or here.

Look at the Chinese Grand Prix, in a population of several billion yet only what 100,000 turned up and most of them are not even F1 fans.

They should race at places where people are actually fans.

IMHO Britain is the home of motorsport, and Silverstone is the home of British Motorsport. Racing in other placed at Tilke tracks where the reason to race is purely down to $$$$$$$ is not what I am a fan of.

Why has F1 had to change this way? It was fine how it was. The FIA or F1 is hardly making a loss. Bernie is hardly not getting any poorer!

[ralf fan]

Originally Posted by luke

Look at the Chinese Grand Prix, in a population of several billion yet only what 100,000 turned up and most of them are not even F1 fans.

Actually just one billion in China too...

Originally Posted by luke

Bernie is hardly not getting any poorer!

So then he is getting poorer?


I have no problems with an Indian GP. People are far more interested in F1 there than you think. From what i hear it brings in record viewers. Please dont think F1 is just a 'European' thing.
As long as the track is good and Silverstone stays (which it will IMO) i see no problem. Something like Turkey, once again not your 'traditional' f1 place but a super track can work wonders.

[N I Tram]

If Tilke's building it, the chance of the track being good is quite low - Turkey was a bit of a fluke. I'm all for having races in new countries, if a fanbase can be established. Malaysia in particular has struggled to get big attendances, and has seen a lot of Japanese and Australian fans going to that race instead of their local events due to extreme exchange rate differences.

Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Australia and Italy should all be sacred for having at least one race a year, as long as attendances remain high, but a 'World' championship shouldn't have more than half its races on one continent.

[Bononi]

Originally Posted by luke

Yes. Lets take F1 racing to the ice caps shall we?
60 million people here. 120,000 attendance at Silverstone should be next year neither there or here.

Look at the Chinese Grand Prix, in a population of several billion yet only what 100,000 turned up and most of them are not even F1 fans.

They should race at places where people are actually fans.

Adam is right in every single word. F1 will be where the money is. That's business. Where people are actually fans are not important, but where the big manufacturers and companies have potential huge markets are. It's a money chain, and Bernie have F1 in the process. The TV coverage, media advertising and the whole consumist pyramid is what really counts. They don't care if 10% of the population that actually are fans and have better salaries than most of the world go to races, if they can get 60 up to 80% of the population buying cheaper and low quality produtcs in the third world.

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by luke

Yes. Lets take F1 racing to the ice caps shall we?
60 million people here. 120,000 attendance at Silverstone should be next year neither there or here.

What are you talking about? I said India (pop. 1 billion) not "Ice Caps" (pop. 12).

I totally agree with you that F1 should stay in Britain, but I do see the advantages.

Originally Posted by luke

Look at the Chinese Grand Prix, in a population of several billion yet only what 100,000 turned up and most of them are not even F1 fans.

Which is of the same order that go to the British GP (a tad over?). Yet all the teams, manufacturers and sponsors get to show off their products in front of these audiences. The TV goes up in that country. The drivers appear there and do what they get paid for. It isn't just the race attendence, not that your attendence example of 100,000 is shabby!

They should race at places where people are actually fans.

Agreed, but with very little effort you get as many fans in India, even if the % of the population is lower.

IMHO Britain is the home of motorsport, and Silverstone is the home of British Motorsport. Racing in other placed at Tilke tracks where the reason to race is purely down to $$$$$$$ is not what I am a fan of.

You are right. Except remember the '50s. Ferrari often wouldn't attend major races in the UK because the starting money wasn't right! Oh how the world hasn't changed!

Why has F1 had to change this way? It was fine how it was. The FIA or F1 is hardly making a loss. Bernie is hardly not getting any poorer!

All these new countries are not whinging about things and are trying harder to get a GP. They seem like they want it more and in some ways I can't blame the FIA for this. On top of that there is the perception that this is meant to be the world championship, why does Britain have a God given right to a GP?

As I said, it should have one, but the argument for it is getting staid. Perhaps these old truths are still true, but frankly most of it comes across as repetitive whinging with no original thinking; pah Tilke track, pah home of British motorsport.

We need to compete; to be original.

[MagnetON]

Originally Posted by AdamAshmore

Number of people in Britain 65 million*.
Number of people in India 1 billion*.

CIA World Factbook lists India as 1.1 billion and UK as 60.6 million, so pretty close there!

[ScotsBrutesFan]

OK accepting that this Indian (probably Tilke designed) circuit goes ahead.

What exactly is it that's needed to be done to Silverstone in order to have it moved into the "automatic" category when penning each years new calendar?

I should say that I've never been to the circuit so have no idea of what is there currently. or How much development space there is, other than what's seen from TV coverage of the different variations of circuit there.

[Stephen Green]

Quite a bit according to Bernie. The pit garages were supposed to have been rebuilt some years ago under the then Octagon ownership if I'm not mistaken? There is a list of other matters which are between the BRDC and BE.

[luke]

I think the root of the problem is the our goverment. Our Grand Prix is the only race that isn't supported finanically by the goverment. It's a shame they don't care it could be said about this event. Currently its got to be one our biggest events along side, Wimbeldon etc...

[chillibowl]

personally i think its something thats long overdue.
forget all the talk about new markets and more money etc. im just happy that in the future we will be at a new venue. F1 is growing and more people will watch.
as for history...well things change and new history is made. c'est la vie n'est pas?

[BootsOntheSide]

Does it benefit the Government enough to support it? They're on a big environmental push at the moment, and motor racing goes against that. Cynics would point out that the current Labour Government wouldn't like it as it's not the most 'inclusive' sport, and we sometimes win in it.

[jab]

Reading another similar article, Bernie wants less European races. Yes, why not abandon the major fan base of F1?

What about South America - 1 race, and yet I've heard nothing about any races there. But we're getting India and South Korea, alongside Malaysia, Bahrain, China, Japan and Turkey

Losing either Silverstone and/or the French race would be a travesty and a sin, and I think Spa and Monza won't be far behind at this rate

What's wrong with a longer calendar - it's getting shorter as it is

[Bononi]

I think that in the future the calendar will vary each year, with tracks eventually going one year out and after a couple of years in again. That way, there will be more than 40 tracks in a 3 year schedule !

[rdjones]

IIRC from what was said about this subject before, that there is document somewhere within the FIA that said the British, French, German and Italian GP's where all protected and had to run ever year.

[f1manoz]

Just goes to show that with Bernie, money talks, screw the fans. Considering we have to pay through the nose just to get to see the cars go round anyway I'm hardly surprised at this latest offering.

[Marbot]

An interesting link.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/55572

[Adam43]

Originally Posted by f1manoz

Just goes to show that with Bernie, money talks, screw the fans.

Although not the Indians.

[luke]

Notice he said :

"India is a country that is probably going to grow quicker than China," added Ecclestone.

He makes me sick. I hate the fact its all about money.

Go ahead, bernie, leave all the classic and established venues, and above all, the fan base behind!
All he is interested in, is developing growing countries econemies so he can profit. Why does he want more? Because of F1 he is one of the richest men there is in the world.

Maybe it seems I am one of only the minority here that feels this way. Us, the European fans should all feel this way if you are proud of our races, seems like the rest of you guys are above all pleased to wave our classic crown jewl races go and money Tilke fairs elsewhere in areas where there is little if that motor racing at all.