Comments on: 2009 F1 calendar expected tomorrow with French round at Magny-Cours

By: Gman

Gman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:42:53 +0000

Francois, indeed if the event known as the European GP was kept around, it would be great to see it move to different venues- Imola, Brno in the Czech Rrepublic, that new track in Portugal…Sadly, as Scott and sChUmAcHeRtHeGrEaTeStEvEr point out, The Euro GP is just a money-making sprint for Bernie- he knows he could sell out 20 races in Spain if given the chance, so why not hand them a second one?

The one thing that I do disagree with sChUmAcHeRtHeGrEaTeStEvEr on is…why is 20 races too much? We’re talking about the most advanced form of racing in the world, and the teams and series all have plenty of money. Let’s start the season earlier, wipe out the 3-weke gap, and see some more RACING- with at least one trip to the USA back in there!

By: DG

DG — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:43:50 +0000

Ooops, I have noticed that I should have included Singapore in there too, so you can drop Hungary off the end…..

By: DG

DG — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:11:49 +0000

Heres another worrying thought for you…..
Since the circuits that appeal most to Bernie are the ones which are happy to spend their cash and give him the profits, and those at the moment are in the Middle East and Far East, I can see the whole F1 circus gradually moving away from Europe.
Bernie is also in discussions for circuits in India, so how about a theoretical calendar of:
1.Valencia
2.Monaco
3.Turkey
4.Eygpt (they used to race there)
5.Bahrain
6.Qatar
7.Abu Dhabi
8.India
9.Malaysia
10.Shanghai
11.Japan
12.Australia
13.Brazil
14.USA
15.Canada
16.’British’
17.’French’
18.’German’
19.’Italian’
20.Hungary
As you see its 15 races before you need to think about using the circuits that Bernie doesn’t like!

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:31:15 +0000

And here's the FIA's provisional calendar. No USA, France is there, 19 races. Abu Dhabi will be the season finale in late November, despite earlier reports it would be in October. Turkey is moving later in the calendar closer to its original slot: More here

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:00:05 +0000

French GP confirmed for 2009 by FFSA: More here

By: Sush

Sush — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:24:38 +0000

have they sorted out the pits @ Spa?
the entrance is too tight.

and the buildings don’t conform to fire safety laws, Bernie says that doesn’t worry him though.

By: Alvin

Alvin — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:43:41 +0000

Journeyer, if you’re coming to Malaysia 2009 look me up. We’ll probably have our F1 simulators somewhere so you might want to try it out. Email me at alvin@aigroupholdings.com or find me on FB…cheers

By: Paulo

Paulo — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:39:34 +0000

Gman, I always thought that Spa was one of those races that was up in the air but if they did succeeded in securing a long term deal that’s great. Imola back on the calendar would definitely be nice.

By: Pink Peril

Pink Peril — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 01:26:02 +0000

Great, now I can begin planning next years holiday. Still no word though, on whether the OZGP has been saved past 2010

By: Gman

Gman — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:25:40 +0000

Paulo, I’m not sure if you are aware, but Spa did come back on the schedule a few years back and appears to be safe for awhile. I don’t have the exact details of whatever deal they made with Bernie- perhaps Keith or one of the other can fill us in on that. If any trend emerged towards including another European venue, I imagine Imola would be beating down the door for that spot…

On the topic of the USGP possibly being back, few things would make me happier. I hope we some kind of official word coming up soon, because if it is indeed back, I’ll jump for joy!! I’ve been checking for word on it for months, so we’ll just need to see what happens.

And good for Magny-Cours if they do keep the race- perhaps it is less glamourous, but I think it would provide a much better race than a street track in Paris or anywhere elese.